Entertaining for the holidays? Suggestions?

Passanie

So dh's parents are coming for the three-day weekend over Christmas. They'll be staying at a hotel, but spending a lot of time with us at the house.

I've never hosted family for holidays before. What can I do with them so we won't be sitting around staring at each other? What do you normally do? MIL and I are both sappy about traditions and Christmas-y stuff, but we don't really have any traditions.

I figure I'll make a Christmas Eve dinner and we'll open presents and such Christmas morning. But the rest of Sunday and Monday? What would you do with people visiting? I imagine much of it will be just me and MIL, or me and MIL and FIL, since dh's schedule has him sleeping til 2:30/3 p.m. I'm only getting those three days off, so no time before to prepare (and darn it, we invited them to come Saturday, they said they're coming Friday).

sm23

Beyond the meals and the gift-opening, the guys sometimes watch sports or a few of us watch a movie. Sometimes we'll go on a walk around the neighborhood (usually after a meal). MIL and I sometimes scrapbook/do other paper crafts together. If our nieces are around, we'll play with them and their new toys a bit    or color with them.

EmmieB

sm23:

Beyond the meals and the gift-opening, the guys sometimes watch sports or a few of us watch a movie. Sometimes we'll go on a walk around the neighborhood (usually after a meal). MIL and I sometimes scrapbook/do other paper crafts together. If our nieces are around, we'll play with them and their new toys a bit    or color with them.

this was pretty much what I was going to suggest: planned downtime. And maybe you could  - on friday or saturday - bake up a big batch of something yummy and then deliver it to your local fire station or police station or soup kitchen? (then you're taking up prep/cook/cooling, plus packaging, delivering, minor chatting with those to whom it was delivered AND you're spreading holiday cheer. It's a win-win.)

hannikan

I think the reason you want to have things to do is because you're not that comfortable just hanging out with IL, esp MIL. And your DH won't be there so that would make it harder. Am I right?

Passanie

hannikan:

I think the reason you want to have things to do is because you're not that comfortable just hanging out with IL, esp MIL. And your DH won't be there so that would make it harder. Am I right?

To some degree, yes. Plus I just don't want anyone to be bored. We do a lot of walks and sitting around and staring at each other at their house. I'd like to minimize the staring. I wonder if they'd ever play board games.

sm23

EmmieB:

sm23:

Beyond the meals and the gift-opening, the guys sometimes watch sports or a few of us watch a movie. Sometimes we'll go on a walk around the neighborhood (usually after a meal). MIL and I sometimes scrapbook/do other paper crafts together. If our nieces are around, we'll play with them and their new toys a bit    or color with them.

tAnd maybe you could  - on friday or saturday - bake up a big batch of something yummy and then deliver it to your local fire station or police station or soup kitchen? (then you're taking up prep/cook/cooling, plus packaging, delivering, minor chatting with those to whom it was delivered AND you're spreading holiday cheer. It's a win-win.)

What a good idea!

wldktz10

We usually watch Christmas themed movies and play games. But there's also ice skating, going out to go to the movies, and going to other local Christmas events (towns always have tons of stuff going on).