Holiday Drama! woo hoo!!!

[NMAmy]

Can we have a Holiday Drama sub-forum?

Yes, please! Then I wouldn't have to sort through all the swine flu threads to find the good drama stuff.

We don't usually have too much drama around the holidays. My sister's doing the Thanksgiving cooking and we have our family Christmas early before my mom bugs out to see our other sister in California so Christmas Day itself is just DH, DD, and me.

DH's niece is coming to stay with us from England but she's pretty drama free. DD will be home from college but if I haven't learned to quell or ignore drama from my own kid in 19 years, then I'll just have to get over it.

But I do love living the drama vicariously through others so I'll be reading all the threads!

 

[DWGal210]

Drama, family and holidays seem to go together like peas and carrots, don't they? (BTW, where did that expression come from?!)

Our family drama is on my dad's side. I honestly don't know how my dad turned out the way he did - there is so much craziness on his side, it's a wonder he came out the other side a normal and responsible person. Those Christmas gatherings are really no fun to me; we only really see them all at Christmas time (although most of them live fairly close). We are just so different and have really no common ground, it's hard to have a good time.

And the kicker - they always expect my parents to bring the meat, ie the most expensive part of the meal (I wonder what they would have if we weren't there....) Last year, my parents brought a giant ham and my mom made 2 sides, enough for everyone. His 2 sisters each brought a side dish (that was enough to feed about 1/4 of the people there) and that was it. His 5 brothers brought nada. There was TONS of candy, cookies, etc, but it seemed no one got the memo about bringing a side dish to share. Grrr. Not looking forward to it at all this year - maybe I can plan on being out of town on that weekend.

 

[tink_lover]

Drama, family and holidays seem to go together like peas and carrots, don't they? (BTW, where did that expression come from?!)

Our family drama is on my dad's side. I honestly don't know how my dad turned out the way he did - there is so much craziness on his side, it's a wonder he came out the other side a normal and responsible person. Those Christmas gatherings are really no fun to me; we only really see them all at Christmas time (although most of them live fairly close). We are just so different and have really no common ground, it's hard to have a good time.

And the kicker - they always expect my parents to bring the meat, ie the most expensive part of the meal (I wonder what they would have if we weren't there....) Last year, my parents brought a giant ham and my mom made 2 sides, enough for everyone. His 2 sisters each brought a side dish (that was enough to feed about 1/4 of the people there) and that was it. His 5 brothers brought nada. There was TONS of candy, cookies, etc, but it seemed no one got the memo about bringing a side dish to share. Grrr. Not looking forward to it at all this year - maybe I can plan on being out of town on that weekend.

This reminds me of the Christmas where DH and I decided to have his extended family to our house. We asked one of his sisters to bring the wine. She brought one bottle. For 30 people.

 

[C.Ann]

The "real" drama surrounding the holidays will be right here on the DIS.. LOL.. It has started already - plenty to read..

 

[Shmily1]

Hmmmm.... let's see.... DH said that only the ones there for Halloween could come for Thanksgiving and Christmas (cause his kids didn't bring the grandkids for Halloween after I'd bought all kind of stuff for them). Only the two teens were there! I bet that will be some drama right there!!

 

[INDISMOM]

The only drama so far is that my MIL decided that she isn't going to buy the presents for my kids this year -- she is just going to give us the money to do it all. She says she is just too busy. I told my husband I would do it only because it will save me having to take everything back because she never gets the right toy or size. But I HATE wrapping presents, so I am going to order things online and have them sent to her so she can wrap them!

We don't have the drama about going to both sides. My mom tells my sister and me to pick a day that works for both of us to celebrate, she doesn't care if it goes into January as long as it works for us. (LOVE HER!)

My husband put his foot down with his family a LONG time ago. He told them we will NOT drive on or around Christmas and that we needed to celebrate a weekend before or after. My mother-in-law didn't like it, but my husband really didn't care.

 

[alexandria674]

I used to gird my loins for the onslaught of guilt trips, ancedotes of special snowflakes,drunk relatives and the inevitable call to the cops (I kid, I kid) but this year I am going to try to avoid the drama...or die trying. lol.

 

[DWGal210]

This reminds me of the Christmas where DH and I decided to have his extended family to our house. We asked one of his sisters to bring the wine. She brought one bottle. For 30 people.

WOW.

In what world would 1 bottle on wine serve 30 people?!?!?

Crazy!!

 

[EthansMom]

This reminds me of the Christmas where DH and I decided to have his extended family to our house. We asked one of his sisters to bring the wine. She brought one bottle. For 30 people.

I had one year where one MIL said she'd bring bread and then arrived without any bread, saying, "The store was completely out of bread when I went shopping." This was Thanksgiving, so she could have called that a.m. and I'd have sent DH out to the store, but instead she just showed up with no bread.

That same day, StepMIL brought salad that was inedible... a combination of greens, kalamata olives, mandarin oranges, and some berry vinagrette. I tried eating it and it was really quite horrid.

The following year, SIL and BIL spontaneously left to go shopping for a big screen t.v. at the same time on Christmas Eve that they were due at my house for dinner. I had built in an appetizer period to cover for late arrivals, but not an extra 1.5 hours for rude guests who decide that a big screen t.v. is more important than the family dinner.

After that, I gave up hosting the family holiday meal. Last year, we had a half-way decent Thanksgiving at FIL and StepMIL's. Two days later, BIL calls me up and starts yelling about how I said such-and-such to SIL on Thanksgiving and hurt her feelings. I never said a mean thing to her, but they spent the next couple weeks bad mouthing me to everyone in the family (most of whom were present when I didn't say anything bad). Then, they refused to get-together in the same place for Christmas because we are terrible people.

