.. who are we pleasing here?
Last year my sister didn't get me anything for my 60th ……. and with Mum telling me that my sister is 'hard up' I decided to cut my misery and wrote in January - no more gifts, nice cards through the year and at celebrations. So we now buy for my Mum and his brother/wife and each other.
Food - we go to Mum for C.mas so she buys veg., puds., makes the bread sauce - we take a brace of pheasants and the crackers; a lump of beef for Boxing Day when we 3 go to his brother's. My sister lives 5/6 hours drive away and works Cmas and New Year - I send her 2 boys cheques - job done.
We don't buy extra. Shops are open Boxing Day here so no need. The 4 years we were able to have C.mas here we ate our pud. mid-morning after a long, quiet walk and DH
cooked evening meal as 'normal'.