November 2008 Weddings
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Our tech team has launched updates to The Nest today. As a result of these updates, members of the Nest Community will need to change their password in order to continue participating in the community. In addition, The Nest community member's avatars will be replaced with generic default avatars. If you wish to revert to your original avatar, you will need to re-upload it via The Nest.
If you have questions about this, please email help@theknot.com.
Thank you.
Note: This only affects The Nest's community members and will not affect members on The Bump or The Knot.
How do you spend your Christmas?
1) How do you normally spend your Christmas?
2) How are you spending Christmas this year?
3) Who made your plans?
4) Are you happy with your Christmas plans?
Re: How do you spend your Christmas?
1. How do you normally spend your Christmas?
At home, we just go next door to M's parents house.
2. How are you spending Christmas this year?
See above answer.
3. Who made your plans?
No one, we always do this.
4. Are you happy with your Christmas plans?
Sure, we wouldn't be doing anything else anyway.
1) How do you normally spend your Christmas?
Usually DH and I spend Christmas in our hometown. On Christmas Eve we go to his Nana's for dinner and spend some time with his family. Then we go to my house to see my family and eat more and exchange our 1 day early gift. Then we go to midnight mass.
On Christmas day we go to my house to open gifts with my family. Then we go to Dh's house to open gifts with his family. Then we go to his aunt's house for lunch/dinner and to see all of his family. Then we go to my uncle's to see the rest of my family. At the end of the day we spend some time with our friends.
2) How are you spending Christmas this year?
This year DH and I are staying in SC and spending Christmas together just the two of us. We have dvr'd a ton of movies to watch the whole week of Christmas. We are going to be baking and listen to Christmas music and just enjoying each other.
On Christmas eve we are exchanging an ornament with one another and are making a nice dinner. Then on Christmas morning we are echanging out huge stockings filled with gifts. We are cooking a nice big meal again and then spending some time with friends here (if they are available).
3) Who made your plans?
Dh and I agreed on our plans. At first, work was the cause of our decision. When that changed, Dh and I discussed it and decided to make our own traditions.
4) Are you happy with your Christmas plans?
I am very sad to not be seeing our family at Christmas, but I am extremely excited to have a personal Chrsitmas with H and enjoy the day and each other with no stress. So overall I am happy with the decision. Plus, my family is coming down to us the week before Christmas and his the week after New Years, so we will still see them during the holiday season -- we are leaving all decorations up.
Running around like chickens with heads cut off. We switch between my family and MIL for christmas/christmas eve every year because that's how my sister's custody of niece works. Then at night, we either go to my aunt's or Ty's nana's.
2. How are you spending Christmas this year?
eve w/my family, christmas w/MIL, night w/nana
3. Who made your plans?
me w/my family. DH is the WORST planner.
4. Are you happy with your Christmas plans?
it would be nice to not have so much running around to do, but you have that with blended families. can't wait to say home with the kids in the future! or host it at our house!
1) How do you normally spend your Christmas?
with my parents
2) How are you spending Christmas this year?
with my parents
3) Who made your plans?
no one in particular, this is what we do every year
4) Are you happy with your Christmas plans?
yes, it's nice to spend with my parents. DH's family doesn't celebrate Christmas, so I'm glad I get to spend it with my family and do our traditions.
1) How do you normally spend your Christmas?
We're switching off years. With my family, I go shopping with my dad on Christmas Eve, go to neighbors that night and eat and drink a lot, and on Christmas, we go to see grandmother on my mom's side and my dad's family (they live on opposite sides of Boston).
J's family gets dinner out on Christmas Eve and then spends Christmas day at home.
2) How are you spending Christmas this year?
Last year was my year so this year is J's.
3) Who made your plans?
It's just the way it works (for now).
4) Are you happy with your Christmas plans?
