Forum menu
Dinner was 90 minutes late and they forgot the Brussels 🤷♂️
Me and Mrs Binners have had a wonderful everyone-else-free Christmas Day, apart from an early afternoon stroll to the pub to meet some friends, thus avoiding any parental murders and any of this nonsense….
Merry Christmas everyone! 😃
binnersFull Member
Me and Mrs Binners have had a wonderful everyone-else-free Christmas Day, apart from an early afternoon stroll to the
pubGreggs to meet some friends, thus avoiding any of this nonsense….
It was shut 😫
Not an in-law in sight.
And everything is alright, I got a beep from Kim and she can **** all night.
they forgot the Brussel
Yes, as caterer in chief here, I “forgot” the sprouts too.
Dinner was 90 minutes late and they forgot the Brussels
A few years ago at the in laws I got my dinner about 45 minutes before everyone else. I have no idea why.
We live on a farm with my inlaws (separate properties)...my wife and I don't really do Christmas.... she was working all day, same tomorrow. We did have a lovely meal and drink with them tonight though. Fairly lucky I guess, I had a HUGE bust up with my MiL a few years back, but she genuinely doesn't bear a grudge at all.
We're braving my parents tomorrow evening, they get harder to deal with year on year 😕
Hats off to people that have got relatives staying with them for a week/houses of multiple families of kids etc 😳
Had my parents over today for Christmas dinner. Fortunately we all get on really well.
Watched (fell asleep in front of) the new Chicken Run film. They're staying over so will throw some breakfast down them tomorrow morning.
Then we're all off to the SIL & BIL's place tomorrow afternoon where the FIL is staying. Again we all get on so will be a laugh.
Then a few days off and the other BIL & SIL, two kids and two dogs are coming up on Friday and staying for New Year's eve.
Busy time of year and even though I get on with them all really well I am a bit antisocial, but think I'd find it odd having a quiet Christmas.
Spent thirty minutes explaining four cracker jokes to two old (definitely deaf and probably a bit senile) ex-in-laws. A mixture of frustrating and hilarious
The other two quotes which I remember from the day are something about how refreshing bananas are and 'I though Paddington was mostly fiction?' (bear, not station)
In-laws live next door
You're ****ing mental.
I love mine and my own family but sure as hell couldn't deal with that sort of proximity.
MiL and boy are doing flute duets. I’ve opened my first beers
Missus and SIL were doing piano/flute duet earlier. If the class warriors ask they grew up in a flat in Abronhill.
Had her and FIL down since yesterday, off home tomorrow. Actually enjoy their company AND my missus' roasted sprouts.
My in-laws are diamonds. I'm at my SiL's place. She cooked dinner today, and I am even typing this from her bed (er, it's me and MrsDoris in here, just to be clear) - she was worried about my arthritic spine and long COVID so she and her husband are downstairs on the sofa bed so I could have a proper bedroom to escape to. Which I did need to do this afternoon, following 4000 steps round the park. Very lucky to have such nice family!
Quiet one, spoilt a bit food wise (in a good way) as we went to SIL's house and her son was cooking for 10 of us, and he's a propper chef.
Did have to hold my gob a few times as our 'other' SIL has bought a new car (after many years with an old Corrola - PS - My Nissan is older). Anyway, she's going on about all these buttons she has no idea about, then says, if you are feeling a bit tired 'driving' the car will 'help you' - I was like - you need to stop driving then. I did say all these driving aids are for shit drivers - it's bloody frightning people think these are there for driving when tired...FFS.
She's then like, oh the car has a trail, normal, sport and SNOW button (it limits the throttle input only). It's in a Yaris Cross (4x4 possibly) - she won't drive in snow as her driving is rubbish, this car on summer tyres -she thinks this is a magic button.
We've an older Qashqai on cross climates that will do shoot conditions better than a poor driver with magic buttons.
These magic buttons are going to 'crash' alot of cars.
With my elder son - at his house - and his little lad, my grandson of 4 1/2.
Plus my daughter and son-in-law, daughter's FIL and the former mrs frank from many years ago - she is mother to aforementioned son and daughter.
Huge potential for...boom!
Pleased to report it didn't happen.
Grandson had fabulous day and was front and centre.
All is well in my world - I think and hope!
In-laws here for three days.
They're mostly OK.
Usual casual racism replaced this year by casual homophobia. Made a change at least... I'm no longer allowed to point this stuff out but Mrs Noise found a way to make our displeasure obvious without a major argument.
Went out Christmas Eve for a meal. Pan-Asian place. FIL as usual didn't like what he ordered. Have agreed that in future we stay in and cook or get a take away.
