Where do you go/What do you do for holidays?

[Littletreasure]

Since the holiday season is fast approaching I want to know how you and the SO handle the holidays!

Do you spend it just the two of you (or with the kids if you''ve got those!). Or with one of your families? Or do you switch it up or see both families? Do you have any special traditions? Or maybe it''s your first holiday together?

My immediate family lives over 3000 miles away so seeing them this holiday season is out of the question. But I do have extended family around. We both feel more comfortable with his family but I don''t want to alienate mine! Since they are both in the same area we are hoping to be able to spend some time with both families. In the past we both celebrated thanksgiving with our respective families and I flew home last Christmas.

Share your experiences!

 

[winelover23]

Crazy. That''s where I go.

 

[lilyfoot]

Date: 11/10/2009 2:14:02 PM
Author: winelover23
Crazy. That''s where I go.

Haha, love it!

Honestly, I go nowhere and do nothing. Literally.

This year, (first X-mas with BF), I''m sure we''ll see his family at some point (they live here), and spend the rest of the time cuddling

 

[vc10um]

I consider myself incredibly lucky on this front:

A''s family''s big holiday is Thanksgiving.
My family''s big holiday is Christmas.

So we''ll be heading to A''s hometown for Thanksgiving...every year...and we''ll be spending sometime around Christmas with my family...every year...

This year my family is celebrating Christmas early in conjunction with my sister''s grad school graduation. In future years, I would love to have them come down and visit us in future years, since we will be flying to A''s hometown every year for Thanksgiving...

 

[Lauren8211]

DH and I are alone for Thanksgiving this year. A first for both of us!

When we were dating/engaged it was Thanksgiving with my parents in Las Vegas, and Christmas/Christmas eve with his parents (they''re local)

Our agreement is Thanksgiving with my family, and Xmas with his (His family is Catholic, mine is Jewish - so it was an easy decision!)

 

[trillionaire]

We''re still figuring this one out...

FI''s family grew up Jehovah''s Witness, so they are not really big holiday people, but Thanksgiving is something that they do... my family even went out and celebrated Thanksgiving with them 2 years ago, which was amazing! Recently, we have been splitting X-mas and New Years, and spending X-mas with my family (a very big deal) and New Years with his... that''s fine, but a little stressful on the budget, to say the least, and everyone gets short-changed on time.

The problem is, his brother has kids, and no one else in the family does (none for FI and I, and none for my siblings), so it would be nice to spend Christmas with the kiddies... but as our families expand over time, I know that I am going to want to spend the holidays with ALL of our nieces and nephews... So I''m torn... X-mas is a HUGE tradition in my house, and I can''t imagine being anywhere else, but I don''t want to miss out on all the kiddie X-mases with FI''s family either... So, I guess we''ll figure it out year by year. Last year was the only X-mas that FI and I have actually spent together, and we will go our seperate ways again this year as well... I''m so excited that next year we will be married, and hopefully in our own home! Then my life will be even MORE complicated, lol!

 

[princesss]

We always do Thanksgiving with his family. My family lives in Europe right now, though, so that''s the biggest factor. Plus his family''s big holiday is Thanksgiving, and it''s great to see everybody.

Christmas - well, last year it was just us. This year...who knows. It''ll either be just us or I''m going to kidnap him and drag him home. I think he wants to go but it overwhelmed with the idea of driving 5 hours there and 5 hours back the next day, but if I get the feeling that it''s what he really wants and he''s just talking himself out of it because it''s not "practical" he''s getting kidnapped. End of story.

 

[4ever]

this will be out second Christmas together. Our first I was in the UK with him so we spent it with his parents, last year we could not be together so spent it with our own families and this year he''s in NZ with me so we''ll spend Christamas with my family.

