How was your Christmas?

It went well, but it’s far too much work.

We hosted Christmas Eve at our house for nine people. Good food, music, and gift giving.

Christmas Day was at my inlaw’s, but we handled most of the food and all of the cleanup because they are rather elderly.

Christmas Night we went to my nephew’s so my daughter can spend time with her cousins. It’s great to see the kids, but my nephew is not a host. He puts out no food, makes no coffee, offers you nothing.

Gift giving went well. The nieces, nephew, and my aunts were very happy. My wife and I get the usual candles and dish towels, which is nice. I did get a Superman bathrobe from my nephew, which was an inspired choice.

Santa was very good to my daughter. She got a bunch of clothes, a book, and a pair of nice headphones.

My wife and I decided not to exchange gifts this year, but my daughter chose some nice stuff for us from her.

All in all, I’m glad it’s over and hoping for a quiet Winter in 2014.

This year was pretty low key over all, but it was pleasant. It was my exe’s year for having the kids spend Christmas Eve, so I was alone in the morning. But I got up early for a pot luck omelet AA meeting before dawn, a good three mile walk around the reservoir at sunrise in below freezing temps, and lots of good coffee.

And because of the general UPS lack of delivery, we’ll be opening packages all week.

I think the new Christmas sweater my wife got said it best

“So much to do, So few elves to do it”

Glad the commercial end of it is over for another year.

Best part: How excited my 7 y.o. granddaughter got over a rock tumbler and my 7 y.o. grandson got over his Potato Clock and Weather Station science experiment gifts.

Christmas was at the in-laws, Christmas eve day, lunch. They chose an Italian theme – pasta and garlic bread with lots of hors-de-orves and deserts. Christmas day was lazy…we actually watched eight episodes of Desperate Housewives, lol.

We went out Christmas Eve for dinner, because that is the anniversary of our first date. We had a quick breakfast in the morning, then went to see the second Hobbit movie. The noon showing was not too crowded, but the theater was mobbed when we left, as our area has many people of different religions living here. We had a nice dinner together – just the three of us, as my adult son lives with my fiancé and me. I watched the lost Magic Garden Christmas special – a local children’s show from my youth, the episode was recently found in the station’s vault. It was a fun blast from the past.

Pluses and minuses. Great family get together, way too much food, and everyone got along great. But too many presents, and one family member, 66, diabetic, was in the hospital with kidney failure. I’m not sure he’s coming out.

Overall, a good day. Husband stresses way too much and it’s a battle for me to resist becoming infected with his negative energy… we had all our kids and their spouses/SO/kids over, plus my brother and sister. All stayed for dinner except my daughter’s family, who went to son-in-law’s parents’ for dinner. (They were with us on Thanksgiving, though.) The only real casualty was the casserole dish of stuffing; the Pyrex gave out and it all ended up on the floor:-( Lots of good food, visiting, grandkids running around making noise… yup, a good day!

@ccrow perhaps you ‘stuffed’ the Pyrex too full. Now if you’‘d had a nice, southern dressing…

A day like any other.

My husband’s grandfather hosted a big family gathering at his house on Christmas Eve, but my mother was expecting us for dinner around the same time. We decided to make a quick appearance when everyone was arriving at his grandpa’s house and then leave to go my mom’s dinner. What a huge mistake that was. The dinner started off okay, but ended with my mom basically calling me an ungrateful brat and saying she’d never do Christmas at their house again. We left then, with me in an awful mood, and went back to his grandpa’s house, where everyone was still gathered. We played minute-to-win-it games with his family and had a blast.

On Christmas Day, we spent the evening at my mother-in-law’s house with all of her kids and their SOs. It was great – plenty of laughs and tasty food. I didn’t even speak to my mother, and still haven’t.

Lesson learned. Next year, we’re sticking with his family, where one person doesn’t ruin the entire day for everyone else. I knew my mom had issues, but her mental health status is in worse shape than I thought. The best thing I can do is remove myself from the constant negativity.

Blood is thinner than sewage, @livelaughlove21.

Toxic people are toxic people—just because you were born of or among them doesn’t make them any less toxic. What’s the worse that can happen? Years from now you’ll look back and think, “Damn, I sure wish I’d given mom more opportunities to make me and mine miserable for the holidays?”

Shake it off. Apparently you married well!

:-)

It was fine. We all had a good dinner, opened gifts (except me), and played games and what not. Dominoes was fun but Scattergories turned into a lawsuit.