To be fair they enthused over Christmas dinner. Only point of contention was MIL asking for chilli sauce (her addiction - eats it with EVERY meal). Bit my lip and allowed it despite the effort put in to making the meal actually tasty in the first place ( it wasn't an Asian approach).
Good fun playing cards this evening to be fair.
They're now all in bed and I can get some alone time. One day and one night to go...
TBH it's not that bad really. Better having them here than us being 'trapped' in their home.
Biggest positive is that here the dog is well behaved. At theirs he's a nightmare as his routines are all disrupted and he REALLY doesn't cope well with that.
I love mine and my own family but sure as hell couldn’t deal with that sort of proximity.
I’ve been living next door to my In-laws for 22 months now. In fact they’re seeing SIL2 in Canada for Xmas so I’m living in their house. It’s been pretty good. Help with kids, BBQ, car loans when needed, access to tools and help with the odd job.
Back in Blighty is more concerning. Dad had blacked out and had a fall last week, has been in hospital for nearly a week with cellulitis and a nasty blister. Has only seen a Dr once. His partner is supposed to be having a knee replacement mid January. Meanwhile Mum is on an ‘emergency’ wait list for a gallbladder operation and has heard nothing about when it will happen. Frustrating.
Just me, wife and kids yesterday, then my son's GF came over later. Sounds like her 'in laws' experience had enough drama for us all (parents divorced, mum's new BF's family were..... well, different)
Today we'll be visiting my wife's FiL and SiL for boxing day cold meats and bubble. So that's my Dad and sister, but not my Mum. First Christmas without her and it's not going to be easy. My Dad's a diamond (as was my Mum), dotes on his Grandkids, is a bit deaf and frustrating because of that but we'll manage as we always do with a bit of rolling eyes and repeating ourselves.
Daughter's BF comes tomorrow, down from pie country and then Thursday we'll go and visit my MiL. That's the unintended racism element of Christmas covered as well then. Daughter will probably get annoyed, especially as I primed BF last time we saw him and so very much looking forward to seeing if I can get him to corpse when all my 'exaggerated' descriptions turn out to be true.
No family this year - we live in the south of France and both sets are a thousand miles away in different directions. We just fancied staying in our village to see what it was like at Christmas (having moved here a couple of years ago). Our friends from Wales had some time off this month and have been staying with us running and riding our dry trails and stocking up on vitamin D and enthusing about where we live. It’s been lovely, low pressure, combined effort. Everyone enjoyed the outdoors in the middle of the day when it was warm, then we made all the food and ate a few courses over several hours. Definitely can recommend for a change.
Round to my in-laws yesterday and round to my dad's today. We've both been lucky our in-laws are decent.
Growing up my mum used to invite her ex in-laws and ex grandmother in law round every Christmas so they could see my sister and I for Christmas.
My last good memory of my (paternal) grandad was inviting / telling him he was having Christmas dinner at my mum's and chatting to him in the kitchen all evening. P
We ARE the in-laws this year.
Mrs Scape has been planning and prepping for weeks if not months, and we were both really looking forward to the kids' and their partners' arrival. I'm pretty sure Mrs Scape enjoys "refilling the empty nest" thing.
No need for details, but so far it's been full-on festive fun with loads to eat and drink, no fall-outs or disagreements, everyone mucking in with chores etc.
Immensely proud of both the kids and full-on approval all round for their choices of partners.
A big family do tomorrow as it's my landmark birthday just into the new year and apparently we won't be here to celebrate, so the fun just keeps giving.
So, yeah, it's been tough, but the in-laws are surviving, ta!
My MIL arrived last Thursday and still has not left the house once. Has zero interest in fresh air, despite claiming to always feeling groggy. Not even been out into the garden and complains if a window or door is opened.
Mother and Brothers Inlaws round yesterday and back today.
Theyre not too bad at all. Its more me being a grumpy sod currently than anyone being a dick.
ugh the levels of faffing is at epic levels, with zero comprehension that small kids can only sit still at the dinner table for a relatively short time without causing chaos. especially when they are hungry.
I'm tempted to suggest taking the kids out to play football whilst we wait for desert
BiL feigned constipation to have a quiet boxing day at home alone. git
I really don't know how some of you lot put up with this shit.
Life's too short for that.
Even as a kid I used to hate all the fuss and arguments it caused so from the age of 15 onwards always opted out.
Thankfully Mrsstu is also pretty keen on us doing our own thing without having to pander to anyone else.
Last year it wasn't the in-laws that were the issue, it was our own mother!
