I Don't Feel Guilty (this is new for me)

For about 10 years (maybe more), we have hosted all the big holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas and Easter) for my family (includes my mom, aunt (her adult son), my three adult brothers and 3 nieces and anyone else that would like to attend - maybe one or two more.

Thanksgiving is usually the full typical US dinner (family brings desert) we provide everything else. Christmas we usually cook a prime rib with a couple of sides and drinks and some of the others will bring additional food. For Easter like Thanksgiving a full dinner with ham as the center. It is expensive and a lot of work but we do enjoy having family over.

My husband's family is mostly out west so we have not gone their for the holidays since our daughters have been babies. I mean infant babies. This year my husband's sister and husband bought a house on the east coast but south (they haven't moved full time yet) and plan on being there for Christmas.

Seeing we are so much closer they wanted us over for Christmas - my husband can't get the time off so we gave the kids tickets to go over Christmas. One is in college the other in high school - that is what they wanted for Christmas.

I told my mom today - she was crying about it saying "well I would think they would want to spend time with family on Christmas!" I said they do - they do not get to see their other family members at Christmas so they want to see them. And she said well I guess I will just have the other girls all over my house.

You know what - I love my mom - but I did not feel at all guilty. This guilt trip for once did not hit me. I felt relief. I felt good - no big dinner to make, no big fuss, just a chance to relax with my husband and dogs.