Holiday plans this year

[RoxMonster]

Especially if you don't have kids? How do you typically celebrate the holidays (if you celebrate them)/what are you doing this year?

We are driving up to my parents' this year on Friday. Probably doing our own gifts in the morning and then heading up in the early afternoon. In years past, we had to split time between my family and DH's, but we are not speaking to his mom and brother right now, so way less stress this year!

Friday is Christmas at my parents' (we decided to stay in a hotel though). 

Saturday, we're seeing my grandparents and hopefully some friends on Sat. night. Sunday morning is DH's grandparents and then we drive back home. It should be a good time, not too rushed, but still getting to see everyone we want to see.

[sapphire bou]

The first weekend in December we always go to a reception for my work. The reception is intended for donors, but they always invite staff to bring their spouses.

Christmas with his family is on a Saturday in December. Generally it's at our house.

We go to the same concert every year in Austin with BIL/SIL. 

We spend the 24th - 26th with my family in my hometown. Christmas Eve, my nieces are in a Christmas program at church, then we have sandwiches and snacks at my parents' house. Christmas morning we go to church with the family, then Christmas dinner at my brother's house, and watch the kids open presents.

[honeydew1894]

We do have kids, but our plans are pretty much the same every year regardless, lol.

Christmas Eve: We go to church at 4, feed the kids, bed, then DH and I make a romantic dinner, drink wine, etc., then play Santa. Last year, we had to build a train table, which I was glad we did before we'd had too much wine!

Christmas Day: We open gifts here, then go to my parents at 9 for brunch and more presents. At 2, we head to my ILs for dinner and more presents. We stay with my ILs for a few days since MILs birthday is 12/27. We usually go out to dinner that night or DH will cook for her.

[glw]

Christmas Eve we'll drive to the ILs,about 2 hours away, and go out for sushi (they've been doing this since G and his brother were kids, I think it's cute!). In the morning G and his parents will go to church while I sleep in, and then we'll open presents. Then we'll all drive to G's aunt's house, about another 2 hours away, for a huge meal and more presents. Then the ILs come back to our house to split up the drive home. We go to my parents' house, about 3 hours away, the 27-30th. Then home to celebrate NYE with friends.

[sitnspin]

We kind of do the same thing every year and it's great!  SD comes over and we all go out to dinner someplace fancy.  We go home, make eggnog martinis and watch a movie together.  In the morning, I make a big breakfast and we open presents with her before she heads to her moms.

That day I am hosting my family (6 of us) and it should be interesting.  My bff's come over every year after their festivities and we drink way too much wine and have a good laugh!  This year they have two little babies, so we will see what happens.

[MyName]

I'm officially divorced this year, but we always did separate holidays, so nothing has changed.  <)

I'm driving up to CT tonight.  Tomorrow I'll go grocery shopping for all my baking and for Christmas Eve, then my sister and I are getting pedicures.  I'll make my cookies and desserts tomorrow night. 

Thursday I'll make the spinach bread, seafood marinara and lobster pot pies for Christmas Eve at my aunt's house.  We pull names at Thanksgiving for the gift exchange there.  Christmas is the only holiday I don't cook for - my dad does a giant prime rib roast and my mom makes baked stuffed shrimp.  We do presents in the morning and hang out all day. We'll be drinking around the fire outside once it gets dark. So fun!

[latte]

We do the same thing every year. It's annoying but it goes:

Christmas Eve: dinner with the IL's and another family, then out to my parents 30 min away for apps and we play a game and open a present.
Christmas Day: IL's for breakfast (my family also comes), then exchange gifts with them, play a game, then go home to open our presents, then out to my parent's for supper. It's exhausting.

[MyName]

Dec 22, 2015 14:26:56 GMT -5 milsaroo said:

Dec 22, 2015 11:28:54 GMT -5 MyName said:

I'm officially divorced this year, but we always did separate holidays, so nothing has changed.  <)

Your XH and you would separately go to each respective families holiday GTGs without the other one? (Not snarky, just curious)

What is spinach bread? Sounds great!

Yes, because I am an asshole. lol  I do 90% of the cooking for my family's holidays, so I can't not be there.  Plus, my xIL's have a tendency to get into ridiculous dramatic fights on holidays and my family is awesome and chill, so...fuck that shit.  xMIL's bday is the week before Christmas, so I'd usually go visit for that.  He came to my family's Christmas Eve a couple times, but that's was his choice.  And it's not that my family demanded it or anything, it was what I wanted and there was no negotiating.  I'm 35 years old and have yet to not wake up at my parents' house on Christmas morning.  hahaha

My spinach bread is homemade dough stuffed with spinach sautéed with onions, garlic & black olives and mozzarella.

[lizardesque]

We pretty much always do Christmas Eve with my side of the family and Christmas Day with his side. Both are within a 2-hour drive of us, so it's doable. On Christmas morning before we go out to his family's place, we have breakfast together and exchange gifts.

[theatre4life]

We have a kid, but this hasn't changed the holidays much for us.

We celebrated with MIL this past weekend.
My FIL and his gf are coming over for dinner/presents on Christmas eve. After they leave, and the kid goes to bed, my H and I will crack open a bottle of port and watch Die Hard.
We'll do Christmas morning just the three of us, have waffles and presents, then go to my parents house for dinner/presents with them and my sister and BIL. We may or may not spend the night there.
It's pretty lowkey.