Nacktschnecken omlet Cube

[Chortle Chook]

You could do the complete opposite - sit back with a glass or two or three of something good and take no part at all in the cooking or preparation. After all, it is, finally, just one day and just one meal in one year. If it goes wrong he'll never do it again. Resist the temptation to help in any way at all (and that would include the clearing up) and just say " how kind of you to take control - I'm sure you'll find where things are". Then If there is smoke coming forth from the kitchen door or the clock is ticking on, just suggest that his mother goes to bail him out.

[Ain't Nobody Here]

I like that plan .

[Willow]

Thanks guys, I've sent my nephew a message through facebook as it's the easiest way to chat direct to him. We sometimes chat through facebook normally. I love him dearly but I'm 48 and this is the first time people are coming to me for Christmas. We've often gathered at my sisters because she lives close to my parents. Nephew cooks in pub restaurants/hungry horse type establishments but is currently working in a bike shop. He can cook but so can OH and I - we're good cooks, I even have a cooking blog which she knows about so she can't say she thought I wouldn't want to cook. He can get 100 meals out in a hour singlehanded, I think we're better cooks actually. One of my concerns (aside from worry about damage/breakages) is they use cheap ingredients and doesn't use free range eggs/meat. If he was cooking I would have insisted on buying the food anyway.

 

I don't want to put my parents and other sister in an awkward position over who they go to. I actually invited them first but asked my dad as I was with him and he didn't pass the message onto my mother until after my sister had asked her. The irony is my sister didn't want lots of guests this year as they are overflowing with people at the moment and don't have a dining room so dinner was going to balanced on their knees in the living room with the dog trying to eat peoples dinners.

 

First year the kitchen is finished because nice flooring went down this week - kitchen started ad the main cupboards/range etc went in 5-6 years ago OH a perfectionist and very good at diy but not a finisher-completer so various bits and pieces have taken for ever My house has taken 10 yrs to renovate as we have done as much as we can ourselves including most of the hard graft and got experts in where we needed them and there are still bits of completing to do but it is there with my dream kitchen, bathroom and a library (in what was a grim corridor) and because we had guests coming for Christmas and OH has holiday he'd booked all of next week as holiday so he could finish off a few jobs

 

If it comes down to blackmail I may take the advice to get completely sloshed in the living room and insist my kitchen is returned to me in the state it started in. But FR turkey is non-negotiable

 

Arghhh families

[Willow]

Got a lovely reply from my nephew saying whilst he was kinda excited at the idea of doing the full dinner for everyone he was easy and happy to do what I wanted him to do I am so relieved, it might be daft but I was in tears when my sister put the phone down on me over this.

 

We have a good kitchen for multiple people working and I usually work well with my sister and nephew in the kitchen but I don't like the idea of relinquishing complete control of my kitchen and I was excited about doing family dinner, (I have quite simple wants really ). I'd already lined up FIL for veg peeling duty so that he'd felt involved but not under pressure. My OH is particularly fussy about how his gravy is cooked (and it is good) so he always does the gravy and various other bits.

 

So I've asked nephew to still do the beef wellington and to have a chat about canapes so we both do some. I'll do FR turkey crown so he has oven space and cooked ham, and I'll cook both of those early in the morning so we have plenty of oven space for veg & trimmings. He can do a pudding as well if he wants but I may have to insist on Waitrose custard .

[Looney]

Yay! Excellent news

[Lavenders_Blue]

Phew - glad you got it sorted

[Ain't Nobody Here]

That's a relief . Sounds like your sister was getting in a state over nothing!

 

Hope you have a lovely day .

[newcountrygirl]

Glad it is sorted. Just remember when he actually gets to your house to stand firm and insist that the things you want to cook are actually cooked by you. Hope you have a lovely Christmas and enjoy your new kitchen.

[Valkyrie]

Phew I was getting worried for you there! Glad it's sorted nicely. Hope the day goes well too.

 

Best Christmases when I was young, money also hard to come by and I used to get little plastic toys and soldiers from the cereal boxes! We used to hang our socks up on the fire guard - one for mum, dad and myself. Oh it was magic. I did get more pressies like a tin penguin that I remember made a horrible noise that scared me for a while although I didn't stop playing with it. Lots of tin toys I guess. I remember my dad making a wooden car for my teddy bear. Just remember Santa visits as truly magic and the Christmas tree outside my bedroom door with the fairy lights glowing in the room were wonderful. When my children came along I tried to give them the same magic and fun. Have to say it was sad when they grew up and Christmas days were somewhat deflated.

I always did Christmas here and OH and I perfected Christmas Eve to perfection - everything was ready before 6pm and then we could sit down and relax with our Chinese takeaway. All we needed to do was to turn on the oven and everything was written down so we knew what time to turn this or that on. When I decided enough was enough and it was about time that other family members had a go a little while ago you would have thought WW3 had started. Ye gods what a wasp nest I dared to disturb. However it was a very nice quiet Christmas with just DD, DS and girlfriend who was living with us, and us two. Last year the inlaws came. They have been over several times including Easter and BBQ's and other times yet I have only been invited over once in the last 4 years or so.

