Hi Dr. Laura,
When my husband and I were first married, we would have to travel 500-600 miles to visit both families. Even though it was hard, we would also visit all of the sub-families resulting from our parents mutual divorces. By the end of Christmas Day, I was usually in tears from the stress and strain. My husband vowed that I would never again cry on Christmas. I was hugely pregnant during the Christmas of 1996. There was no way we would be able to travel. My son was delivered just a couple of weeks later.
The very next holiday my husband put his foot down. We would no longer be traveling to the entire family. If our families wanted to see us on Christmas, they would have to come to our house and get along with each other. We did not hear a lot of complaining about this, although the visits were few and far between. That's OK. We began our own traditions that we follow to this day. My son is now a freshman in college and I look forward to having him home for Christmas. It is usually just our small family now and that suits us fine. I married a MAN who put the protection and support of his family above the wishes of our relatives. I definitely chose wisely and have learned to treat kindly. Thank you for all you do!
Mary
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