Christmas festivities...

supermassive

So I'm cooking for 12 people on Xmas eve, which is my dad's side, and then xmas day is my partner's family for dinner, and boxing day is spent with my mum.

Problem is, I need advice on what to do xmas day, because in the morning we'll go to my mum's for my 8 year old brother to open presents with my niece/nephew etc. Then after that it's time for breakfast at his mum's (apparently a 'tradition', but seems a waste of time if there's a big meal coming later), then back to my mum's as his mum's family goes to the pub (what on earth? erm..) and then on to my Dad's family who we'd seen the day before, for more niece/nephew presents, to see my grandmother, and my dad's family and kids etc. Then back to MIL for Xmas dinner, and back to my Dad's a few hours after that, to do the traditional "sat infront of an open fire getting steadily fatter and drunker watching home alone on TV and moaning about terrible xmas specials and how they're not as good as they used to be while some little scrubber steals all the caramel quality streets". I'm usually the culprit.

How would you advise - baring in mind all these other parts of the family have kids, which is why we're sticking to this crazy messed up timescale - in order to allow me to drink whiskey all day, because MIL is too much to bare? :rotfl:

Here's a simple list...

Xmas day:
Mum - 8 year old brother aka surrogate son & Niece & Nephew
MIL - Breakfast - 10 year old BIL & Grandparents
Mum - Baby brother, because.. it's xmas
Dad - 2 step brothers, step sister, step mother & Grandmother
MIL - Dinner
Dad - Endless supply of home made wine...
Bed - with food poisoning, probably.

What makes it worse is they all live opposite sides of town.

Is there a way to please everyone (they're demanding this schedule, and as we don't have kids - too many men in the relationship - we are obliged to stick to it)...

All I want is to have a morning whiskey. There's not many days you can do that!

Gigervamp

That sounds absolutely mental. Far too many trips to too many different people.

I'd put my foot down.

Buzzybee90

This sounds ridiculous - stick with one family per day and spend the whole day with them.

fairy_lights

That sounds like a horrible schedule. I'd skip the fancy breakfast and just visit your Mum and brother in the morning, then go to MIL's for lunch, then home in the evening to hit the whisky. If you're seeing your dads family on Christmas eve you can exchange gifts then, and any family that has been missed out or felt neglected can get another visit on boxing day.

Fluff15

Why are you doing all that? Do you really need to see the kids open all their presents, or will you be happy just seeing them opening the ones you bring? To be honest with this schedule you're going to be spending more time travelling than you are sitting and you haven't taken into account the fact that family things always seem to drag on, unless somehow you manage to stick to a tight schedule - I barely had time to see three different sides of the family last year and the driving really spoiled it for me.

Why don't you condense it like so:

MIL for breakfast
Mum's
MIL for dinner
Dad's
Bed

You do not have to please everyone and sticking to the schedule you've got will only ruin the day for yourselves in my opinion.

tea_lover

Doesn't leave much time for proposing. I'd stick to one part of the family per day (so your dad on Christmas eve, your in laws on Christmas day and your mum on Boxing day). Or maybe call in at your mum's on Christmas morning to see the little ones then spend the rest of the day (and just one meal) with your OH's family.

I certainly wouldn't be spending the day moving around from one place to another.

supermassive

tea_lover wrote: »

Doesn't leave much time for proposing. I'd stick to one part of the family per day (so your dad on Christmas eve, your in laws on Christmas day and your mum on Boxing day). Or maybe call in at your mum's on Christmas morning to see the little ones then spend the rest of the day (and just one meal) with your OH's family.

I certainly wouldn't be spending the day moving around from one place to another.

I'll be proposing at the strike of midnight as eve becomes 25th, I think

I think I may have to put my foot down. MIL has monopolized all xmas day meals, at this rate she'll be locking us in the flaming house.

OH will not be happy with changes to plans (because he's pretty much miss daisy, as he can't drive :mad: so doesn't affect him at all )

DigForVictory

I presume a lucky win of an all found break to the Maldives is out of the question?

A strategic outbreak of chickenpox, or (if everyone knows you've had it), the norovirus would appear to be indicated. (*Not* food poisoning!)

You will of course have to sort food carefully so that without waste, or evidence of planning, you can all eat, even if one meal is just *having* to pick through a big tin of sweets.

They can demand, but if one of you is just too sick, or infectious, then you have a graceful get out of jail (I mean social obligations) chit...

Have a Happy Christmas!

duchy

Sounds insane

You are the one driving so you get to set the schedule if your OH doesn't like it they can book and pay for cabs.

You don't NEED to be at all the present openings.
Work out which (single) event is the important one for each relative and make ONE visit to each house over the holiday. Don't ask them -Tell them this is what you are doing. If they grouse- just say the tardis wasn't available and it is the only way you can fit everyone in.

And have a lovely Christmas

margaretclare

A similar thread is headed 'Bah humbug'.

supermassive

margaretclare wrote: »

A similar thread is headed 'Bah humbug'.

That's my Xmas sorted. We're having xmas over there with her MIL! :beer: ...although she doesn't seem pleased about it for some reason...:D