Re: How do you split up the holidays with family?

I am so stressed over the holidays this year, so I am going to make a change for MY family.

Thanksgiving- I have never spent away from my family. But, MIL invited us before anyone else said anything, so I decided to go to her for Thanksgiving this year and to my mom's for dessert.

Christmas Eve- Usually we go to MIL's, FIL's and then my aunts from 11pm to about 3-4am. Then go home. Last year we spent the night at my parents, woke up, opened presents, went home to have our own Christmas for a few minutes, showered and were back at my parents. It was too much and we were all exhausted.

This year, I will have Christmas Eve. Anyone who wants to drop in and go or stay and eat is welcome. I plan to have dinner earlier so everyone can go home earlier. I want to put out cookies and milk with DD for Santa, relax with DH and put out her gifts together. I want to enjoy our holiday, not be stressed out and tired.

Christmas day is always at my moms. MIL and BIL are always welcome.

Re: How do you split up the holidays with family?

We normally switch each year - Easter and Christmas with one side, Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve with the other. The next year we do the opposite.

However, now that we have kids, I think we are going to wind up alternating Easter and Thanksgiving like we have been doing, but I think we are going to wind up doing Christmas Eve with DH's and Christmas day with mine.

We do not "split" the actual day because its too much - they don't live near each other.

Re: How do you split up the holidays with family?

Thanksgiving- Dinner with my family, Dessert with DH's family (although- they eat so late that DH usually eats AGAIN with them- they don't all sit together like my family does. More of a buffet and find a place to sit)

Christmas Eve: Up until this year we've been following my family's tradition of going to my Aunt's house really late, opening gifts at midnight then having egg sandwiches at 2am. This year we will have a newborn (Due 12/7) and 21 month old, so although my ant lives really close, I don't want to be out all night. My sister mentioned doing something at her place. We will play it by ear.

Christmas Day- Split up like Thanksgiving.

Sometimes I wish we lived far, far away so we could just do our on holidays since there's always tension about splitting them up (from my mom and DH )

To the OP: I think you parents HAVE to invite your in-laws if they are staying with you, well, they should anyway. I think the best way to handle it is for you to do something at your place

Re: How do you split up the holidays with family?

Thanksgiving: At my moms, my MIL is invited and comes over to eat with my family.

Christmas Eve: We eat dinner over my MIL's and spend the day there.

Christmas: Dinner at my house, my family and MIL comes over my house.

Easter: We all go out to dinner.

Re: How do you split up the holidays with family?

We do Thanksgiving dinner at alternating families and then dessert at the other...they all live within 2 miles of us, so its not too hard to manage.

For Christmas, we do Christmas Eve at my ILs but my parents come also. We've sort of turned it into our own celebration with both families. We do Christmas breakfast at our house with both families, and then dinner we usually do with my ILs because my parents go to my aunt and uncle's and they have dogs and my dd is allergic.

Re: How do you split up the holidays with family?

If we do Thanksgiving with mine, then Easter is with his and vice versa.

Christmas Eve always with his cause they do the big Italian thing, Christmas Day always with mine since they don't celebrate Christmas Eve

Re: How do you split up the holidays with family?

Thanksgiving is always up in the air.

My MIL always hosts something, but it's usually just her, FIL and the kids that still live at home. So that means either I will host and have my mother over if she and her DH choose not to go away, or I will tag along with my dad and his gf at whichever one of her relatives is hosting... usually her sister does Thanksgiving. This year my cousin and her bf are staying with us so I'll probably host because of them. Which means I'll invite my uncle and if he comes, my mother certainly will NOT attend because her DH doesn't get along with my uncle. Good times.

Christmas is a little easier.

Christmas Eve at my MILs. Always.
Christmas Day at my mom's, except she tries to never host so Christmas Day at my house and my mom comes over.
I squeeze in my dad sometime that week, either right before or right after.

Re: How do you split up the holidays with family?

OK - so both of our parents are divorced and this is what we have been doing (we live in Dix Hills):

Thanksgiving: DH's dad for brunch in Deer Park, then my mom for dinner (which is early) in Queens

This year to avoid traveling with our new LO, Thanksgiving dinner will be at my house (my mom is cooking)

Christmas Eve: DH's mom in Dix Hills (huge party)

Christmas Day:
1. My dad for breakfast in Long Beach
2. DH's mom late morning for gifts from her, in Dix Hills
3. My mom for early dinner in Queens
4. DH's dad for dessert in Deer Park
5. DH's sister in Dix Hills (around the corner from us) for drinks and what we call "brother-sister gifts.

YES - 5 stops on Christmas Day!!! To ease on travel this year with DD, my dad and sisters agreed this year to come to DH's mom for Christmas Eve and sleep over our house....and then there were 4!

Re: How do you split up the holidays with family?

We just assigned each family a holiday this is the 1st year doing it and i hope to keep it like this forever..

thanksgiving- dh family
x-mas eve- dh family
x-mas day- my family
easter- my family