Only celebrate Christmas day with my children and there partners as my both parents have passed away now it just does not seem the same anymore without them there

Not fun at all! Maybe visit one group on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day.

This sounds like my family. I used to love having everyone around for Christmas day and being able to enjoy the day. Now instead we find ourselves stuck in the car most of the day and constantly bugging the kids to behave because we are not at home =(

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  • • june11 replied
    • 09 Jul 2016 , 9:52 pm

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  How old were your children at that stage?? From when we were about 6 or 7 if we did something wrong at the dinner table, my Mum would manage to catch our attention. She would simply frown at us. Sometimes we didn’t know what she was frowning about, but my coincidence we always stopped whatever our bad behaviour was. Other parents yelled at their kids our age or older, not only embarrased their kids but other people who overheard it. We have lunch with one side of the family and dinner with the other side. Other relatives we may arrange to visit for morning or afternoon tea, mainly those who are elderly and would otherwise miss out, possibly see nobody at all.

It’s like that for us. I get so excited about christmas and watching my kids open their presents and having that magical moment until i remember what the day consists of. Since I can remember we were taken from house to house and when I had my own kids its been the same. We drive over there and then over there and its horrible, plus its my mums bday!
I wish for once I could stay home and do nothing, tell everyone my door is open and all is welcome and see who shows up. Family is nothing like it used to be or its suppose to be. The loyalty is out the window and the stubborness is in! Everyone needs to grow up. good luck for christmas

Why don’t you be the one to start a new thing with your family this christmas. … Maybe you could organize christmas at your house or even at the beach? Let everyone know that is where you are spending christmas this year and that it would be lovely if everyone was able to gather together for the occasion. Encourage each family to bring a big dish to share and everyone to bring a chair and some drinks. This shares the costs around and means noone has an excuse not to attend. If anyone decides to make a fuss or refuse to attend if “so and so will be there” then just smile and remember that its their loss not yours. And you will end up0 with a wonderful fuss free christmas spent with those who truly care. If they really care about spending time with you and your kids then they’ll be grown up enough to put their differences aside for the day