So, an interesting quandary for my family. I talked to my mom this evening, and she said my brother (the one with the Cambodian fiancee) stopped by. The fiancee's family wants to plan a BIIIIIIG dual-family get-together for the baby's first birthday. I gather her family here is quite large, much larger than my parents realized, so now Mom is in high panic mode. (She's very shy, and they aren't used to entertaining or socializing much anymore now that they're older.)
I said, "Where is this thing supposed to take place?", thinking maybe she was freaked out that this big bash was expected to take place at their house. She said at the girl's aunt and uncle's house, which is actually where my brother's family is living right now. But there's additional family in Everett, Federal Way, Kent, Auburn, etc. Whoa!
I asked, "OK, so when do they want to do this?"
"Christmas Eve."
"Christmas Eve? Why Christmas Eve? Was he actually born on the 24th?" (We never knew the exact day he was born...)
"Yes, he was born on Christmas Eve. That's why they want to have the get-together then, on the exact day."
Now for most families this wouldn't be such a big deal, but my family celebrates Christmas together on Christmas Eve, it's a Scandinavian tradition (Mom is Norwegian.)
Soooo... Now what? It would be incredibly poor manners to bring all our Christmas presents to this bash. So if we do the baby's birthday on Christmas Eve, when do we do Christmas Eve? My ex-SIL is certainly not going to let my brother have the kids on Christmas Day, he gets them only on Christmas Eve.
At first I suggested we move our Christmas celebration to another day. Not Christmas Day, because my niece and nephew can't be there and my ILs will flip out if we don't see them. But maybe the 23rd? The 26th? 27th?
But then my mom said, "You don't think the kids will have a problem not getting their Christmas presents on Christmas Eve?"
Ohhhh, the kids. Right. No presents on Christmas Eve would be terrible! And when then would we give them their stockings and other things from Santa? Lord, this is so complicated...