Making time for everyone at Christmas

Christmas often brings feelings of joy, gratitude and happiness to most people but sometimes a little stress works its way in especially when you have several or very large families that you’re trying to schedule time with.
It can be almost impossible to get everyone in the family together at the same time. Work, distance, weather and even illness can all make it hard to see everyone you wish to see during the holidays. I have a few tips which can hopefully make it a little easier for you and alleviate some stress or anxiety you may have towards Christmas.
Trading off is one idea that may help keep things fair for you and your spouse. One year you could have Christmas dinner with your family and the next year it could be with your spouse’s.
When it isn’t your family’s turn you could do a meal earlier in the day like brunch or breakfast. You could also have it on a different day, like Christmas Eve or Boxing Day if that is more suitable.

I personally like having the meals on different days, especially if I’m hosting, because then I can focus on each family individually and I’m not feeling overwhelmed trying to do two (or a thousand) things at once. You may also feel less rushed if the gatherings are on different days, I feel it allows me to get more prepared and spend more time with each family when we are with them.
Make sure to invite guests to bring something with them if you are hosting, as this also takes away some of the stress of preparation. It could be an appetizer, dessert, buns, cheese or anything at all to give you a little more time with your family while you are together. Don’t forget to return the favour if you aren’t hosting!
Having your Christmas on another weekend is an idea I’ve read about. Although my family hasn’t tried this, I have heard of others doing it. It certainly cuts down on travelling during the actual holiday and could allow you to have more time as an immediate family. This is a perfect solution for families with members travelling from far distances. It helps ensure no one misses out on the celebration. Some people may not enjoy celebrating this way (it wouldn’t be my choice) but perhaps others would relish a quiet, intimate Christmas with the family celebrations over or happening after the big day! With little kids, the big day we prepare so long for comes and goes so quickly. Stopping to enjoy the moment isn’t something we always get to do so this may allow more time for taking it all in.
If you have families that know each other well and are comfortable with each other, maybe they’d be comfortable with joining as one large group for the meal. This may be tricky for large families trying to accommodate numerous family members and extended families but perfect for a small family who all live close by. It may make Christmas a little noisier and more exciting, not to mention you get to be with everyone at the same time. Win, win!
As hard as it is to make time for everyone, you also have to remember that this is also a holiday for you. You have to make time for your own children and spouse as well. Every year we would spend Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and Boxing Day with our families. We love their company but packing up to be everywhere and then unpacking everything can also be quite tiring.
This year we’ve opted to start some new traditions for our family. As much as we love spending time with our extended families and we’ll miss the hustle and bustle a little, we’ve carved out time for us to watch Christmas movies and spend time playing with our son on Christmas Eve. This will be our time to relax and enjoy the moment because before we know it, it will all be over.
Whatever you choose I sincerely hope you enjoy the holidays with all those that surround you! Merry Christmas!