Search Results for: blog holidays and in laws

Bonding With the In-Laws: The Youngest Sibling

One of the weirdest things about marrying into a large family was that I’ve been around for almost the entire life of my littlest brother-in-law.  When Jon and I first started dating, and I met the family for the first time, his youngest brother was only a bit over a year old.  While he knows most of Jon’s other siblings very well, because they all lived at home with him for years (and some still do), Jon wasn’t around much when he was growing up.  So Jon, his own brother, isn’t really that much more of a presence in his … Continue reading →

Ditching the Husband to Hang with the In-Laws

The in-laws can be a dreaded part of the marriage experience, for some more so than others, and especially for the wife facing her husband’s family. I’ve had a little tension with Jonathan’s relatives, but overall my experience with them has been overwhelmingly positive. In fact, I don’t always need Jonathan around as a “buffer” or even just as an excuse, to spend time with his relatives. Jon’s part of a big family so there are a number of people with whom for me to interact. I first really hit it off with his older sister. We’re very similar in … Continue reading →

The Holidays Are Over

Well the holidays are officially over and the in law story has not changed. My husband called his parents on Christmas morning and they were doing Christmas morning things. He told them when we should be home and for them to call later when they were free. Much to our surprise not they did not call. OK I am not a grandparent but I hope to be one someday and I cannot even imagine not calling my grandkids on Christmas. We figure maybe they got busy so the next day my husband called and they heard the kids in the … Continue reading →

Buying Christmas Gifts for Your Ex Husband

When you are divorced and the holidays roll around there is the question of who to buy gifts for. Do you buy a gift for your ex husband? Your ex in laws? What about your little nieces and nephews? I know I didn’t want to buy anything for my ex husband but I felt it was important for Hailey to give her father a gift. As for in laws, mine had passed away so that wasn’t an issue. The big question was what to get her father. I wanted Hailey to be able to share at Christmas, I wanted her … Continue reading →

No In Laws For Christmas

So we are not going to have any involvement with the in laws during the month of December and actually I am feeling great about it. Maybe I should not be but to be honest I am absolutely ok with it. I am ready for our kids and husband and to have a relaxing holiday season. We are going to do try to make the weekends super packed with holiday things and hopefully it will make it a bit easier. I am not sure if my mother in law is even going to call our kids for Christmas. I say … Continue reading →

I Want To Get New Grandparents For My Kid

So we are not spending any part of the holiday season with my in laws. Not by our choice but theirs and so we are going to try to do things to keep the kids busy every weekend so hopefully they won’t really notice too much. The reality is they don’t spend time with them any other time of the year so the Christmas season should not be much of a change for them. Before my in laws had a biological grandchild they would pick up our kids and take them to look at Christmas lights and have dinner. That … Continue reading →

We Are Cut Out Of The Holidays

Well I do not need to wait to tell you how our holidays are going to be with my in laws. This has been a horrible in law week. My kids have asked that for the gift exchange with Grandma and Grandpa on my husband’s side to be done without their Aunts, Uncle or cousin. They all have asked that the only people there are them and our family. We wanted to do a separate get together with the Aunt, Uncle and cousin. You may be asking why they wanted to do that and I will be more than happy … Continue reading →

Christmas With the In-Laws

So we did Thanksgiving our way I agreed to give a little on Thanksgiving, it was just the two of us so we agreed to go over on Christmas Eve. This was huge for me after how horrible the first Christmas with his family I really was not looking forward to it. I did agree to go to try to keep peace I do think back now and wish I had not. My mother – in-law loved hosting the holidays; she had done this since her kids were little and she was going to continue until she is no longer … Continue reading →

Holidays with Family

This is the last one, I promise, on the subject of holidays. This time it’s looking at holidays with family. It could mean just taking your children on a holiday but I was thinking more of holidays with in laws or siblings or other family members. A lot of how a holiday with family goes depends on how well the family gets along and how comfortable and relaxed they are in each other’s company. If your spouse doesn’t get along well with your parents, or even if you don’t, then a holiday with family is not going to be the … Continue reading →

Do Holidays Always Include Extended Family?

My husband and I chose to spend Mother’s Day with his parents this year. They were willing to come to our house, which worked great for me, because our baby is always happier in the comfort of our home. While my daughter napped, my mother-in-law and I relaxed in front of the TV (finally, I was able to watch TLC instead of ESPN). Our husbands slaved away in the kitchen, working to prepare a delicious Mother’s Day meal. We admired the flowers we’d been given and enjoyed the feeling of putting our feet up. After lunch, the whole gang headed … Continue reading →