Yes and no. I know it's only fair, but since I'm used to seeing extended family on Christmas, Christmas with J's family seems kind of lonely. And since I don't live in the area, I never get to see my aunts, uncles, and cousins except on Christmas. I think I'm a little resentful because I feel like we could do "Christmas" on any day with J's family, but it's more of an event with mine. (J agrees, BTW, but his mom would be really sad if we never did Christmas with them)
I'm also bummed I don't get to go shopping with my Dad this year. It's been our tradition forever. I was going to take a bus up to Boston to shop with Dad and then take a mid-afternoon bus to J's family on Christmas Eve, but my mom doesn't want me to. She thinks it's too much stress on my back. Which is probably true.
1) How do you normally spend your Christmas?
At my Grandparents.(moms parents, we never see my dads parents)
2) How are you spending Christmas this year?
Christmas Eve with DH's Gran, mom, & brother. Then spending the night with my GP Christmas eve, spend Christmas Day with my family @ my GP then about 1:00 or 2:00 Christmas Day we'll leave to go to see DH's step GP(which he loves, because he only has one GM left and she's more like his mom than his GM). Then to his Dad's.
3) Who made your plans?
I did.
4) Are you happy with your Christmas plans?
Yes & No, I'm glad we'll be getting to spend the night with my GP and be there Christmas morning,(I only get to see my GP, Aunt, & GreatGM a few times a year) but I feel like DH is not getting to see his family as much for Christmas(even though we see them everyday). But he won't help me come up with a better Christmas visiting plan so that's how it will be.
1) How do you normally spend your Christmas?
Normally we get up early, go to my moms do presents and breakfast at her house. then go to DH's fams hosue and do presents and lunch over there.
2) How are you spending Christmas this year?
This year all of DH's family is going to Indiana but us
My sister just had a new baby and doesnt want to drag her all over town. So my sister is hosting Chirstmas at her place so we will just go over there around 10, do presents and lunch 
3) Who made your plans?
Be default I guess my sister did.
4) Are you happy with your Christmas plans?
Yeah I think it will be fun, though we will miss DH's fam
1) How do you normally spend your Christmas?
Before marriage: Christmas Eve with my immediate family. We go to the movies, eat pizza and then drink around the fireplace. Christmas day with extended family.
After marriage: Christmas Eve with my immediate family (same as above). Christmas day with DH's family.
2) How are you spending Christmas this year?
Christmas Eve with DH, my brother, SIL & parents. We have to stop by my aunts, which I'm not looking forward to. My uncle's family is weird and not nice to us. Plus some are in gangs, which is just creepy and not cool. Brother and his wife (in a week!) will have to go to her family so he gets out of seeing our uncle's famly.
Christmas day : presents in the morning at my parents. Afternoon and evening with DH's family.
3) Who made your plans?
My dad told me we had to go to my aunts. Otherwise, DH and I agreed that this was our plan for now.
4) Are you happy with your Christmas plans?
No. I seriously thought about booking a trip to Hawaii because I found a great deal. I know, very scrooge like. I'm just over the holidays already. DH thought about it but we agreed our parents might disown us.
1) How do you normally spend your Christmas? I usually alternate between his parents or going to my parents - P doesn't normally go there with me since it requires vacation time from his job and all his vacation has to be arranged in Jan.
2) How are you spending Christmas this year? We have no clue. Everyone is waiting on SIL to decide if she's going to come home with the baby or wait until the bieces birthday which is a couple weeks later.
3) Who made your plans? There are no plans at this time
4) Are you happy with your Christmas plans? No. This is an extremely sore subject with me since this was my year to go home.
1) How do you normally spend your Christmas?
My Fam (the fam that is here anyway) come to my house for Christmas Eve dinner. Christmas morning we go to my sisters house for breakfast and presents then to DH's brothers house for Christmas dinner and gifts.
2) How are you spending Christmas this year? Same set up.
3) Who made your plans? They just kind of settled this way. We started doing it at my and my sisters house's since my parents were living in CO, and now that they live here I know that they would like to do it at their house, but sis and I hate driving out to their house (they live pretty far out, well, not really, we're lazy).
4) Are you happy with your Christmas plans? Yes, but I really want to spend Christmas with my mom and other sisters. I was really raised with them, but they live in HI so that makes for a very expensive Christmas, plus DH never wants to leave his family for Christmas. I might have to put my foot down next year. He never works during Christmas so its not even like he has to take time off of work.
