because you deserve it all

Every couple feels torn at the holidays about which family you should spend the holidays with.  Your family will not like to hear this but you need to do what is best for you.  Many of us choose the path of least resistance and end up eating Thanksgiving twice and running from place to place on Christmas.  All this running around can take the fun right out of the holiday season.  I am going to share a few options that we have tried out over the years. 

• Switch holidays and make sure it is equitable.  We spent Christmas Eve with my family and Christmas Day with his family.  Each year we would rotate spending either Thanksgiving or Easter with each side of the family.  We did this right after we were married in the interest of keeping everything fair. 
• After we bought our home, we wanted to start hosting some holiday meals.  So we took the plunge and invited both sides of the family to our house each year for Thanksgiving.  It has worked out great and now we get to see everyone we care about. 
• We have begun to spend some holidays alone, not because we are anti-social but because we actually enjoy spending time together.  It is nice to just have some down time to relax and enjoy a holiday meal on our schedule.  We got sick of rushing to open presents and skipping breakfast on Christmas morning to get somewhere for dinner.  This was a tougher sell for our families, but I think the key is to communicate your intentions ahead of time.  Telling Grandma after she bought the turkey is rude.  So bite the bullet and be honest about your holiday plans.