How My Husband Got His Way

When A moved to California, Christmas became something he loved when not working retail.

He used to tell me stories of the family visits, going everywhere on Christmas Day and seeing all the relatives.  You may think he would have loved all this, but he really wished they just stayed home.

My family has always done Christmas Eve: Late dinner.  Movies. Staying up until midnight to open presents.  Christmas Day was more of a day to rest.

This made A a happy man.  And he said back then that when we had our own family he wanted to just stay home and make Christmas ours.

Last year was our first Christmas in Virginia with his family.  Christmas Eve was dinner with his parents.  Christmas Day meant going back over to open presents and then, due to the snow and ice on the road, we opted to go home and spend the day together rather than attempt to head out into the country to visit the rest of my MIL's family.

This year, we've known for months that people were shopping for James.  We're not expecting a ton of gifts, but at least 4 different relatives on that side of the family have said they have his gift, and so I'd told A that we should make an effort to go to the family gathering and see everyone.  He just nodded and said that we'd do whatever I wanted.

That was in October.

This last Sunday, 1 week before Christmas, we talked on the way to his parent's house.

You see, I gave up.

His father's side of the family will be gathering for a small dinner on Christmas Eve.  We were invited weeks ago, and we will be joining them to eat and let the kids open 1 present each.

Christmas Day has become the most insane of days.

You see, both sides of the family go to church.  One side is going to early service at 9, the other side to late service at 11.  There will be a 20 minute break between the two services where it would be possible to gather, but that is insanity on a whole new level when it means packing a 7 month old into the car to drive 20 minutes each way with only a 20 minute break in the middle for him to not be in the car.

Add to this that NO ONE on the other side of the family has spoken to myself or A about the other plans for Christmas Day, which means we have no idea what they are doing or at what time or where, and I just said I wanted to stay home and do nothing.  If they had time to see us, they could come by and spend time with us either that day or the next.

Now the problem was telling the family about this.

And that's when A jumped up yesterday and made two calls.

First he told his father that we were officially notifying everyone that our plans were to stay home with James all day.  We weren't going anywhere, and they could come by when they wanted.

He then called his grandmother and let her know the same thing.  She immediately said they would be by in the afternoon, after lunch, to bring James his gifts and spend some time with him.  Which A confirmed would be just fine because we had no plans.

Then he received a call back from his mom who asked if we wanted to go to their place that afternoon to see them before they went anywhere else.

To which he firmly replied no and explained he'd already told the grandparents they could come over during that time, so if anyone else wanted to see James they could make time then or that evening or on the 26th.

He put his foot down, and I think has started our family tradition of just staying home and being together for the holiday.

Which is all he wanted all along.