Wondering what everyone has planned for Christmas Eve. We are following our tradition. Myself, DH, Ex-husband and our 2 children will have dinner together here and then go out to our neighborhood celebration in the cul-da-sac, where we sing carols until a Santa arrives with a gift for each child.(Parents drop off the gift ahead of time for their children). Our neighborhood does luminaries on Christmas eve so the walk up the street to the cul-da-sac is so beautiful. Later we will go to midnight mass and after that Ex spends the night in one of the kid's rooms so he is here to share Christmas morning.
I have to work on Christmas day at 3pm though... bummer

What are your plans?

DH and I are going to our daughter's house early in the day and will just 'hang out', have a nice dinner, and maybe take a ride to look at Christmas lights.
We will spend the night and maybe the next night too!

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Square dancing is friendship set to music!

We don't have any plans this year. Normally we'd go up to my Mom's and open gifts there with Mom and my brother and his family. Then we'd go back up Christmas Day for dinner. My Mom and I decided that maybe this year we'd just do Christmas Day. My SIL has colon cancer and she's in really bad shape right now so we thought we'd limit it to just the day to make it easier on her. My MOm thinks that would be better too. I wish we were going both days because I think this will probably be SIL's last Christmas and I really don't want to miss any time I have with her now. But it's not about me it's about what her and what she can do right now.

So I'm not sure what we will do- I've been going up to Mom's every Christmas eve for 15 years so this will be weird.

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Mom to Katie 1/95 and Sara 5/97

[quote=So I'm not sure what we will do- I've been going up to Mom's every Christmas eve for 15 years so this will be weird.[/QUOTE]


I know what you mean - mil has had Christmas Eve for like 15 years and now she has Christmas on a random date because dh's brother and wife work retail and apparently can't drive the 2 hours home for Christmas on Christmas Eve. So up until last night, we had no plans either. But we are going to some friends who are having people in who have no other plans - they live just right up the road and we are pretty close friends so it will be fine. Their kids are 10 and 13 and adore dh and I and we know their whole family so it will be fun! Just makes me mad that mil up and changes plans for the WHOLE family on the schedule of her little baby. Who by the way did NOT come home on 12/15 for when she DID have Christmas - he doesn't drive in snow and we had a little snow so MIL called and said don't come. Oh whatever.

I think that it is so nice that your DH and ex can do that for your kids. My BF tries, but my ex has to make every thing difficult, everything has to be about him and no one else. My BF and I both have to work a half day Christmas Eve, I will probably have a few last min gifts to grab on my way home. then at night I am going to make us a nice dinner and hopefully talk him into driving around looking at Christmas lights. Its going to be quiet and just the two of us

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~~~~**Maryann**~~~~

I just got a firm grip on reality....
Now I can strangle it

We celebrate xmas on xmas eve at home with our kids because oldest dd is with her dad on xmas day. So we just act like xmas eve is xmas day we open gifts & the kids play & put them together all day long until bedtime then xmas day oldest dd leaves & the younger 2 continue to play with thier toys thats usually how that goes!!

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mom of 3 greats girls

I am so glad to see that I am not the only one that has difficulties with Christmas plans. We are going to my mom's for christmas eve and christmas day. We always have to work around my SIL's schedule. Don't worry we are the ones that drive for 6 hours. We will have christmas with my out-laws on Sunday and my lovely SIL and her family. My family doesn't seem to care when we have it.

My new husband and I are going it alone this year. We are parking it in front of the fireplace, opening many bottles of wine, and eating whatever junk we want.

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I'm the kind of woman when my feet hit the floor in each morning, the devil says "Oh crap, she's up."

I'm glad you asked. We are taking a 7:20am flight to New York. FIL is picking us up. We will go back to their house for awhile. Then we will go to my sister's house to pick up a car she is lending us for the week. Then we will drive to my brother's house. From here I'm not sure how it's going to go because my 82 year old father is in a rehab right now. We will either have to go pick him up and bring him to my brother's for the day and evening or we all may have to go visit him. I'm excited to go because I haven't seen any of them since July and before that last Dec. It actually makes for a great time because I don't get wrapped up in any of the problems up there and everyone is so happy and thankful to see each other.

Merry Christmas Everyone!

Judi

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"Try to see the glass half-full."

We are having Christmas Eve here at the house with all of the boys. Four of them have girlfriends, so they will be over here as well.
We are starting at 4:00pm, and the boys that are on their own are bringing a dish to make for dinner. Some (I have a feeling it will be the older girlfriends) will be cooking dinner together and then opening/exchanging gifts later that evening.

I love having all of them together around the holidays. It is about the only time they all do get together under one roof at the same time.

Dobratt, you are not alone with difficulties at all! This Christmas was a BEAR trying to figure out when would be a good time that would work for everyone. Now that the older boys are in serious relationships, I have to worry about their girlfriends plans with their families as well! Then I have one of my boys that enjoys drama..and has to have it no matter what. He created a huge scene this christmas that affected everyone's plans (not surprising). I just have to smile even though I just want to do so much more..LOL
Oh well.. this is a time for family, and unfortunately this one son doesn't have much concept of that :-( I just keep praying!

This Christmas will be different for us as well. Christmas eve my parents will eat over and then Christmas day just our family because sister and I have not resolved our differences so my parents will go to her house for Christmas Day.
1st time we are not all spending Christmas Day together. I will cherish my immediate family because the girls are getting so big so fast and its been really tough on all of us with 16yr olds hospitalizations.

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Without Health you have no Wealth!