Holidays

sassygirl5401

With us being smack in the middle of the holidays I'm curious as to how everyone is blending holiday traditions.

I am so used to having Christmas morning at my moms that I'm still struggling fitting in FIs two families into the holiday visits. Last year we didn't do Christmas at my moms until 5pm! That ended up being a way longer day than I had anticipated.

How do you handle the blending of the families?

shellyamf

We pick different weekends or days to visit each part.  We trade off years between FI's family and mine.  Thanksgiving was with mine this year since they are out of state and Christmas is with his.  Next year we switch.  As for FI's family, his parents recently split so this was the first year we've had two different get-togethers on his side.  We celebrated this past weekend with his dad and we'll spend Christmas day with his mom. 

km2124

we are doing Xmas eve and Xmas morning to early afternoon at my parents.  My FI sister will be joining us at my parents.  We invited my FMIL but she isn't coming (issues between my FSIL and FBIL (they are siblings) so we will run over and see her (and FBIL) in the early evening.  We are really lucky that both sides of the family are easy going, in town and they get along...hopefully next year the drama between his siblings will be over and we can just all party together!

TaraW1979

My family has a tradition of decorating their Christmas tree on Christmas eve. FI's family has a big family party on Christmas eve, and last year I went. Well this upset my mom a great deal. I felt so bad. I went to her house on the 23rd to decorate the tree with her but she said it wasn't the same. This year Christmas eve falls on a Saturday so FI and I are going over to my parents' house in the afternoon and until the last possible second then we will make the hour drive up to his parent's to make it in time for their party. This way we will please everyone.

Christmas morning we will be at my parents house and go to church with them. We will also eat Christmas dinner with my family.

For New Years Eve, my FSIL usually throws a big party, where she includes my parents, but she is not this year so I offered to have a little party at our place (FI and I live together) FI's parents will be coming, as well as my parents and maybe some of my friends will show up. I already told everyone we are very poor this year due to the wedding so everyone has to bring a dish.

Kate504

We are going to my family's for Christmas eve (our whole family gets together) and Christmas morning at my parents. Christmas afternoon with his family (it is only his mom, dad and sister so nothing big). Christmas evening with his cousin. We spent thanksgiving with my family. Since I'm moving where he lives and it is my whole family that gets together cousins and all, not just immediate, we do my family stuff a lot more.

jtmh2012

Her family is in Thailand, so we only have to worry about mine.  We're hosting my parents here at my house.

She's going over to her uncle's house in the morning to exchange presents.  I'll be at church.

MeganNN12

My entire side of the family is in Pennsylvania We will be spending the whole weekend with my FI's immediate and extended family.

Rdh2MrsOMFS

Our Holidays are CAARAAAZY!.. We Live in New Orleans and usually drive down to my mom's in Lafayette on Christmas eve or the day before, which is 2 hours away.  Spend Christmas eve with my dad's side of the family, then drive down to my mom's side of the family (same town--a few minutes apart).   Chritmas morning, we wake up at 5 am to unwrap presents with my mom dad and immediate family, then Gary and I get on the road back to New Orleans to hop on a plane to Atlanta to spend a couple days with his family.  It's quite hectic.  We are skipping Atlanta this year, due to just visiting for Thanksgiving and the wedding being so close--January 14!... Wow, i'm exhausted just typing that out!.. LOL

awarm014

Umm... we don't handle it well. My parents insist on seeing us for christmas, even though it is the only day his family gets together. Hence we get up at 7am to open presents at my house, go to his house at 8, Leave at 10:30, go to my uncle's house at 11, leave to go to his aunts house @ 2 and get there at 3:30 just in time for dinner.

katiebaka

We're lucky that both our families live really close together, but unlucky in that both our families do stuff on both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. This year we're going to FMIL's house in the afternoon on Christmas Eve for FI's mom's side, then to my grandma's for dinner, then to church, then back to my grandma's to hang out until midnight mass at the church my whole dad's side goes to. Sometimes we'll go to a cousin's house for a cocktail after that.

Christmas Day we'll open presents at my house, go to FMIL's house again for FI's dad's side and lunch, and then go to my mom's cousin's house for my mom's side of the family and dinner. And the Packer game.

It's a lot of driving and going back and forth, but we figure that as long as we're young and don't have kids yet, we can still see everyone, so we're trying to.