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Four Christmases

Belle0720Belle0720 member
First Anniversary First Comment 5 Love Its
in July 2013 Weddings
I was watching the movie 'Four Christmases' last night and with Christmas coming up next week I was wondering how everyone splits up the Holidays between yours and FI's families.

I live with my mom and we've always hosted Christmas day at our house; I love it and it's definitely my favorite day of the year! FI's immediate family lives 45 mins away from us but his very large extended family does a big Christmas dinner almost 1.5 hrs away from us. This year he told me that he really wants me to go to his extended family's Christmas. I told him that since it's my last Christmas living with my mom that I really want to spend the whole day with my family especially since I had the flu on Christmas last year and didn't get to enjoy it at all. And next year we will figure something else out for the two of us to spend Christmas with both of our families.  

But I honestly can't ever imagine spending 3+ hours in a car instead of helping my mom and sister in the kitchen while we listen to Christmas music and have Christmas movies playing in the living room-it literally makes me cry thinking about it. I'm hoping next year we can figure out a way to spend Christmas Eve or a Christmas brunch with his parents and sister instead of having to drive so far away, but I guess we'll tackle that next year.

So how do you/have you/will you split the Holidays between yours and FI's families?
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Re: Four Christmases

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    Liane28Liane28
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    FI and I both have big families and big dinners and we live an hour and a half away from my family and 2 and a half hours away from his, but we alternate who we spend xmas eve and xmas day with each year.
    Christmas eve was always the biggest at my family's place and my absolutely favourite day, but I've learned to compromise (even though it really bugs me to miss our every second year lol)!  We used to do gifts after christmas mass at my parents place so on the years where I spend xmas eve at FI's family, we usually drive down to my family on christmas day and the whole family waits for us to open gifts, so I always feel really bad, but c'est la vie!

    This year, we'll be doing from Dec 21-Dec 24 with FI's family, then leaving on Christmas Day after breakfast to go see my family and will likely stay with them until the 29th ish :)

    I feel your pain because traditions are hard to miss/break...I'm not super religious, but I do love going to midnight mass on xmas eve and FI's family is zero religious, so when xmas eve is with them, I miss out on it :( 

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    AmJam04AmJam04 member
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    We're pretty lucky that our immediate family members are all local.
    Usually we're able to split up the day to have brunch with my dad, lunch with FI's dad, then a late dinner with his mom. The only factor that changes plans is FI's brother who lives 3 hrs away -- we tend to adjust our plans depending on brother's arrival. So this year we'll do Xmas eve dinner with FI's mom, Xmas day brunch with his dad, then dinner with my dad.

    The day is always crazy busy, but we're able to see everyone on the big day(s).
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    Knottie1450123632Knottie1450123632 member
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    i only have my daughter so more than likely next year i will fly her out to me for a few days or fly to her :)
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    Getting2VowelsGetting2Vowels member
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    Ive always celebrated on Christmas Eve having a traditional Polish dinner, followed by presents then church. Christmas day was just one big day of eating and food coma. This year will pretty much be the same. I still haven't decided if I want to throw FI into it. I think it might be awkward for him. Christmas day he'll be with his parents since I have to work.
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    keyaira04keyaira04 member
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    Christmas is always with FI's family until we have children. Other holidays, we switch off. 
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    lifeonthehilllifeonthehill member
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    We have a crazy schedule this year. Ughh. Only half looking forward to it all.

    December 21st, 22nd and 23rd are with his dads side 2 and a half hours from here. 24th will be spent with his mom and her side.

    We are trying to keep our christmas movie on christmas eve tradition alive so we will leave at 7 to try and be home around 10 on Christmas eve to watch our movie.

    Christmas together at our apartment on th 25th of course and we have to be to my mothers by 7am! Luckily she lives just up the road! Then on to my fathers for christmas dinner by 2!

    Then I am going to sleep!
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    emmyrooemmyroo member
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    This year is a little different than what we usually do, but I'm excited for it!  The past few years, we've done Christmas Eve with his immediate family then drove out Christmas morning to my big extended family Christmas about 2 1/2 hours away.  His extended family usually does a little get-together on the weekend before or after.

    This year, we're doing Christmas with his immediate family on Sunday, then going out to my family on Christmas Eve day.  We'll do my mom's side that night, then go to Christmas Eve services at my grandma and grandpa's church.  Christmas day is always my dad's side, which is crazy!  My grandma has 4 sons, so it's them, plus 4 wives, 13 grandkids, and 6 of us are bringing our significant others.  I can't wait to see how crazy it is once my generation starts having kids!  FI's dad's side will be doing something the weekend after, and we'll miss his mom's side because that will be on Christmas Day.
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    shilotony2012shilotony2012 member
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    Ive usually been lucky. My mom always did something in her family on Christmas Eve. We still do. When we lived closer I would bring my kids over and we would stay, have a visit from Santa, open some gifts, and head back home. Christmas morning we would usually go to my kids dads family and then back to my parents.

    Now that we live so far away, and when we did in the past, we go up a few days before Christmas and spend 3-5 days with my parents. I kinda miss waking up in the AM in my own home with my kids, but my parents arent getting any younger, I have the only grandkids, and my dad is really sick so I guess I ust suck it up, lol. However, next year, we may still go up a few days early, but then leave on Christmas Eve and come back home. We may even just take the train back and forth. We have done that one Christmas and it was kinda nice. Not sure though.

    FI has been away from his family for so long he doesnt really have any traditions. he did tell me this year that his siblings are having a late lunch with his dad and step mom on christmas Eve. He wants me to go. I dont know if I will though. I will miss out on my parents celebration, PLUS I wouldnt be bringing my kids, and I think I should be with them. He never had his kids on Christmas after his divorce, so they always do something the weekend after Christmas, before New Years.Plus, 3/4 of his kids are all adults now, so they may have other plans.

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    emineminememineminem
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    I spend Christmas Eve and day with the FI and his immediate family, this will be our fifth Christmas doing so. I flew out to see my mom the first year we were dating, but I missed him like crazy!! Honestly, I can't wait to be married and move somewhere new and have our own kids to create traditions with!
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    kerryberry13kerryberry13 member
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    I'm very fortunate that my FMIL actually invited my parents for the past 2 years to her house for Christmas Eve so that I didn't have to choose between them. Next year when I'm married (ahh!) I think I may start hosting a Christmas morning breakfast so that when there are kids involved one day, both sets of parents can be involved.
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    mashley3mashley3
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    edited December 2012
    My family (which is really small) has dinner on Christmas Eve and lunch on Christmas Day. My FI's family (which is really really big) has breakfast and dinner on Christmas Day. Lucky for us the longest drive is only 2 towns over! One of my FSILs just got married and one of them just had a baby so I'm sure our schedules will change in a few years when my FSIL starts having kids and we start having kids because I refuse to wake my kids up on Christmas morning and tell them we have to go somewhere for breakfast so they can get what Santa brought them and my FMIL refuses to have brunch. It's one of those bridges we'll have to cross when we get to.
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