Navigating Family Time

I was pretty much ready to call off Christmas yesterday until the ladies on the bump smacked some sense into me.  Long story short is every year for the past 9 years we spend Christmas Eve with my in laws and then Christmas day with my family.  Well just a few days ago she says she made different plans for Christmas Eve and now she wants Christmas Day since its not fair we always go to my parent's house.  Keep in mind that when I saw her last weekend she told me she wasn't in the Christmas spirit this year, wasn't putting up a tree, and wasn't getting Jax anything.  What we wanted to do for our first Christmas with our son of course never entered her mind.  Chris of course says nothing and then its up to my parents to change their plans around which my mom said was fine but then I come to find out later everyone was mad.  So in the end I called my MIL and told her she was invited at 8 am Christmas morning for breakfast food and present opening since she cancelled on us for Christmas Eve.   She said fine and didn't call Chris to complain about it so I am guessing she is fine with it.  I am hoping we will be out the door by noon at the latest, we will miss going to the movies with my parents like we do every year but I am hoping that is all we will miss.  Soon I am going to tell her that her day is Christmas Eve, Santa is just the three of us and then we will go to my mom's in the afternoon starting next year.  She actually had the audacity to ask my husband if they could start being present when we do the Santa thing.  Who asks that?  Ugh.  Once we have a house of our own further north we will be hosting Christmas dinner and both families will be invited so hopefully that will eliminate most of the issues.

The next thing that I have to figure out is Easter and Thanksgiving.  In 9 years I don't ever recall being invited to her house for either holiday.  Chris says its because she assumes since we always go to my parents that is why she doesn't even bother asking.  Well if you don't ask how are we supposed to know you want us over.  Either way, in addition to her request for Christmas day she also wants the other holidays so I have to see if every other works for my parents or do one in the morning, one in the afternoon at each.  If they didn't live an hour and a half away from each other it would all be a bit easier.