1) How do you normally spend your Christmas?
Before marriage: we celebrated our own Christmas before or after the holiday and celebrated with our respective families on the day of.
My family does homemade soup for dinner and Christmas Eve services at our church, we open our Christmas pajamas (girls only b/c the boys are whiny about participating). Christmas morning we have breakfast casserole in the oven while we're opening presents. And we'll have a big meal, sometimes with extended family. Or we'll do the extended family thing in the day or two after.
His family: Goes to a party that some friends host on Christmas Eve. Does presents/meal on Christmas Day.
After marriage: we agreed last year to rotate Thanksgiving and Christmas between our families.
2) How are you spending Christmas this year?
We're going to spend Christmas with my family, even though we were supposed to be with his family. My SIL is having my newest nephew on 12/19 (scheduled C-section) and with moving into our house, etc. in November, I didn't want to travel for Thanksgiving. So I get my family 2 years in a row. And to me, holidays with his family are very lonely- he's an only child, his dad is an only child, so its just the 5 of us (his grandma is still alive). I'm from a big, loud, rambunctious family and I love being all together for the holiday.
We'll do another "Christmas" over New Years with his family.
3) Who made your plans?
We did. But I used the new nephew and the move to get my way.
4) Are you happy with your Christmas plans?
Yes! But my ILs are already guilting us about the plans.
1) How do you normally spend your Christmas? We spend Xmas eve with DH's mom/dad/sister/BIL/kids and eat dinner and open gifts. We drive 2 1/2 hrs to my parents on Xmas day, eat and open gifts. We usually stay overnight and hang with my sisters and then drive back later that next day
2) How are you spending Christmas this year? Same as #1
3) Who made your plans? They're kinda set in stone plans til we decide to have kiddos ourselves, then stuff may change
4) Are you happy with your Christmas plans? Well, I don't love being at home cuz my mom drives me and DH crazy, but my youngest sister will leaving for a semester abroad in Germany, so I really want to hang out with her since I won't see her for 6-ish months. Staying in a hotel makes it tolerable, so we have an escape to save our sanity.
1) How do you normally spend your Christmas?
It varies widely from year to year, depending on who's got what kids, what time we have off from work, etc.
2) How are you spending Christmas this year?
We are driving to Iowa on Christmas Eve, staying in a hotel, and spending all of Christmas Day with MIL and her boyfriend (Me, DH, my 3 kids, and 1 of the step kids). The following day I think SIL has plans for us, but she needs to iron that out with DH. We are leaving on Sunday to come home.
3) Who made your plans?
Dh & I did
4) Are you happy with your Christmas plans?
I think we'll have fun. The kids are excited about the hotel we reserved.
1) How do you normally spend your Christmas? Before marriage - we had one Christmas together before we got married...and it was awful. We drove 2 hours on Christmas Eve, spent it w/my parents, and then his fam decided they wanted us over for dinner on Christmas Day even though my mom was making Christmas dinner...so we had dinner with my parents, brother and SIL, then dashed to his uncles to visit with them and then drove two hours home. We got home around 12/1am, exchanged gifts, and when we got ready for bed, discovered Thor pissed in the bed (of course, on my side). It was a horrendous time.
2) How are you spending Christmas this year? After the horrible Christmas mentioned above, we've decided to fully rotate 3 days - Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve (used to be a big deal w/my fam - my grampa always told us a story he made up as he went along, but its a big deal for DH's fam), and Christmas Day. One fam gets one day, the other gets another day and we keep one day to ourselves, so we can start our own traditions. This year we're doing Christmas Eve with his fam, mass with my fam, and we're keeping Christmas Day to ourselves (we'll still visit the other's parents to do presents). This rotation seems to really keep the peace...the only hard part is making sure one family doesn't always get Thanksgiving or Christmas.
3) Who made your plans? DH and I did after going through #1. I'm not sure if they'll change when/if we have kids.
4) Are you happy with your Christmas plans? Yeah...it sucks having to split them but that's what comes with getting married, I guess. I think what makes it harder sometimes is the fact that both our families live within a few minutes of each other, and we live here too.