I'd like to spend christmas at home this year, but don't want to offend MIL

[mummyloveslucy]

Hi, every year for the past 10 years, we've gon to MIL's for christmas. She has a big house and she has 15 people to cater for. She is always soo buisy organising dinner and the children are opening pressies frantically, it is so chaotic. It's lovely being together when it's all calmed down though.
I would like to spend christmas at home though occasionally. We tried to spend the morning at home last year, but got a frantic phone call from MIL at 10am saying where are you? I need help with the dinner.
Anyway, I've been reading about other peoples christmas traditions and it made me think that I could make christmas so magical for our daughter. I don't know if MIL will mind though. She might think she's done somthing wrong. I don't know if it'd be the same with just the 3 of us either. What do you think? also her mother is basically house bound, she's 86 and very ill. She loves my daughter and might not be around next year. Do you think we should go to MIL's one more year or have the day at home and go down at about 5pm ?

I would go this year so your daughter can have some happy memories of her great gran. Maybe your MIL can come to you next year?

I think you should go to mil's this year, for the sake of dd and great gran, but make sure you tell mil as soon as possible afterwards that you will be staying home next year. It sounds as if you live quite close to your family, so I would also consider doing a family do at your place next year (maybe Boxing Day, so you still get Christmas Day on your own), so that you don't upset great gran and your dd still gets to see her if she's still around next year - I hope she is

Yes, I think I probubly will. My daughter will be nearly 4 this christmas, so next christmas she'll be old enough to start our family traditions.
It would be lovely for MIL to come to us next year, she would be able to relax too and let me do the cooking. (I bet she won't though)
Hopefully we'll have a new addition to our family by then too.

I could always have a little christmas party around ours one evening, maybe a christmas tree party? decorating the tree with MIL and maybe Lucys cousins. We could have mince pies etc and christmas music.