First Christmas Poll Results

Comments:

two families becoming one

visit one family before The Day and the other family after The Day

If you can not see both families at Christmas, alternate every year between families with Thanksgiving and Christmas

Spend time with each other's families until you have a family of your own and start to develop your own family traditions.

My husband and I pondered this same question 40 years ago. We solved the "problem" by incorporating three of the options. Christmas Eve was spent with his family. We would open our gifts from them and they would do ours. We had a wonderful supper and sometimes went to the midnight service at church. Christmas morning was for us. We started our own traditions and brought in some from both our families. Later, after our kids were born, we had that special time with them. Then Christmas afternoon we got together with my family and opened gifts and had another wonderful meal. Everyone was happy and we all got our special times together. Hope you celebrate many wonderful Christmas days together!

You could invite both families to your house for a potluck dinner and fellowship. A great way for the families to get to know each other.

If it is possible spend it with both families, otherwise you should have split Thankgiving and Christmas with your separate families. Go to one set of family for Thanksgiving and Christmas the other. Then alternate each year there after, it cut down on hurt feelings.

You should spend time with both families, even if you only eat dessert or an appetizer with them. There will probably be other members of the families there to visit, or if not, you or he will surely be missed. Holidays are for family, and when you and Matt have your own children, then invite the families to your house, so the grandparents can spoil your children.

The parents will do die too soon. Maybe spend Christmas eve with one and part of christmas day with other and the evening together.

if travel time is not a problem, spend Christmas Eve together and make memories. Then spend Christmas Day with family. 12/23/07 9:17:25

You could spend time with both families on Christmas Eve and be together alone on Christmas Day

enjoy your first christmas

Families don't last forever, enjoy them while you have them.

If you live far from your family and his family, then you might want to spend your first Christmas with each other..

alone, if you can get by without guilt ;-D

You are a new family. It is YOUR Christmas. You are allowed to make your own new traditions.

Family is what Christmas is all about, the more the better. As your family changes, ie: kids, and they get older it is more difficult to get everyone together at the same time. Also the older family members are with us by God's grace and we know not when they will leave us. Both Familes.

Family is what Christmas is all about, the more the better. As your family changes, ie: kids, and they get older it is more difficult to get everyone together at the same time. Also the older family members are wish by God's grace and we know not when they will leave us. Both Familes.

Take time together to share favorite Christmas festivities and quiet times, including the ones you wish to keep, and those you'd rather not pass along. In future years with one family or both, savor the favorite times with them, but enjoy some years with just the immediate family. Ultimately, this maye a better overall balance for everyone. mak

With both families if that is feasable.

This was a very big issue for us. We ended up spending Christmas with one family and then having a 2nd Christmas (complete with dinner and gifts) a few days later with the other family.

you are building memories that will be remembered as your life together goes on there will be plenty of time to spend with other family members but only one first time alone together....

You can even start a new tradition. We always celebrated Chirstmas eve as our own family. (Santa came while we were driving around looking at lights.) Christmas day was divided between the two sets of grandparents.

There's still plenty of time to be alone and begin your own traditions

Visit them both. Remember, you are doing this for your parents. Cutting the apron strings is a gradual process. Not a hack job.

Christmas is for love and peace. Spend it enjoying both sides of your new family. Make everyone happy.

You won't be able to please both families as to time and day but they will accept your desire to build some of your own traditions this first year.

Start tradition of being alone decorating the tree. Then, as my children grew and married, we started the tradition that on even years, we spend Thanksgiving together (23) in my family) and then on Christmas they spend it with their in-laws. Then on even years, this is reversed. This has worked well with all families as four of the in-laws are out of state.

YUP!! YOU WOULD DO WELL TO SHARE THE JOY WITH BOTH FAMILIES!! YOU COULD ALSO PLAN AN EVENING AT YOUR HOME AND INVITE BOTH OF YOUR FAMILIES TO ATTEND-- THEN YOU EVERYONE IS INCLUDED & YOU DON'T HAVE TO JUGGLE TIMES & PLACES!! YOU JUST HAVE TO DO SOME COOKING (WITH THE HELP OF DVO "COOK'N" AND SOME AFTER THE PARTY "CHRISTMESS" CLEANUP! BUT EVERYONE CAN GO HOME SAYING THAT "A GOOD TIME WAS HAD BY ALL!"

Start traditon of decorating your tree alone with Christmas music playing, then include your children as they come along. Be sure to video for memories. My daughter started this tradition when first married. I wish we had done this as a tradition but didn't think of it.

Until you take over the cooking for the holidays when you can invite both families it's best to go one place for dinner and the other for supper and then reverse the next year. I've been doing the cooking for 40 years and am ready now for someone else to take over. Merry Christmas!

As time goes by you may want to establish your own Christmas day traditions in the morning alone together

As you age, you will find the time spent with families is so meaningful - even if there are slight aggravations. The way to each other's heart is to respect the other's family even if they are difficult. Merry Christmas!