Traveling and splitting your time over the holidays between your family and your partners’ family–or, in some cases, the in-laws–can make the holidays less merry and more of a headache. With the divorce rate soaring in the United States, you may even be trying to juggle multiple sets of parents on both sides, often who refuse to be in the same room together, causing you to feel even more like Gumby–or a referee.Whether you’re one half of a couple, so single that you always get stuck at the kids’ table, or somewhere in between, the holidays likely bring some quality time with family.
So what’s a couple to do? According to a recent newspaper article I read, many are putting their foot down and creating their own holiday traditions. By choosing to host holiday gatherings at their home, relatives are welcome to attend–or not–taking the pressure off the couple. This notion got me thinking. My husband and I are planning to host our families for Christmas this year for the first time. It just sort of worked out that way (I’m pregnant, so the less travel, the better), but I started to wonder what we would do if our families didn’t get along. Or if my biological father (whom I don’t speak to) and stepmom had to be factored into the holiday equation. Talk about complicated! The movie “Four Christmases” comes to mind…
It seems that the bottom line in navigating all of this over the holidays is doing what is best for you and your partner–and maybe spiking the egg nog to take the edge off.
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