Christmas

Christmas is always so stressful.
My brother and his wife come into town, so we try to get together with them. 
Then the obligatory 3 (yes, three!) family parties: my father and his wife, her kids and grandkids, plus my brother and his wife and us; my maternal grandmother and all the kids, grandkids, and great-grandkids that are in town; my mother and my brother and wife and us. 
The last is my favorite - it's more relaxing and laid back.  We just do presents and then usually play a game or two.  No big meal planned (that's at grandma's), we just have leftovers or snacks if we get a little hungry later.
It's hard to prep all the food for the parties, plus the presents, plus getting DSS and DH to get ready on time.  And then there's the work potluck, and the neighbor's party, and the gifts for the neighbors...
I try to get all the shopping done early to help with the stress, but we were still shopping the weekend before Christmas this year.  

All I can say now is that I'm glad it's over and we made it through!