Is it difficult to find a time when your entire family can gather to celebrate Christmas?
It’s time for a change!
Instead of trying to herd everyone in at a certain time, make your next large family holiday gathering an open house style.
My Story
Our family is a pretty large mix of kids, spouses, grandkids, and elderly parents.
Trying to coordinate a time on any holiday when everyone can be at the same place, at the same time, is almost laughable.
It’s simply not going to happen.
There are too many players whose presence is expected at too many places, all at varying times.
As our kids grew up, got married, and moved on to their own traditions, I made the intentional decision to make holidays fun and expectation free.
Instead of trying to tie everyone to a single point of time over the holidays, I opted for an open house style family gathering.
It’s a tradition that allows us to relax and enjoy the day with zero pressure or expectations.
It’s an open invitation to come when you can, if you can.
For our family, it’s a tradition that’s a definite win.
There are some best practices for open house style family gatherings.
Don’t try to turn the gathering into an “event”.
Remember, this is about the fun and convenience for all parties, including the host.
Turning it into a high-end event puts undue stress on the host and raises the bar in family expectations.
This is family, keep the invitations casual.
A group text, individual texts, or a simple phone call will do the trick.
Make sure to include the basics, which boils down to when and where.
I usually opt for a group text.
My exact text reads: Christmas Eve at our house for anyone who wants to stop by. We will be having fried bread and potato soup, and everything will be ready by four. Stop by if and when you can, we would love to see you all.
Also, anyone is welcome. Friends, boyfriends, our “family” gathering is not limited to strictly family.
Keep expectations low.
As much as you would like to see them, not everyone will be able to make it.
Don’t be offended and don’t take it personally.
Everyone is doing the best they can to keep multiple other families happy.
The best gift you can give your family is grace in their decisions.
Keep the menu super easy.
Choose foods that can be prepared ahead of time and ready to serve as people come and go.
Finger foods, sandwiches, and soups are all excellent choices.
Don’t try to stick with traditional holiday foods if there’s an alternative your family enjoys more.
For instance, I have never heard of fried bread on anyone’s holiday menu.
To be honest, I have never heard of another family eating fried bread.
However, it’s a family recipe that we all love. Therefore, I make it for the holidays.
Decide in advance how you want to handle gift exchanges.
There is no huge gift exchange where everyone opens presents at once.
Instead, as each family shows up, they receive their gifts.
Any family still present enjoys watching the others open their gifts.
It has been a huge win because we get to watch each person open and enjoy their gifts and stockings (and yes, everyone gets a “stocking”).
Adult siblings no longer exchange gifts.
The adults do still buy for their nieces and nephews (their choice).
Those gifts are left behind for whenever that family shows up.
It works for us. Just take the time to figure out what will work for you.
Is it difficult to find a time when your entire family can gather to celebrate Christmas?
Quit trying!
Instead, make everyone happy and move to an open house style family gathering.
You may be pleasantly surprised to find out how well it actually works.
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