@ibstubro I agree. I like my step-father a lot, which is the only reason it’s worth ever going over there, but my mom and my older sister are just incredibly negative, whiny people. It’s ridiculous. I can’t leave my mom’s house without a guilt trip and no, I’m not exaggerating. I’m just about done. My in-laws are far from perfect, but just being around them doesn’t ruin your whole day.

Very low keyed ,Mrs Squeeky had to work, I had to do dinner had a BBQ Buffalo steak and a salad for her when she got home.

Like any other day. I did tip the guy a Circle-K a fiver for working on Christmas when I bought beer.

It’s rather odd, but the 2 holidays Thanksgiving and Christmas seem to get better and better through the years. This year despite major fkups from UPS and Amazon, we’re having a truly wonderful time. The cookies have never been better nor more abundant, and our friends more merry. They were still rolling into the house, when we abandoned them there to leave for dinner at the Sister-in-law’s some 40 miles away. This happens nearly every year, and the house will be very busy in the evenings between now and New Years. There’s always a jigsaw puzzle going. There will be lots of games in one room, old movies going in another, kids to stumble over in the hallways, and far too much champagne. There’s a movement afoot for all of the grownups to go en masse to see the movie Nebraska this coming Friday evening. Many of us have to work daytime (including me), so sleep deprivation is inevitable. Christmas dinner at the sister-in-law’s was wonderful as usual. The wife and I made out like bandits in the traditional white elephant gift exchange, and as with tradition, I snoozed all the way home on the return trip. It’s now 26 December and I still have to wrap some presents that were hidden in the garage, before I’m off to pretend to work. Merry Christmas!

Christmas Eve we went to church with all the extended family on my husband’s side. Then we went to my in-law’s’s house opened presents and had a nice turkey dinner with all the sides. We left for home around 8 and looked a Christmas lights as we drove home (in the fresh fallen snow…actually, it was still snowing a bit..) but not for long because everyone was feeling tired and Santa/mom (me) still had a few hours of wrapping left.

Christmas morning we talked the kids into not waking us up until 8:30am. They sent the youngest in to prod me awake (knowing I wouldn’t growl at him) at exactly 8:29am. Considering I have two teens and a 4th grader..I really thought they were over that early Christmas morning wake-up to open presents. Apparently not. ;)

We opened presents, took the oldest (my stepdaughter) to her mom’s house around 11, then met up with my wonderful in-laws again for lunch in a restaurant. Then we went to see “Frozen” at the movie theater. (It was REALLY crowded. SO glad I’d gotten tickets in advance. Fandango is my new favorite thing lately.)

I like my MIL’s newly introduced tradition of no one cooking a big meal on Christmas Day and us all going out to see a movie in the theater that has assigned seats in big red recliner chairs. Very relaxing!

Oh, and as we were drifting off to sleep last night I asked hubby: “Do you think the kids had a good Christmas? Did I do okay?” and he laughed and said: “You ask the same thing every year. Yes, they loved everything. Yes, it was all great.”

I think Christmas is for the kids..so I just worry that they like what they get.. and they all seem happy with their presents this year. (And I keep a spreadsheet to make sure the dollar value is equal amongst the three of them. Plus to track the gifts we give our niece and nephews and a few other “adopted” kids).
Hubby bought himself socks & undies for me to wrap (a long running joke that Santa only ever brings him socks and underwear because he’s “naughty”.. this year I added candy “coal” to his stocking, too)..and I wrapped up a bottle of perfume (my annually purchased bottle of my favorite scent) for me from Santa.. but truthfully, I’m Santa in our house. I do nearly all the gift buying, all the wrapping, all the baking. I’m exhausted but happy right now.

Ours went very well, thank you for asking. I hope yours did as well?

Dinner with hubs family, Christmas Day at my house with mine. Low key, little fuss, a lot of wine…lol

We gave a few gifts and received a few, nothing major, we’re all adults so that’s of little importance to us.

@geeky_mama My kids are teenagers, which means they no longer awaken at 6 a.m. on Christmas, but sleep in until 7:30.

Just another day. I quit celebrating Christmas years ago since I have no family.

@TheRealOldHippie :: Welcome to the team.

I’m a long standing member as well, @johnpowell, & @TheRealOldHippie

Tiring and nauseating. I ate too much and had too little sleep on the eve and had to wake up to early on the day.

I’m glad I get a break today.

