How do you divide up holidays between families?

mamarazzi

Especially if you live in the same town. 

I'm really sick of schlepping the fam all over on every single holiday, but I can't figure out how to simplify.  For example, on Easter, we'll go to church, then my parents', then H's parents', then home for naps and then my grandparents'.  We could cut out my parents', but I feel bad doing that because Law LOVES it there and H and I enjoy being there, too.

 

penguingrrl

Our parents live a mile apart and we finally had to put our foot down after we spent last Christmas stressed and cranky trying to be everywhere.  Now we do Thanksgiving with one, Christmas Eve with the other, Christmas Day with the first, and Easter with the second.  We trade off each year so each side gets us for each holiday every other year.  ILs aren't thrilled with it because we always stay with my mother, but they don't have room for us and only have 1 bathroom, which would be miserable to me (6 adults and now 4 children with 1 br... I don't think so!).  My mom's house is small too, but she has 1 1/2 br's which makes all the difference in the world lol!

MrsStubbs

We split everything except Christmas. My parents live about 1.5 hrs away.

We do Easter with his family

Thanksgiving every other year

Christmas mostly my parents until DD gets old enough that Santa needs to come to our house.

kklickka

We do Christmas Eve with my family (we've ALWAYS had our big celebration on X-mas eve, since before I was born) and Christmas Day we split it up between his mom's family during the day and his dad's family at night.  We don't do anything for Easter or Thanksgiving (it's too far for us to travel for just a weekend).  Now that DS is on the way, we're thinking about inviting the family up here for Thanksgiving.

Shelly203

I always thought that it would be great to have both families in the same town for the holidays, but it has turned out to be really hard now that we have DS.  We are exhausted!!  We want to spend time at home with him as our family, plus see my family, then we have our obligation to DH's family, and throw nap time in there, and it's tough.  We finally just said that each family gets two-three hours depending on which holiday it is, and then we just spend the rest of the day at home.  DH's parents were always comparing how much time they got, with how much time we spent at my parents house and making sure they got the same amount...it was too much!  Now everyone knows the "rules" and we are much happier to have our time at home too!

LinzDavid

We switch out Christmas and Thanksgiving each year between our parents' house.  Yet, if we still stop by the family that we weren't 'scheduled' to be with that day for about an hour.  (It's becoming more of a pain then what it's worth and I'd like to do away with it).

His parents also get every Christmas Eve and Easter.  AND now they're trying to get us for the summer holidays.  Back off ILs those are the days I hang out with my friends/neighbors, we see you enough!

bls27

My family- Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and early Christmas morning

His family- Easter and Christmas Day

 We do the same thing every year so everyone knows what to expect.  Eventually, we might start staying home for Christmas morning. 

Zenya

my parents live in ireland but are frequently here for Christmas (my sister lives in america, too).  Even so, we alternate years.  I see my parents during their christmas vacation here... but not on Christmas day if it's my IL's turn. 

Typically we go to my IL's for thanksgiving (we don't celebrate it ireland anyway).  We try to spend easter at home.  This year we invited my sister from NY (we live in PA).

AnneUCSB

I don't have to split up the holidays... I married a Jew

 Passover and Hanukah are ALL him and I get every Christmas and Easter with my family!!!  Good thing because both our parents are divorced and they all live locally so we'd be trying to go to four different houses each holiday.  Not gonna happen! 

marrymemylove

We used to do Christmas eve at one and Christmas Day at the other when they lived 10 mins apart.

We don't do thanksgiving.

Then we lived in the US and didn't go to any of them.

Then we got back and my family is close and DHs is a long way (interstate). So now we just do holidays with my family. Sadly my Gran probably won't be with us for next Christmas so it was important to us to spend it with her. We went up in the New Year to visit DHs family in non-holiday time.

Our big holidays are Easter and Christmas (both have a few days of compulsory public holidays). No thanksgiving. 

eclaires

We live 10 minutes from my in laws and 2 hours from my family.

My in laws' extended family comes for Thanksgiving, and since we were dating, my MIL has said, "I hate Christmas.  Thanksgiving is my holiday."  So, we usually do Thanksgiving there, and there are a lot of things about it I dislike, but it also means that we can spend Christmas with my family guilt free and it's my favorite holiday with my family.  Then with Easter, we've alternated years, depending on how it works out.  Although, now that Jackson is getting older, it is more likely we will spend Easter with my family or separate from my in laws for church since he is being raised Catholic and they are not.

leiann2003

Thanksgiving - DH's family

X-MAS Eve - DH's family

 X-MAS Day - My family

night before Easter - My family

Easter -DH's family

DH doesn't having any living grandparents and I only have one grandma and she comes to my parent's house so we don't have to go to hers.