how are you guys celebrating??

do one set of parents live far??

if you are a blended family with kids from previous relationships/marriages - how are you guys sharing the "kids"  with the other parent??

We were planning on doing every other Christmas and such - but it never really worked out so we have always gone to my family. And it makes more sense too since my family leaves really far away so I don't get to see them very often, so when I have vacation at work I definitely am going up there.

It would have been reallllly hard for me to give up Christmas with my mom and sister and everyone - I don't think I could have done it. And my dh's family isn't super centralized since his grandma passed away 4 years ago so they don't really have one big get together and generally end up doing their own thing or going to their respect in-laws so it works perfect.

But for Thanksgiving this year his mom and dad and sister are actually driving up to Portland and having Thanksgiving with my mom (and us) so that should be SUPER interesting. Besides the wedding and rehearsal dinner and one other random party that my mom happened to be in town for they have never hung out.

I'm bringing the xanax just in case. hahahah

DH works on Thanksgiving so it would be really difficult to drive down to NYC where my parents live and help with the cooking and all the fun stuff.  So on Thanksgiving day, I will go to his parents house that is only 35 minutes away from where we live and help cook, etc and DH will meet up after work to eat.  Then on Saturday AM, we head over to my parents house (that is 3 hrs away) and we will celebrate Thanksgiving there too.  This way I get to help cook and do all the fun, together stuff.  It works out and both set of parents are happy and we are stress free.  Who would have thought that DH working on Thanksgiving will be a blessing in disguise?

Thanksgiving with DH's family  (he switches holidays with the kids  every other year with his ex)  -  this year he has the kids on Thanksgiving so we will be at his moms

Christmas Eve with his family - Christmas day with mine - every year

If he doesn't have his kids on CHristmas Eve for his moms feast we invite his parents and sis over for breakfast and to watch the kids open gifts Christmas morning

If he has the kids Christmas Eve he does not have them Christmas Day and vice versa

I normally let my ex have the girls for Thanksgiving and Easter because i will not share Christmas ...  but this year I dont have to share at all ;)

Every year is different with us, we move often for the hubby's work so we try to balance it as best we can over the long term. This year we actually live in my hometown, but since we spent last year with my family for Christmas we're going to travel a few provinces over to visit his folks. While we're at it we're taking a few days to ourselves and stopping along the way there and on the way back to visit places that we like and visit old freinds we haven't seen in a couple years *smiles*. I'm looking forward to it!

I'm also lucky that my family gets together twice over the holidays, we have the big dinner on Christmas day, but we also do a yankee swap on the sunday afternoon before Christmas. It's great for me because this way I can still see all my family for some holiday cheer before the mister and I drive out to Ontario :).

i hope i have the strength and patience for the holidays so close to our wedding!  LOL!!

i'm "planned" out!  LOL

K2--- got any xanax left??  hahahaha

Last year we did Thanksgiving with his family and Christmas with mine, however I think this year it will be both with his unless my family comes to us since we used up all our PTO days for the wedding.  My parents live about 6 hours from us so I think they may come for Christmas since my dad's family is out near us as well.

We are celebrating our last Thanksgiving and Christmas here in Hawaii with my family and some friends!!  We wil be moving in May to the mainland.  So this Thanksgiving and Christmas has to be extra special and will be one to remmeber forever. : )

we usually do thanksgiving here in NY with his parents. we cook for them :). and for christmas, i go to new orleans to spend it with my family since DH is usually working (the nypd doesn't close shop for holidays!)

but this year, we will be spending christmas together for the first time since we've been together!!!! christmas eve/christmas day happen to fall on his days off this year, plus he was able to get a few extra days off that week, so we will be going to new orleans together. i'm so excited :)

Our parents all live within 15 minutes of us. We split the days up, go to one side first, then the other. We try to make it as even as possible.