Anyone Dread Family get-togethers over the Holidays

[chloe]

I always volunteer to work

[Mr. P]

Hate em (family get to-gethers)!!! Home with my immediate family is my deal, but I've always lived in a different state anyway so...it made it easier to stay home than if family were in the same town.

[chloe]

Hate em (family get to-gethers)!!! Home with my immediate family is my deal, but I've always lived in a different state anyway so...it made it easier to stay home than if family were in the same town.

I don't like any family get togethers, except for my 2 children.

[SassyLady]

Only if someone gets drunk. The people in our family are not nice drunks ..... I don't mind everyone having a drink or two, but it seems that things go south when someone gets drunk and makes an ass of themselves. The problem is that they don't usually remember how bad they made it and show up next time oblivious.....and everyone else (well, those that remained sober) remembers and isn't looking forward to it happening again.

This year my daughter is having Christmas Eve dinner here at her house and her in-laws will be dropping by off and on all day .... no one can commit to a specific time so that she can have a sit-down dinner and she's a little stressed about that. The problem with living in the same town as the rest of your relatives, and your spouse's relatives is that everyone has to go from house to house to make the obligatory visit. It's a mad house.

When I have Christmas at my house in CA no one is there but us and the kids ... all the other relatives live hundreds of miles away ... so there's no running around all over the place all day trying to get your obligatory visits in. We just play games all day, watch TV, eat, sleep......repeat.

So....I guess I look forward to family get-togethers when they are at my house, but not when I'm visiting Tucson.

[Kathianne]

I'm lucky! I usually have just my immediate family for Christmas Eve, then the kids go to Midnight Mass. They still will go to Midnight services this year, but instead of our 'home' Christmas Eve, we're going over to my brother's for an 'Open House', much like SL's daughter seems to be having. My brother & SIL have been doing that since they were married, both had jobs and activities with large circle of friends, so it's the winter alternative to a bar-b-que in Chicago brrrrrrland.

Christmas day brother, sister-in-law, and all the kids available will be over here. That will be our 'sit down dinner.' My SIL's mom is giving me a turkey today. My daughter and son bought a Honey Baked Ham, I'll make all the 'go withs.' My brother's bringing the shrimp and all the kids are making appetizers. My friend of 30 years, who happens to live next door is with her family in Indiana, so I can use her oven too!

We play games after dinner, it used to be Rummy Royal, but now it's some board game or team game. Last year it was Apples to Apples or something like that. Every year the kids buy some sort of game and they decide which will play. Sometimes just choosing the game is an adventure in persuasion. Christmas is the only time us 'old folks' play with them, but the cousins get together at least 4 times a year with spouses or dates and have 'game nights.'

All the old aunts/uncles are gone, those were the fun holidays with Aunt Helen having 3 Manhattans too many and telling stories we'd heard 100 times before.

Some things change, but the feelings for family have stuck. Like I said, I've been lucky that way.

[darin]

We live a couple thousand miles from family - it's just us. Handy...

[Psychoblues]

I always hate family getogethers. I really love seeing family and even friends around the holidays but big getogethers they always want me to get out the guitar and play and sing for them. I used to love that but I just don't anymore.

SassyLady, if you have problem drinkers in your family insist that they eat when they first get there. Fix them a plate, make them a sandwich, just get some groceries down their throat anyway you can and if they insist on not eating then you insist on them not drinking. Problem drinkers know who they are and even though it may be uncomfortable for you to say something it is for the best results at YOUR house and around YOUR other friends and family that just don't want to witness that crap. That's the best I can tell you on that issue.

Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, yada yada yada!!!!!!!! Dingaling dingaling.

Psychoblues

[KarlMarx]

You know the saying two women under the same roof = trouble.... it seems to be true from my experience.

My paternal grandmother lived with us when I was growing up. She did not get along with my mother very well... that's one reason why I say what I did...

The second reason.....

My sister in law and girlfriend don't get along. They did until about 4 Christmases ago when they had a dust up over where to spend Christmas eve... a long story, I won't bore you with it. Ever since then, I rarely tell one about the other. If my girlfriend says "blue" my sister in law will take issue with it, similarly if my sister in law says "red" my girlfriend takes issue with it. It's the worst display of female vanity I can think of.

To top things off, my sister in law's family usually is come to our holiday celebrations, which is an unusual situation. That's not bad, but her mom and dad are never ever on time for anything.... I don't mean they're 5 or 10 minutes late, it always at least an hour, sometimes 2 hours... one Thanksgiving, they didn't show up at all and didn't offer any explanation. I really hate that..... My Dad once got so fed up that he started yelling at my sister in law's uncle about it (yes, he comes to our holiday gatherings too)...

I'm spending Christmas eve with my folks and with my sister in law's family... I'll probably bring some knitting to do while we're waiting for my sister in law's mom and dad to show up ... My girlfriend will be there, and I hope that nothing happens... Usually it doesn't, but my sister in law usually ignores her and that bothers her a lot.

Christmas day will be spent with my girlfriend, and probably her daughter and grandchildren.... I doubt that will go badly...

[Jeff]

I Hate get together s my family is all miles away except my Dad he is about a 100 or so but it is still to far, so I am stuck with my in laws, thank goodness they like me as much as I like them so we don't even attempt the get together thing no more

[chloe]

I think I am anti-social, I enjoy my children they are 17 and 14 now, my 17 yr old is away at college but she comes over a couple times a month. My ex mother in law every year since they were 6 & 3 when I divorced there dad, her son, well every year she has christmas & thanksgiving, she does all the parties and every year she invites me and my entire family if there in town. She even includes my horrible awful drunken sister who always embarresses me.

Anyway now that my kids are older I just give them money and be done with christmas. I volunteer to work so I can avoid the holiday dinners. This year she said she would schedule it for when I get off work. I thought I will have to slit my throat to get out of this maybe I could stab a fork into my neck and then everyone will see I am not really in the mood to be a formal dinner girl (just kidden)

My anxiety is so bad I had to call and tell her I just can't attend it this year, I am just not in a mental state to be around people. So my mom & stepdad and kids are going, my ex husband his brother and kid. But me I am staying home.

[Trigg]

I guess I'm in the minority here.

I enjoy getting together with family especially over the holidays.

We live near both my family and hubbies HUGE family and we see them often.

His extended family doesn't get together as much anymore so we enjoy the big Christmas Day lunch with 100 or so people in attendence. It gives us a chance to see any new babies that were added over the past year.

Hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas!!!

[NightTrain]

I've always enjoyed the large family get-togethers. It's just my mom, my brothers and sister's families, and we all like each other.

Didn't used to be that way - as far as everyone liking each other, due to one of my brother's phony wife, but she was tolerated and no one allowed her to ruin their Christmas. I guess my ex-wife was tolerated too, now that people are free to speak their mind about bygones...

But this year will be the first Christmas with my girlfriend and one of my brother's girlfriend, and everyone likes each other so the big get together should be a great time.

[Binky]

My siblings and their families all live in a different state from me. So our get togethers are always my daughter and her family and a friend of ours. Most of the time we end up playing cards or some other game. We can get loud but we have a good time.