 

[MrsHToBe]

When FF, and I first became a couple, I spent the holidays with my family (my Dad, and I used to travel to his sister''s, as did everyone else), and I''d go to FF''s parents'' the next day. Now that we''ve been together almost 9 years, however, we spend our holidays with FF''s family at his parents'', and my Dad travels to spend it with us.
It works for us, since my father raised me, and it''s always only been the 2 of us, and he had a falling out a few years ago with his siblings.

 

[NakedFinger]

My SO and I will be hosting Thanksgiving in our new home this year for the first time (kitchen was completed just in time!). I'm a little nervous, but we'll see how it goes!
I will be having my parents, siblings and their SO's, and then his dad & step mom, step sister and her SO. Will be 16 people. Eek!

Then we have a lot for the Christmas. First, Christmas eve is with SO's extended family (aunts uncles cousins parents etc)at his aunts house on his dad's side. They celebrate x-mas on Christmas eve. Then on Christmas day we do presents together at home, then we go to his dad's house for breakfast and to exchange gifts among us (dad, step mom, step sister, her SO, me and him). Then we go to my parents house, to exchange gifts among my parents and siblings. Then we all go to my grandma's house, with all my extended family there. Then the day after x-mas, we go to his aunts house with all his extended family on his mom's side (who is deceased but we still see all them). Whew! Its exhausting just talking about it!

 

[caribari]

We generally do holidays with our respective families. It''s a little hard because his family is on the West Coast and mine is on the East Coast, so it''s just not possible to spend the time together without infuriating one of our mothers Frustrating is that BOTH sets of our parents have commented that it would be nice if the other came home for the holidays, but have also balked at the idea of either of of us missing time with them! I guess it''s understandable because neither of us make it home too often (maybe 2-3 times per year), but seriously people...

 

[Littletreasure]

Date: 11/10/2009 6:52:58 PM
Author: caribari
We generally do holidays with our respective families. It''s a little hard because his family is on the West Coast and mine is on the East Coast, so it''s just not possible to spend the time together without infuriating one of our mothers Frustrating is that BOTH sets of our parents have commented that it would be nice if the other came home for the holidays, but have also balked at the idea of either of of us missing time with them! I guess it''s understandable because neither of us make it home too often (maybe 2-3 times per year), but seriously people...

I know what you mean! In the past we''ve just gone to our seperate families his parents live in the same city we do and I would fly out to see my parents. We are at the point where we would like to celebrate together! My parents and siblings were hoping to come out here for Christmas (i have extended family) but have decided to stay home.

One if my parents worst fears when I went to uni so far away was that I would meet a boy from here and nit come back! They had said it jokingly as that is what happened with them but I still felt a little bad.

My grandma, aunts, uncles, cousins and even second cousins have a huge get together on thanksgiving so I think we will probably go there. Christmas eve/ morning will be spent with his parents, siblings and their spouses. And then we can visit my grandma and great grandma later in the day.

 

[brown_eyes]

Currently we are planning on doing our separate things for this holiday season. Now that I think about it, this is probably the last time we''ll be doing that...

 

[mariewest]

Well, we''ve switched it up each holiday and each year. This year for Thanksgiving I am driving to where he currently lives (CT) which is about six hours away from where I live with my family (NY) and then we are driving to have dinner with his brother and sister-in-law who live in NJ. Last year for Thanksgiving, he spent it with my family, the year before that we just spent it with our own families each. For Christmas this year he is spending it with my family, then going to see his Dad (who is only 2 1/2 hours away.) Last year he came to visit my family the days before Christmas and then when home for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. For New Years, this year I am going to his Dad''s where he will be visiting and going out with him and his friends. We''ve done this before in a year past, but last year he came to visit me and my family and we went out with a few of my friends. We''ve been dating for almost three years, but have been college students the beginning years, and now I have to work around my job schedule, while he''s in grad. school working around that schedule and his teaching internship. We''re at least lucky that our famillies are close by and we can take turns. I can guess that we will probably continue part of that after we''re married, but may want to take some years to ourselves to create our own traditions, but I enjoy seeing family during the holidays too.