I might be willing to risk some drama for a Christmas get-together. But Thanksgiving, which should just be a have-fun-and-eat-too-much-food experience, just isn't worth the drama.

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

WOW.

In what world would 1 bottle on wine serve 30 people?!?!?

Crazy!!

that won't even work with shot glasses.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Nope. We don't do drama anymore, thank goodness.

 

[minkydog]

One of the reasons we stay home for Thanksgiving and Christmas is to avoid the drama. We live 400miles from our families. We have invited them to come up many times, but they never do. Apparently the road only runs south, not north. It's just as well. We enjoy our little traditions and we don't miss the drama at all.

This holiday season I'm anticipating a little drama with my mother. Last night my DSis called me from Washington state. She got some bad news yesterday and she's going to have to have a hysterectomy done in early December. We know that Mother will want to go out there to "take care of her." However, we also know that Mother doesn't take care of anyone. She's 75--not very strong, has some mobility issues, sleeps a lot,emotionally needy. I'm not putting her down, but this is not the person you want taking care of you after major surgery.

I told DSis that I would come out to help her for a week or so. DSis has a small farm with sheep, chickens, ducks, ect. I have taken care of her animals before and I know what to do. I can run the house, cook, clean, plus I'm an RN. I know Mother is going to be hurt if Dsis tells her not to come out. I suggested that she be upfront with Mother, tell her that I am coming out so I can help with the farm work, et al, and to invite Mother to come at Christmas when DSis will probably be feeling better.

Ah, what would the holidays be without the drama...

 

[Plannin'Shannon]

We don't usually have too much drama around the holidays...
But I do love living the drama vicariously through others so I'll be reading all the threads!

Same here, we're boring. Bring it on!

 

[james'mommy]

We live 12 hours from my family and 17 hours from DH's family so our holidays are drama free. The in laws usually come down for Thanksgiving every year but this year they are meeting us in Disney the weekend after. Everyone thinks I'm crazy but we are going to Cracker Barrel for Thanksgiving dinner. I can't wait. We always spend Xmas alone. This DH is being especially nice and he has agreed to go see my family after Xmas. 5t should be a drama free trip since I'll be skipping my Dad and Step mom's house because I haven't talked to them in months. The in laws will be in Spain so no need to go further north.

 

[FergieTCat]

My mother is having knee replacement surgery over Thanksgiving, and my sister is being very dramatic (does that count?)

My sister "has issues" with my mother and resents that my mother "has chosen" to have her surgery over Thanksgiving (long, long, story.)

As I hear it, their conversation yesterday included my mother saying "You are still my daughter and you will not speak to me like that."

Oh yes ... my sister is 59 and my mother is 82.

Fun times!

 

[Darcy03231]

I'm sure there will be drama at my mom's the Sunday before Christmas.

I'm taking my mom and my niece (11) to WDW the first week of December. I took her younger sister last year in October (she was 4, almost 5) and paid for her older sister to go on a cross country month long trip with friends back in July. My sister and her DH both work very hard, but got laid off a while ago and while they're both now working its at jobs making much less than they made previously and with being out of work for extended periods of time they're just making it. For the last two years DH and I have bought most of their children's clothing, school supplies and christmas gifts (my brother has no idea that we do this).

My sister and I are very close and I'm close with her children. We do a lot together as families and I hear from her and her children pretty much on a weekly basis. My nieces all call just to chat.

My brother and his wife both work and make a very good living. On top of that my sister-in-law's mother is very well off and spends a fortune on his kids. She's funded several trips for them and their children (WDW, Hershey Park, cruise, all inclusive in the Carribean, etc.).

My brother and I were close when he was younger but aren't anymore. He and his wife choose to spend all their free time with her family. Their children are not close to us or my children at all. We never do anything with them. If we invite them they always refuse and they never invite us to do anything with them. I don't hear anything from then unless they want something. I never hear from the kids unless they need me to buy something for a fundraiser.

My brother is going to be jealous when he finds out I took DN to WDW (he was when I took my other DN). There was quite a bit said the last time when I took the younger one (he also doesn't know that I paid for the older one's cross country trip). It should be fun at my mom's house when we get together for christmas.

 

[PrincessParty]

It's coming, it does every year. Still a little early here at my home, but I'll keep you posted.

 

[lovetoscrap]

Can we have a Holiday Drama sub-forum?

Can we say not me?

NOT YOU!!!!

I used to gird my loins for the onslaught of guilt trips, ancedotes of special snowflakes,drunk relatives and the inevitable call to the cops (I kid, I kid) but this year I am going to try to avoid the drama...or die trying. lol.

So you won't be hanging out on the DIS??

WOW.

In what world would 1 bottle on wine serve 30 people?!?!?

Crazy!!

Unless you invite Jesus, that will never work!



I am lucky to have great in laws and my family is really too far away to allow us to visit on the holidays. We will spend Thanksgiving and Christmas with the Inlaws and it will be great. I come to the DIS and enjoy everyone else's Holiday Drama, and then call my mil and thank her for being so wonderful!

 

[Disney Doll]

My niece is getting married 2 days after Christmas and my SIL who no one really likes will be here December 22nd to celebrate Christmas and stay for the wedding.

How's that for drama overload??? Christmas and a wedding.

 

[rie'smom]

My niece is getting married 2 days after Christmas and my SIL who no one really likes will be here December 22nd to celebrate Christmas and stay for the wedding.

How's that for drama overload??? Christmas and a wedding.

My husband and I were married Dec. 26, 1981. My mom is still not over the fact that we married the day after Christmas.