apartment therapy changing the world, one room at a time

I would LOVE to have Thanksgiving or Christmas at my house, but we live in Kansas City and all of our family is either in Minneapolis or Charlotte. So we do a LOT of traveling around the holidays, and with two under two, its becoming a bit stressful. I haven't come up with a way to get our families to all come to us yet, but i will let you know when i figure it out, lol.

It depends on who we are spending the holidays with (we alternate between 3 family members). Our home is small, so only if we are spending the holiday with 1 or 2 people will we spend it at our home, otherwise we go where there is more space for all.

I don't know about the travel but please tell me more about the stools in the picture!!

We travel during Thanksgiving and stay at home during Christmas. In Chicago the weather is usually fine around Thanksgiving (cold but not snowy) so car travel is not terribly hectic. But by the time Christmas rolls around, the snow is everywhere and it's too hard to travel with gifts and thick coats. So we have the presents shipped to family and friends in different states and have a nice quiet holiday at home. Weather is a big decider in this issue.

Thanksgiving has been about huge gatherings from the time it began, and the giant crowd with multiple tables pushed together (totally unlike the picture shown!) is what really makes it a feast. We travel, and it's our big holiday to catch up with family.

Christmas, on the other hand, feels like it lends itself better to a more peaceful celebration- stockings on our own mantel and kids spending the day with their new toys. For Christmas, we stay home.

We agreed years ago to alternate T-day between our house (somewhere in the states, but never the same house twice) and my b-i-l's in Florida. Christmas is always at home. T-day is very hectic, a lot of travel, and very fun, but I do feel badly that we don't celebrate a major holiday with my side of the family--they're all in Fl too, so we see them while we're there, but they never get an actual holiday with us.

Before tot #1 came along, we insisted that we would celebrate Christmas at home--this will be year 11--so far, so good!

destination vacation with my dear friend! Both of us with our husbands and young children (newborn to 5 yrs). We usually travel for Th. D, and stay home for Christmas. I'm so excited!

Though it has evolved a lot over the years (what started out as a huge homemade event with lots of family, extended family and friends--many of whom traveled from out of state--when I was a kid has, through divorces, moves, and growings-up morphed into a more intimate, half-homemade/half-wholefoods affair), Thanksgiving has always been my mother's holiday. Since my oldest younger sister and I have become adults and had our own children, it's been the one time I was guaranteed to see all my sibs together and when we really reverted into our roles from when we all lived together. I really love this time.

Sadly, now that kiddos #2 have come along for both of us and with the economy not so great, it looks like it's not going to happen this year. It just won't feel like Thanksgiving...

Only Chanukah in my house, though most of my family is Christian or athiest. We have sometimes traveled to see family in other parts of the country just because we've had off from work or school, but usually spend the day traditionally--at the movies and eating Chinese.

we stay home for thanksgiving, and other family member or friends are welcome to drop in if they're in town, for dessert or a cup of cider or just to visit. we eat thanksgiving dinner at our boys' regular lunch time and then put up our little tinsel tree and the ornaments. i'm vegetarian, so it's nice to make a big special dinner that i can enjoy, rather than eating mashed potatoes and green beans at someone else's house.

i don't mind running around for christmas, as christmas is strictly a family tradition for us, not religious. however, i'd like to have another wintery celebration at home, so i'm thinking about doing our own thing for solstice.

What I love about Thanksgiving is that you can celebrate it with anyone and feel good about it, but it's hard to be without family on Christmas. Our first baby is due any day now and I don't see how we can get to family 500 miles away for either holiday, so hoping someone will come to see us...and bring the turkey!