My sister hosted Christmas. Her plus husband and 2 girls (aged 7 and 9). Her FiL (recently widowed so going through a tough time anyway but put a stoic expression on it all for the kids). Me. And our Mum.
Mum is very frail, bent almost double so can't join in for the pre-lunch dog walk or walk the kids up to the park so they can have a run around and she gets very tired quite quickly. She's also not great with noise and fast moving "situations" both of which happen a lot with two hyper children. So she'll be trying to help but basically just getting in the way, then she'll have to have a sit down, then she'll get fed up with the kids "making a racket" (that'd be "playing with their presents..."), then she'll try and go back to "helping"...
She started doing the washing up in spite of there being a fully functioning dishwasher just waiting to be loaded so that took some persuading to leave everything alone. She doesn't drink much at all (half a glass of wine is the limit) and she doesn't eat a lot so in a house where the alcohol was plentiful and excellent (my BiL and I both provide some fantastic wines) and where there's loads of food choice wasn't really her scene. She tried her best but when she watered down her red wine, I thought my BiL would have a fit!
There's a reason my sister did her own family Christmas this year!
Mum's great and she means well but she's hard work.
I do not join family for Christmas for a number of reasons - not least because I am the easy going conciliator in my family. The rest are even more argumentative and I do not want to spend time diffusing their arguments 🙂
tjagain
Full Member
I do not join family for Christmas for a number of reasons – not least because I am the easy going conciliator in my family. The rest are even more argumentative and I do not want to spend time diffusing their arguments 🙂
😲
😅
The Battle of TJ's Back Garden, circa Christmas 2009.
Oh no it isn't 🙂
^^ 👍😄
Jesus the things some of you endure!
Not my inlaws but the most we had was some gender stereotypical career ideas for toddlers based on selective observation of their competence playing with different toys. Don't think anyone but me noticed. Actually it's the girl I'd put money on being the better engineer, if given the same encouragement.
We had a friend round tonight who was just back from what sounded like the most hellish day on earth at their in-laws. Recounting the day they’ve had I’m surprised nobody was murdered. A catalogue of totally inexcusably obnoxious behaviour from their MiL
If it was me having to endure that shit, it’d definitely be new patio time
The murder rate generally goes up at Christmas, doesn’t it? I’m not surprised!
We had MIL, stepfather-IL, MIL's sister and her husband stay a couple of nights with us, we get on OK - we don't talk politics but have plenty of other things in common.
Christmas morning was a walk to the pub where we were joined by my mum, sister, her husband and their youngest (and my daughter and the dog).My son and his girlfriend popped in for a few beers a bit later.
Boxing Day we all went up the football and to the pub.
I love this time of year, great to have everyone together. Off to Whitby for a few days over New Year which will be pretty chilled.
We've established a little pattern that kinda works for us now. We stay at home and host. Morning to ourselves, then in-laws turn up with a BIL and auntie.
Two problems - the first is that absolutely no exercise gets done. So the kids and me go steadily crazy. Her side of the family is not that mobile or interested in going out and getting muddy.
What they'd rather do is give presents. This isn't what my side of the family is like, being tight fisted Yorkshires.
So we do pressies with our 3 when they awake. This is usually a large bag each.
Then in-laws turn up and there's another large bag each. They usually come in 2 cars because they need the room for presents.
Then BIL supplies even more at some point.
Out of the vast range of useful/tat they've got, the soft toys are in their beds and the computer games are being used. The rest is still in the bags in the front room.
I think back to what I remember about Christmas and there are very few memories of gifts. It's mostly food and card games - in other words, being with each other, not "stuff".
Given what's been said above these are very minor whinges so I'll think myself lucky!
Any serious fall outs yet?
think you need to go and look at Mumsnet for some truly bonkers relative's behaviour, makes this place look very normal
I think my MiL just tried to poison my tea. Doesn’t taste right, funny sensation on tongue, evil look when she notices I’ve stopped drinking it after one sip. Maybe she’s just really bad at making tea, I’m not going to risk it 😂
Is it poison, crap tea or COVID?
@andylaightscat: I'm scared to wander around Mumsnet unaccompanied. Do you have a link?
In fairness, having a great time up here with the girlfriend’s parents. Been here since the 25th, different friends or relatives each evening, a brief walk in the day, and we’re off mtbing tomorrow. <br /><br />
only issue is the temperature. The living room is kept at furnace levels of heat, made worse when there are 8 people in it. The rest of the house is freezing.
At home we have an open plan house where turning the heating on means moving the thermostat from 16 to 18. So it’s quite a different environment.
I hope it’s just crap tea.