Back story. OSD who was living with new baby, baby Daddy and her 3 children from first marriage are moving from their tiny apartment to a house they are renting. She says it is their house but they did not buy it they are renting from a friend who bought it to specifically rent to them. I am glad to hear they are finally moving into a house so that her older kids, 16, 15 and 13 will have more room to live and not have to share a room with each other.

As soon as I heard they finally were moving I thought great wonder how long it will be before OSD insists that everyone must come to her house for the holidays. Turns out she already did last week. An email went out to her siblings that she was hosting both Thanksgiving and Christmas this year. No sure if DH was included in the email as he didn't mention it and won't since he knows I won't go anywhere near the SDs after their latest drama fests this summer.

Of course, the interesting fact is that we have not gotten together for Thanksgiving in many, many years and have never all gotten together for Christmas. The SSs and their families have spent both Thanksgiving and Christmas Eve with us at our house and have gone to church together. A few times we have all met at SSs house for Thanksgiving. We usually do Christmas Eve so that the grandkids can be at home to wake up to see what Santa has brought them. The last few years we have gone to visit each of the boys and their families later in the day on Christmas Day as they live 10 and 20 minutes away from us.

The girls have only been at our house maybe 1-2 times in the past 4 years. They have always been invited to parties at our house but don't show and don't bother to tell their Dad they are not coming. They are always invited to their nieces and nephews birthday parties but don't show up for those either by texting the day of party oops something just came up! But of course when they plan parties for their kids and noone shows up then we are the disgusting ungrateful pieces of garbage for not coming. We have always gone but I have re-disengaged from SDs because of their crappy behavior for their Father's birthday and their baby brother's 30 birthday party this summer.

Anyway, it will be interesting to see what panes out for the holiday with this new demand that they will be spending the holidays at her house. DH and I already decided to spend Thanksgiving at our home with or without company. I'm sure we will have the boys over for Christmas Eve again since we all go to church afterwards. So I suspect nothing will be different. Perhaps the girls will convince the boys to get together but it won't be on the actual holiday. They have done that before but did not invite their Dad. I've been told that the girls tell the boys all the time that they need to forgive their Mom for all of her faults but the girls don't bother to forgive their Dad and treat him like garbage.

I have always loved the holidays and try to keep that alive but it has been hard having such nasty SDs in my life. I too have always had the battle of being fair in buying presents for all the grandkids whether we are allowed to be their grandparents. I stopped that several years ago. There was no point in buying a gift for a child that I wouldn't know if I would even see to give it to. One year I had several gifts bought and wrapped for grandson who was 1 that year. When SD and her family stopped by on their way to drop off other son at his Dad's house she only let grandson open one gift and then she wouldn't take the rest with her. She said oh he can unwrap them when we are all together, knowing full well we wouldn't all be together because she wouldn't come. That was the last time I worried about getting something for all 10 grandkids equally.