When I suggested another quiet Christmas this year OH got really angry and said I'd better rethink it because it would be too boring - well thank you matey, so nice to learn I'm boring (well I am but he needn't rub it in). So I did and came to the same conclusion - but as bad luck would have it I broke my ankle. It's very inconvenient for him. But we have been invited to the inlaws. Can't tell you how overjoyed I was. OK fair enough I whinged about not being asked to visit, but then it's the principal of the matter, but reality is MIL and I do not get on. Particularly since I decided I would not let her walk all over me any more. But I do get on with FIL so not all bad. I can always use my leg as an excuse to leave early - we are going late afternoon because of the chickens - need to put them in first, so the fewer hours are a little appealing. I'm still narked at OH'S outburst - I thought he would have been more supportive. Hah who am I kidding!!! So I'll be my pleasant self (unless she starts up).

[Charlottechicken]

Oh Patricia, I am so relieved for you!

 

I can't think of a particularly best and worst Christmas, but one memory from years ago is when my mum fashioned a couple of boot prints out of soot on the hearth for me to find on Christmas morning.

 

Last Christmas was the first with my OH, I sneaked out of bed once he was asleep and hung a little stocking on the bedroom door. The following morning, he was like a child in a sweet shop, he couldn't believe he had a stocking of presents all to himself

[Willow]

Seems my sister is still in an almighty mood with me but my nephew has said they are coming and he'll do whatever I ask him to help. I hope she gets over it quick we're all going to an Aunt for afternoon party today

 

I've been racking my brains to try and work out if I'd said anything ambiguous and I remembered the only time it had come up was the original invite when she'd asked if he could do all the cooking, I'd politely declined so she decided to stay at home so he could cook. All very amicable. It was only later when she decided they would come to us as my parents had decided to come to me and I don't remember any talk about who would do what at that point or at any time since until nephew said he would do beef wellington and mum said he had this idea he was doing the cooking.

 

Whole thing is def my sisters fault not my nephews, it was her that told him he could cook.

 

I can't understand why she doesn't see what a bizarre (and rude) idea it is

 

Anyway hope it goes ok on the day - feel a bit under pressure now for it all to go right whereas normally we're a bit more relaxed.

 

Valkyrie we'll be thinking of you at Christmas, make MIL and OH wait on you then it might just get too painful so you have to go home

[Valkyrie]

Thank you Patricia. Hope your sister comes to her senses on the day. If only she could step away from herself to see how unfair and silly she's being. I think you have compromised very well - what the heck is wrong with her! I dunno - I'll sort her out and you tell my MIL where to go. SWAP!

xxxxxxx

[Egluntyne]

Excellent. Well handled Patricia. x

[lillybettybabs]

Best Christmas was last year, We hadn't got a lot of money but we had the best family Christmas ever!

 

Worst was the Christmas that i left my Ex and the farm. I moved out on the 23rd, My horse was still on

the farm but the ex wouldn't let me near the farm to look after him. I had to sneak down at 4am Christmas

morning and ride him out of the farm and to another stable. He killed my fish from the pond and dumped them

on my doorstep on the same day.

[Valkyrie]

That sounds horrible - but looking on the bright side - you are well rid of him if he's that much of a vindictive so and so.

[lillybettybabs]

Yep onwards and upwards.

[Nikipins]

My worst Christmas was 3 years ago when my DH who was cooking Christmas dinner for 16 (I was entertaining I.e. getting everyone tipsy) went out to the compost heap with the veg peelings and fell over on the way back in. He fractured his spine. Thankfully he did not damage his spinal cord but it was an anxious time waiting for scans and opinions from the neurosurgeons. I abandoned all the relatives to fend for themselves for a week whist I shuttled backwards and forwards from the hospital. I had to go to my brothers weeding on the 28th December and so left him in hospital, took the kids to the wedding and then returned to pick up the pieces. He is fine with no long term damage but its a Christmas which will live on in the family folklore.

 

The best Christmas's have definitely been since we have had children they are still young 7&11 and so very excited around Christmas I love all their Christmas activities at school and their joy on Christmas Day.

[bluekarin]

Was wondering how it went Patricia with nephew cooking and sister fuming? Hope it went well.

[Willow]

All went very well

 

My mum has discovered one of my cousins was spending Christmas day by himself so they decided to take him to chirch then do a big cooked breakfast before coming to us (she did discuss a couple of days before). OI did invte him to come with them but he's not into big gatherings.

 

So we replanned for dinner about 5pm and I invited my sister and her family to join us in time for big cooked breakfast. After we'd cleared from that my nephew pottered in the kitchen with us and the three of us worked well together. OH disappeared when it was time to sort the turkey ready to put in the oven which was a little annoying but wasn't a problem really. My sister had got over her annoyance with me - probably because my nephew had been so reasonable.

 

My dad and FIL got on well, my boys were happy to see both grandads chatting away, (my parents made an effort originally to invite my in-laws over but they never reciprocated so my FIL spent very little time with my family before OH's step mother left).

 

So in the end it was hard work but a very nice day with everyone enjoying it.

[chickencam]

Good news