Help!! Christmas hosting

[lau86]

I/ we have a problem. The last two years we have hosted a combination of mine and hubbies family for Christmas and Boxing Day. Last yr we had 9 for Christmas Day and hubby said not this year. We thought about going out, but my mum doesn't want to go. She also doesn't want to host. I don't know whether there's a compromise, we talked about making it easier/ cooking different food but hubby is still not keen. It is ds birthday on Boxing Day and he usually has a family party with a buffet which we host- hubby doesn't want to drop this and I can see why.
Does anyone have any ideas?? I thought about getting someone in to cater but I don't know of anyone and also don't know about cost

 

[Tanikins]

Can you not just cook for the 5 of you

 

[leoniebabey]

Maybe just have christmas just with your partner and kids and keep family day for boxing day

 

[wildflower79]

If other people don't want to compromise I'd just say your having your own family Christmas day this year.

Or just tell people you've booked to go out and let them decide if they want to join you or not.

Or you could buy everything prepared from somewhere like M&S, but then you'd probably need a big oven and still end up doing quite a bit of work.

 

[SmartieMeUp]

Have a family Christmas dinner with your little family.

Me and OH normally went to his sister's where we all chip in and she and his mum cooked. We no longer talk to his family so last year it was going me to be me, OH and both DD's. My mum and dad asked if they could come to ours and they came over Christmas day and stayed for a few nights and we catered for them. Now we no longer talk to them either so us 4 it is this year. My sisters do the same too, eldest sometimes goes out with her DS and DH. Christmas evening/boxing day is normally a mingling time.

I actually can't wait for it to just be us 4.

 

[lau86]

We've always spent Christmas together and my brother is coming home from Australia so I want to spend it with him (and mum/ her partner). Hubby is the cook and he doesn't want to so I don't know what to do, she acts like he's just being difficult. We usually do m&s food but with the timings he still ends up in the kitchen most of the morning

 

[wildflower79]

I can sympathise with your hubby, its hard work cooking the dinner! We prepared most stuff in advance and froze it last year, but we still seemed to spend a lot of time in the kitchen.

Could you take over the cooking duties this year? Get your family to help? Maybe they could each bring something all ready to go?

Either that, or simplify the dinner? Meat in the slow cooker, some roasties, an easy veg and ready made gravy.

A friend of mine was fed up cooking last year, so this year she said she's just doing some kind of baked pasta dish.

 

[Talia12]

Get planning the meal now and make it something as easy as possible! Life's too short to spend Christmas in the kitchen, for either of you. I bet there are things/trimmings you could live without and you can simplify the meal, have a look at what can be made in advance, what can be bought ready made and microwaved (eg gravy!) and just plan it all and write a little cooking timetable down on paper. Then you'll see exactly how long someone actually needs to be in the kitchen, hopefully less than other years if you're doing something a bit simpler.
In terms of who comes, I always think it's the more the merrier IF they're people you actually want there! Otherwise shove off to your own Christmases haha. Invite your brother, mum etc, and just don't invite other people, it's unreasonable to expect you to host a big Christmas even two years in a row imo.