Every year, my in-laws host a big Christmas dinner for the whole family -- six kids, six spouses, eleven grandkids, and assorted boyfriends and family friends. So how do they manage to gather everyone together in the spite of competing gatherings among the families of son- and daughter-in-laws, teenagers' friends, and other holiday get-togethers? Simple -- they avoid Christmas completely.Well, call it a near miss. Their get-together is always on the weekend following Christmas. Everyone else can go where they like on the actual day, whether to church, or a different set of grandparents, or wherever, but the weekend after is spoken for. There are a lot of advantages to this, including:
Attendance -- Everyone can come, generally. No matter how much pressure there might be to attend some other function, the weekend after is usually free and clear.
Decorations -- Christmas decorations are dirt cheap the closer you get to the big day -- and even more so afterwards. And Christmas trees are practically free the closer you get to the 25th.
Cheap Gifts -- Like decorations, Christmas gifts can be had for next to nothing after Christmas. All those sales are just dying to be taken advantage of. Plus, if people on your list have gotten other gifts, you can always get them accessories for their new toys.
Less Stress -- Because Christmas is officially over, there's a lot less stress in the air. No one's worried about the holidays because they're over and done with.
Calm Kids -- Kids are less wild once the big guy in the red suit has come and gone. This is especially helpful if you have things that aren't exactly kid-proof -- like that new big screen TV or laptop computer.
So there you have it -- plenty of reasons to extend the season a few days. All I know is it gives me a little extra time to finish the calendars I make for my in-laws.
