A few years ago I saw a movie called, “Four Christmases,” starring Reese Witherspoon and Vince Vaughn. It’s about a couple who try to visit all four of their divorced parents on Christmas Day.
When the Kidlet was born, my ex and I decided that we did not want to travel from place to place on Christmas Day and so we’d always have our own Christmas Day celebration at our house. And our two families respected that, and everything was fine.
Last year was right after the separation, and we decided that the best thing to do is to spend the day together. So we did. And it was a bit awkward, but we survived it for the sake of the Kidlet.
This year, trying to accommodate everyone is proving to be difficult. The decision of who goes where and when and how all falls on my shoulders. With being at the mercy of flight schedules and budgets and trying to please everyone, I’m about ready to pull my hair out or drink. And since I like my hair, that is leaving me only one option…
Divorced parents/families, how do you deal with a fair split of the holidays?
ugh. It’s rough, but here’s what MY experience was, growing up. Luckily, my parents lived close enough, so it wasn’t too much of a hassle. I’d spend Christmas Eve with my mom and THAT side of the family. Christmas morning was spent alone with my brother and mom. Then she’d drive us to our dad’s house, and we’d spend Christmas day with him. That night, we’d head over to a relative’s house and spend Christmas night with my dad’s side of the family. I LOVED it.
It got to be an issue when I got older, though. Now that I have a husband and have to split time with his family, and I’ve got lots of step-sis/bros that have to do the same… it’s like a 3-ring circus at times. And lately, the THOUGHT of the holiday get-togethers are better than the actual experiences.
This is our first separated holiday season. The ex has our munchkin on Christmas Eve and will have him back to me Christmas morning. I’m sad that he will not be at Christmas Eve church service with my family, but I have to remember that he will be happy spending time with Daddy. I plan to drink a lot though to avoid sitting around feeling sorry for myself. LOL