Do I HAVE to?

[cardsfansince82]

I had a little mini thanksgiving last weekend for my family with good food and none of the other BS. I have absolutely nothing to do tomorrow except be lazy and watch football. My coworkers all feel sorry for me since I don't have plans. They don't seem to understand how lucky I am.

[JCShutout]

Just tell each family group that you are spending the day with one of the other family groups.

[StL Dan]

I had a little mini thanksgiving last weekend for my family with good food and none of the other BS. I have absolutely nothing to do tomorrow except be lazy and watch football. My coworkers all feel sorry for me since I don't have plans. They don't seem to understand how lucky I am.

[tlombard]

I had a little mini thanksgiving last weekend for my family with good food and none of the other BS. I have absolutely nothing to do tomorrow except be lazy and watch football. My coworkers all feel sorry for me since I don't have plans. They don't seem to understand how lucky I am.

There aren't enough thumbs up for this one. I have to choose between my mom's side and my dad's side very year since they split up. Both sides do everything at the same time and since my mom always works on the holidays I normally go with my dad's side and end up feeling guilty but I get over it. I wish I could get away with just staying home sometimes but I can't lie to grandma so that will never happen.

I can't decide if Christmas is the worst or the best. I have to make a choice on Christmas Eve but then on Christmas Day I've got nothing. My cousins go to their husband's families. My dad goes with his fiance's family. My mom goes with her new husband's family. I sit at home and play games or watch movies. I miss the days when both sides gathered at my parents on Christmas Day but have no desire to go with any of the others on Christmas Day and watch people I barely know exchange gifts.

And I should note that our family is small so at my grandma's (my dad's side) half of the people there aren't even family but people that my dad and uncles grew up with. I'm sorry but I don't care if I ever see the basically homeless guy who did ten years in prison for paying a neighborhood kid to cut his grass with a joint (nowhere near his first offense) and I could really care less about the nutty old guy who used to be a doctor before he lost his license (not sure why) and spends the entire time telling horrible jokes non-stop. The second ex-wife of one of my uncles (the uncle who just got out of prison after serving a couple of years for stupid stuff) stopped by. Hadn't seen her in 30 years (I was about 5). Don't need to for another 30. She was hammered, loud and obnoxious.

That is it. Next year I'm lying and staying home.

[planet planet]

Ugh, today my mother in law asked if we could come over on Christmas Eve morning because she's working on Christmas (nurse) until approx. 4 pm and Mr. Planet's brother is leaving the day after Christmas. I'm already hosting Christmas for them and his extended family, but of course, we can't open presents then because there will be other people there. We're both working Christmas Eve. It's seriously still important for her to have everyone open presents on Christmas or Christmas Eve morning like we're little kids.

I guess I have no one to blame but myself. If I had kids, it wouldn't be like that. All of a sudden I'd have a different immediate family.

[lukethedrifter]

I was misled. I thought this was about hearing 'Do I HAVE to?' as a reply.

[Molly]

Ugh, today my mother in law asked if we could come over on Christmas Eve morning because she's working on Christmas (nurse) until approx. 4 pm and Mr. Planet's brother is leaving the day after Christmas. I'm already hosting Christmas for them and his extended family, but of course, we can't open presents then because there will be other people there. We're both working Christmas Eve. It's seriously still important for her to have everyone open presents on Christmas or Christmas Eve morning like we're little kids.

I guess I have no one to blame but myself. If I had kids, it wouldn't be like that. All of a sudden I'd have a different immediate family.

planet, isn't that your out for not going to your MIL's on Christmas Eve morning? If you are hosting Christmas for his extended family kindly suggest to your MIL that since you both are working Christmas Eve, you have too much to do to get ready for Christmas. As far as not having kids, I believe it would be worse because then you'd be dealing not just with your MIL but "Grandma."

[docellis]

I did it. I managed to skip Thanksgiving and I now have an out for Xmas. I don't want to do this every year, but man, I need a break this year.

I do love my family. But it has been and will be - awesome to just get crap done instead of being stressed out.

[Freed Roger]

I did it. I managed to skip Thanksgiving and I now have an out for Xmas. I don't want to do this every year, but man, I need a break this year.

I do love my family. But it has been and will be - awesome to just get crap done instead of being stressed out.

[Radbird]

The way to avoid the extended family holiday issue is to live 1,000 miles away. Did it work that way for you in SC, doc?

Kid is flying home tonight and the 3 of us plan on having a nice relaxing, no pressure holiday.