I was meant to be in the States with my family for Xmas and meet up with my boyfriend and meet his family too. This was the plan, until my son’s father put a stop to it at the end of November. After I cried for a day or so, I picked up my boot straps and made a new plan. I asked my son’s father what he was going to do for Xmas and he said he didn’t have any plans and wasn’t making any plans yet. I figure he is having Xmas with his new girlfriend and her little boy he seems to be spending so much time with and simply doesn’t have the balls to tell me, or that he is going down to help his mother out and perhaps take TCF with him down there. A week or so before Xmas, I find out they have broken up and he is in a massive depression and put on sick-leave from work. Two days before Xmas, he sends me an SMS… doesn’t phone me, mind you… but an SMS, asking if perhaps, I might consider, including him in my Xmas plans. Both of his sons have spent time with him, meanwhile, and he is telling the boys how depressed he is etc etc…. (one is 19 and is rather autistic, and the other, my son, just turned 9 and really doesn’t need to hear this from his father…) ... so, I and my son went to his older son’s house on Xmas eve and had a few hours there with some hot chocolate and lunch and I sat across the table from the most self-pitying, dejected face possible. I couldn’t leave fast enough. I wished my step-son’s mother good luck with the self-pitying asshole. Used the bad bus schedule as an excuse (very legitimate reason, actually) and spent the rest of the night home, fixing a really nice chicken dinner for me and my son. We Skyped with people we had presents from and opened in front of them, when we could, and it was a nice night.

My dad and I spent Christmas Day together. We watched films, exchanged a few gifts, ate and drank. It was relaxing and pleasant but I am glad it’s over for another year.

And I ate waaay too many cookies…

As usual, we had Holiday dinner at my house. We have the holiday table which extends out for the whole family. It came from MIL when she moved into her independent living facility. She used to have all the family meals. I also have napkins placemats and table decorations from my DIL’s family. The little ones made two flower arrangements for some vases I was given. They also made two bowls of jello, which they were really proud of. I think I have started a family tradition.

I have the boys for two whole weeks, so their parents came over Christmas morning to watch the boys open their presents. The boys were really good about waiting for their parents who promised to come at 10 but finally showed up at noon.

We had to cut way back on presents this year, the boys only got four each and one of them came from the Toys for Tots. I gave them money, as did their other grandmothers, so they are going to Toys R Us today.

My Christmas was quieter than usual but it went well. My daughter and her boyfriend stayed for the day, we exchanged gifts, made dinner (roast duck) drank beer, watched TV, ate too much.

Exhausting! Drove to Pittsburg and back (5 hours round trip) to spend Christmas day with hubs family. Got home last night, up early this morning to start breakfast for Christmas breakfast with my family. I’ve been running and gunning non-stop since Monday morning, no help. Husband is too sick to help, I guess. Finally, everyone was fed and gifted and gone, and it was sooooo quiet. Got the kitchen clean. Ready to chill (read “Get drunk and watch the Carol Burnett CD’s that came today!”) Then my husband told me that his daughter and her family are coming over tonight. >_<. I’m still going to get drunk.

@Dutchess_III Good for you, sounds like you need it. People are often more fun with a glass of wine in them anyway…lol

Should have tasted that delicious apple pie moonshine a ‘friend’ had…mmmmmhhmmmm

Yeah, @Dutchess_III, go for it! You need a little ‘me’ time and if you have to get plastered and carve out your own, so be it.

I’ve never heard of apple pie moonshine @KNOWITALL! I have a funny(ish) story about apple pie liquor, though. lol

I always get what I want for Christmas because I buy it for myself. I often also wrap it and put it under the tree with the rest, just so I will have something when they get passed out.

My son and his wife always want to get me stuff I don’t even want, like a TIVO. Luckily (?) they can’t afford it.

Quite wonderful, thanks. Our youngest son spent the holidays here with us for the first time in 5 years. Oh and he gave me a 2.3 gallon craft beer brewing set, which I am going to thoroughly enjoy playing with. I got a chemistry set as a kid. That was great fun. This is like a chemistry set that you can make craft brews with. What a great idea.

@ibstubro It’s the new fad, for the last few years. Couple ways to do it I hear, but one is to add apple juice and cinnamon sticks to the ‘shine, let it steep. All I know for sure is a few sips on a cold night will warm you up – lol

My friend is a canning maniac, @KNOWITALL. She canned Apple Pie Liquor and couldn’t wait for me to try it. She opened up a jar, grabbed a liquor glass out of the cabinet and poured me a glass. I took a sip, felt a hair on my lip and literally pulled a hairball up out of the glass! Needless to say, she’s also a cat lover. I don’t know if the hair came from the glass or the jar, but, needless to say, I lost my taste for Apple Pie drinks! lol

I have a headache.

I had good Christmas celebration this year with my friends. We exchange gifts, sang and dance together and had nice dinner party.