Stressfree Holidays.....it's a choice
 

Yep, they come once a year. I enjoy a stressfree Christmas every year! If it (sewing) has to be ready in time, it is, or it is given when it is done. I don't overload my self with deadlines, must-do, must -be, must-travel, etc. Heck, when people ask me when I will be "home" again (150 miles each way....my drive.), my new suggestion is "meet me halfway". Cricket chirp. Lol! Love how people want to see me but on my time and my dime. Facebook is a "visit", right? Lol!

I guess that as I get older, I prioritize how I spend my time and who I socialize with, etc. I am not a negative person at all but it is a 2-way street. Please use your lane too!

Sandy

I concur completely. I live 4 hours from "home". And I am the one expected to make the trip.

I too have a stress free Christmas. My daughters and I give the gift of not exchanging gifts. We all hate to shop. So not having to is the gift. My husband and I feel the same way. And since at this stage in our life if we want it we don't have to wait till Christmas for someone to buy it for us. We get a few things for our grandson and of course make him a quilt.

We totally avoid the stores and leave the shopping frenzy for those out there that for some reason enjoy it. Christmas has become such a commercialized holiday and we choose to "not drink the kool-aid"

SVAL

Amen ladies Amen. We've reduced our holiday stress the same way. My special gift this year was my 11 year old grand daughter staying here these past few days. She is indeed a joy to be with, such fun, and such a replica of her mother that it is like a visit back in time. And we went to the fabric store, and when we came home, I showed her how to use the serger and she serged a camo fleece blanket for her dad and a few things for her mom. That is the joy of Christmas.

As a young married, I yearned to host the 'family' Christmas just once. But it seemed that we--the furthest away--were always the ones to travel. One sister flat out told me that she would always be in her own home for her children on Christmas Day!!! Well, I finally decided that maybe my kids should have the joy of Christmas in THEIR own home too! Changed my views significantly. We started making our own Christmas traditions for our small family. And what a relief, not to hassle with airports, poor weather and all that luggage!

These days, Christmas is not a date on the calendar, but a day that our small family can enjoy together.

I think all children should be in their home Christmas morning. No traveling to grandma to grandma for Christmas. That makes no sense to me. Travel when it's not Christmas and spend stress free days enjoying being there. All it takes is to say we are staying home for Christmas. Kids do not enjoy the stress either.

I have 1 set of grandkids that live about 45 minutes from us. The girls are from my DS's 1st marriage and live with DS and DDIL and so spend Christmas Eve with their DM and her family. They go home late Christmas Eve evening so they can wake up to Christmas morning at their home butthey spend the day going from our house to DDIL’s family and then go back totheir DM’s late evening to spend the rest of their winter break with her .DS has to work Christmas morning this year sothey tried something new…they got to pick out 2 gifts each evening for the past4 nights to open and enjoy.DDIL saidthe whole family has loved it.They hadtime each night to play/read or whatever w/the gift items instead of opening 1to stack it in a pile and rush on to the next 1.She said 1 evening they played kid Monopolyand DS joined in (he usually has to be in bed early for work).She thinks this will be a new tradition forthem.I don’t think I can sing herpraises enough.She is raising thosegirls as her own and treats them no differently than her and DS’s littleboy.She’s definitely a keeper!

About a hundred years ago when I had one very small daughter who was a first grandchild on both sides of the family. We had lived in Germany for two years (where she was born) when we came home for her 2 year old Christmas, to meet all the rest of the family for the first time.

We spent Christmas Eve with my mother playing Santa at her house, then drove to my dad's house to sleep so we could do Christmas Morning Santa with him. By noon Christmas Morning we were on a flight across the state to my DH's parents' house to do the Santa thing all over again for the third time. :eek: We were all exhausted and cranky!

I decided right then that from that year on, no matter where we lived, we were going to be in OUR house for Christmas and they could all come to us! Stuck by that, too, through another marriage and another "first grandchild" on that side of the family.

Somehow mailing all the gifts, though, has become a burden over the years and now we mostly trade gift cards and/or direct delivery gifts. I am so thankful for the internet to relieve the stress of the harried shopping!

Jan in VA

I always hated the running around. the feeling of must having to see someone.cSince I married my 2nd husbnd, he's Jewish, I now have an excuse to stay home. We do our own thing, no running around, just quiet peacefulness. My son sleeps over the night b4, I make French toast and if he can, he makes it back for dinner. No rush or feeling guilty over not seeing someone. it's so much easier. I think to many people put to much pressure on what it's supposed to be. Everyone have a wonderful day if you're celebrating Christmas or Hanukkah or Ramadan. enjoy it.

When we moved from VA to AZ, the family was always complaining we never called. (We always called, once a week, per family!) I had to remind them several times, the lines (phone) went in both direction!!!

When I was married to my ex-husband, we would go to my DMIL house on Christmas Eve for gift opening and eating (appetizers, finger foods, etc). It was a "tradition" that held true. There were so many people there it was a zoo, but what can you expect with eight siblings, their spouses, and all the grandkids? It was an hour and a half drive. But - afterwards we went home so that our kids could have a traditional Christmas morning at our house opening gifts.

Now that I'm married to my HS sweetheart, (and by the way, today is our THIRD ANNIVERSARY, as we were married on Christmas Eve), we live in WA State some 2200 miles from everyone. My DH and I celebrate Christmas basically by ourselves. We are invited to a friends house this evening for an Italian dinner, then tomorrow to aother friends house for Chinese dinner.

This year, my oldest DGD will be coming after Christmas for a few days. She's never been to see us at our house here in WA State since we moved five years ago.