This Christmas I will be on my own with our bios (DD4 and DS1) as DH is away working. I have planned to visit my parents house for lunch and can't wait for a relaxing quiet Christmas Day. I'm disappointed my DH isn't home but glad the skids wont be with us Christmas morning. Bitter sweet. 
 

DH Brady bunch family gathering is happening the weekend before Christmas when we have the skids. I am not looking forward to it but my DD4 is beyond excited to see her cousins so I mainly put on a happy face for her. Not one of my in laws is interested in the BM and skid drama we actually deal with so it's extremely fake polite chit chat and everyone ignoring a massive elephant in the room. So when they ask 'how is everything going?' They want me to respond with 'oh amazing we just love our little blended family so much and I dote on SS and SD every day, as they both love and respect me so much'. Hahah. What absolute crap. But that's what they want to hear and if any truth seeps out they scatter away scared. 

SD10 will of course try to be centre of attention. She loves reactions from people and does the most idiotic things to get any eyes on her (like pretend to fall by purposely falling on concrete grazing her knee to catch a tennis ball playing outdoor cricket or purposely slamming into our plastic window blind when we had the slip and slide out). 

When we told them it was Kris Kringle for the kids too last year she pouted as that meant she was not receiving 100 gifts as per previous years from all the aunts and uncles ect. So this year we told her which cousin she has to buy for and SS has to buy for (of course it's our money) and I want absolutely nothing to do with it. I have handed DH the reigns for that. 

They also don't believe in Santa anymore but because of the little ones, DH wants them to still have stockings and gifts from him. That's fine (not sure when that's going to stop as SS is in high school next year) but again I don't want anything to do with that either. He can buy the gifts for them and I've bought our bios. SD didn't even wish me a happy birthday, even after DH asked her three times to do it. So, I have checked out completely. 

I really wanted to put up the tree with DD4 but DH insisted to do it when he's home. I mean, he's really tall and I needed him to get the stuff down anyway, but I knew both SS and SD would not care at all. So DH set up the tree base in the living room, and then he and SS left to go play cricket at the local sports club. Uhhhh ok? So DH and SS clearly not bothering being there for it. Then SD stayed behind sitting on the couch watching a Christmas movie and not bothered to offer help. DD4 was beyond excited and wanted to help with everything while SD sat bored looking at the tv. So.. the atmosphere in the room was.. just a bit awkward. Not really a joyous time that I hoped to spend with my daughter. 
 
Then DD4 attention span naturally weaned off and she wandered off to try and play with SD as I finished the tree on my own while supervising a frustrated 4 year old as she found some Christmas beads and SD kept taking them and trying to do her own thing with them and making DD upset as she wanted to do something else with them. Ughh it was just a shitty afternoon putting that tree up. Then I left the star and DH showed no interest in it and slumped in his chair scrolling on his phone, the skids has already left the room and gone upstairs, and DD4 was bugging DH can she put the star on. By this point I was pretty pissed off and said can he please show a little interest in the Christmas tree as to a 4 year old this is very exciting for her. He then did show interest (must have felt bad) and lifted her up to get the star on. 
 

I guess it sucks when the skids were this age, we as a family put so much more fun into the tree and Christmas time. But now as they are almost teenagersi and he has been there done that, the excitement isn't there anymore. So i want it there for me and my kids at least and doing it on my own next year if I have to. DS will be 2 and I'll have our younger one too so it will be a more exciting time. Really looking forward to that.