Share your tips for making the holidays easier!

[hwillm1977]

1) Live too far away from all your relative for them to visit
2) Wear comfy pajamas with snowmen, candy canes, or other holiday motif ALL DAY
3) After you shower, put on a clean, different clean pair of holiday jammies and stay in your jammies ALL DAY

We have a rule that Christmas day is for immediate family only (which at this point means just me and hubby)... no one is allowed to visit, and we don't go anywhere... we stay in fuzzy pj's, watch movies, eat tons of food and have a wonderful relaxing day.

Christmas eve is for running around, visiting, church, etc... same with boxing day... but Christmas day is just for us.

My family has always done that, and I loved it growing up.

 

[TanksHill]

rum

I'm coming over to your house.

I am coming too and I will bring eggnog. And yes I'll be the one in flannel pj's and slippers!!!

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Pajama party with spiked eggnog!

 

[MorelCabin]

Did I hear eggnog??? I'm coming too...I'll be the one carrying the stripper pole...and wearing, well, ummm Hey I'm sure flannel will be great on the pole, huh?? :bun :bun

 

[Dace]

Dace hit the nail on the head with her response. I got this in my email this morning, thought it fit.


If you are not letting your children participate in the decorating for the holidays because they don't do it "right - you might have lost perspective

If you are yelling at your kids because you have lost your patience for the very last time over spilled sprinkles for the cookies - you might have lost perspective

If you have gone behind your family and have re-done the Holiday decorations because they weren't what YOU wanted them to be - you might have lost perspective


Keep your perspective.

Noobie, have you been spying on me?

 

[Dace]

Did I hear eggnog??? I'm coming too...I'll be the one carrying the stripper pole...and wearing, well, ummm Hey I'm sure flannel will be great on the pole, huh?? :bun :bun

Things are taking a turn......

 

[MorelCabin]

Anybody seen Dacjohns???

 

[DrakeMaiden]

Ha Ha, WOW . . . we are going to have the best Christmas party ever, aren't we? Hopefully no one will remember it the next day!

 

[pioneergirl]

I have to post this, as it will explain my "bah humbug" attitude.....

I live 1/2 mile from my MIL/FIL, 1 1/2 miles from one BIL and his wife/2 kids, 7 miles from my SIL and her DH/kids, and 14 miles from the final BIL and his DW/kids. I have 8 nieces/nephews who all gather for one day at the MIL/FIL's place. We used to draw names, but one BIL decided it was too much, so we just buy for the kids now. (that is a whole other story).

So, on the ONE day that we get together for gift giving, all of these spoiled children gather 'round the tree,while the MIL tries to get the right gift to the right person/child. The sad part? The kids rip into these gifts, not caring who they are from, paper flying, tissue strewn, ribbon everywhere. The even more sad part? If its not something they like, they throw it to the side and move on to the next. Not one thank you, or even getting it out of the box/bag. Its a throw and go....it has turned into a frenzy of paper and boxes looking for the 'better' gift. One child last year sat and cried because someone got him a winter coat. The parents don't correct them, or make them slow down. I hand stitched fleece blankets for each child one year, putting their name on each one, all in their favorite colors. None of them are used. Not one acknowledgement of "oh thanx" or "oh this will be nice".....nothing. the kids didn't even get them out of the box.

So, what do I do to make things easier? I go outside when the gift giving begins.

As for my DS....he gets to open one gift, then call the person its from to give a personal thank you. Then its on to the next. Before playing with anything, he picks up the trash. Maybe I'm a snot for this, but I can't get into my hypocrit in laws preaching about how "Holy" a time it is, when they teach greed.

Sorry, I'm a downer....if the DH wasn't a recovering alcoholic, I'd be knee deep in the rum!!!

 

[big brown horse]

I have to post this, as it will explain my "bah humbug" attitude.....

I live 1/2 mile from my MIL/FIL, 1 1/2 miles from one BIL and his wife/2 kids, 7 miles from my SIL and her DH/kids, and 14 miles from the final BIL and his DW/kids. I have 8 nieces/nephews who all gather for one day at the MIL/FIL's place. We used to draw names, but one BIL decided it was too much, so we just buy for the kids now. (that is a whole other story).

So, on the ONE day that we get together for gift giving, all of these spoiled children gather 'round the tree,while the MIL tries to get the right gift to the right person/child. The sad part? The kids rip into these gifts, not caring who they are from, paper flying, tissue strewn, ribbon everywhere. The even more sad part? If its not something they like, they throw it to the side and move on to the next. Not one thank you, or even getting it out of the box/bag. Its a throw and go....it has turned into a frenzy of paper and boxes looking for the 'better' gift. One child last year sat and cried because someone got him a winter coat. The parents don't correct them, or make them slow down. I hand stitched fleece blankets for each child one year, putting their name on each one, all in their favorite colors. None of them are used. Not one acknowledgement of "oh thanx" or "oh this will be nice".....nothing. the kids didn't even get them out of the box.

So, what do I do to make things easier? I go outside when the gift giving begins.

As for my DS....he gets to open one gift, then call the person its from to give a personal thank you. Then its on to the next. Before playing with anything, he picks up the trash. Maybe I'm a snot for this, but I can't get into my hypocrit in laws preaching about how "Holy" a time it is, when they teach greed.

Sorry, I'm a downer....if the DH wasn't a recovering alcoholic, I'd be knee deep in the rum!!!

Im sure it will be hard to do with your family, but my mom (who hosts Christmas every year) makes a "treasure hunt" for each gift. The kids get handed one clue for one gift. They all run off to find the gift. They bring it back and mom tells them who it belongs to. That child opens it, shows it to all of us and says thank you before my mom gives out the next clue. It is actually quite fun to watch. While they are searching we are exchanging a gift or two ourselves.

Oh I forgot to mention, the gifts are from us adults and we give them to mom earlier in the week.