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So who's traveling and who's hosting relatives this holiday?

2K views 16 replies 11 participants last post by  gdwriter 
#1 ·
Over the past 20 years, I've traveled to my parents' house or one of my sisters' every year except three. All of it by plane, and you know how thoroughly unpleasant flying has become. So this year, I'm absolutely thrilled to be staying home and hosting. My mother arrived Thursday and my Dad is on a plane to Portland as I write this. My parents will be staying with my younger sister and her family in Corvallis, about 40 minutes away.

My older sister, brother-in-law and two teenage nieces are staying with me and will probably be here in the next couple of hours. They're driving from North Dakota and left on Friday. I only have to work on Wednesday next week, so I'll actually get some time to enjoy having company. We're planning to go skiing Thursday, and we'll probably go to the Coast on Friday.

Went grocery shopping yesterday and got a 10-lb. prime rib ($60!) for dinner Tuesday. Have plenty of wine, too. The past couple of years, my older sister and I have had a marathon present-wrapping session over a bottle or two of wine, so I want to be ready.

So, how about the rest of you? Are you traveling, and to where? Are you stuck with relatives?

I don't get to see my sister and nieces that often anymore, and we get along great, so I'm actually excited about their arrival. Hoover will be thrilled, too. He adores my brother-in-law and my younger niece. My sister, on the other hand, is terrified of dogs, so I'll have to calm him down when they arrive so she doesn't completely freak (she's never met him).

If you're traveling, be safe and have fun. Merry Christmas to all my Caddy friends!
 
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#3 ·
I'm hosting on Christmas Eve; going to MIL's for Christmas Day. Luckily, she's only a few miles away. :thumbsup: Merry Christmas to you and your family, Gary. I'll be waiting on the pics. :D
 
#9 ·
Thanks, Sarah. Same to you and yours.

My little sister brought a little gift for Hoover this evening:



He was a good sport:



Hoover absolutely loves my niece Laura. I got her permission to post this picture of the two of them:



Heading off for Christmas Eve service in a couple of minutes. Merry Christmas!
 
#4 ·
We drove down to Anchorage to spend Christmas with the kids. Some guy in a Buick tried to follow me down a long downhill righthander covered with ice. I rode the berm down the centerline like a sprint car at the dirt track. He jumped the berm and all I could see in the rear view mirrior was two eyes as big as teacups as he slid into the ditch. He must have been one of them gulderned flatlanders.
 
#5 ·
I found a last-minute flight to Washington for $319 round trip, so I'm spending Christmas and New Year's over there this time. I was thinking about driving the Navigator, but I need to get the air ride fixed since it leaks at under 40F. Its under 40F on my entire route. Plus, the snowstorms along my route have been insanely dangerous.
 
#6 ·
I usually fly "home" to see my folks for Christmas but lately I found that it is more fun to go during the summer for my son's birthday. This year we took EWill4th to Disney World so our budget leaves us home this Christmas.
Just me, the missus, 4th and his Grandma (Wife's mom lives with us).
No guests, no family, just us 4 and lots of presents.

I hate to not go see family at this time of year but I can't stand the traveling. We always fly too and even though we usually have decent luck, my tolerance for flying is limited and I can only do it so much in a short time.
 
#7 ·
I am at my parents home in Virginia Beach, VA right now. Flew here on Saturday and leave on Sunday. Dad picked me up in the '62 Sedan Deville :cool:
 
#10 ·
Well, I just landed in Spokane, Washington an hour ago. Unfortunately, I had to sit next to other people on the 2-hour stretch from Denver. I usually luck out and get an entire row to myself. Lambert St Louis Airport was WONDERFUL -- there was no one in line for the security check and boarding was very quick. Unfortunately, I got dropped off at the wrong terminal (my fault) so I ended up walking a half mile or so to my gate. By the time I made it, I was dripping with sweat.

Dad picked me up; we got to his house and I told him I just lost some weight (of course, after gaining a fair bit since I last saw him this summer). So what does he do? He gives me cake. Ahh, parents.

Hoover's got a noble face.
 
#11 ·
Well, everybody survived the pandemonium at my house yesterday. This was the first time I've had my entire family at my house, and I loved it. Here's what the Christmas stash looked like before it got attacked:



My 10-lb. prime rib (which was wonderful):



After dinner, there was a little prime rib left, and I cut off the four rib bones. Hoover got one last night and will get the rest later:



All in all, a really nice holiday. We played a couple of what's known in my family as friggin' games, but that was still fun. I actually had to hum the theme to Saturday Night Fever (Staying Alive) playing Cranuim, but my niece didn't guess it. Oh, well.
 
#13 ·
My wife and I drove my new 08 CTS from Torrance, CA to Oxnard, CA to visit my parents. It's about 75 miles each way. I had 500 miles on the car just before the trip, so I was ready to give it a good workout with some higher speed passing maneuvers and quick lane changes. Of course Christmas with the family was great...but the CTS made it even better.

I hadn't told anyone I had gotten a new car, and when they saw us pulling up they couldn't believe it. They also couldn't believe I chose a Cadillac over all the import brands. Like a lot of uninformed people out there, they thought Cadillacs were basically just overly wrought couches on wheels with poor quality and a fancy badge. After they got inside and I showed them all the features, they wanted to go for rides. They were pretty impressed with the quality level of the interior and the comfortable ride. Miles of smiles all around, that's for sure.

I still am soaking in just how well GM designed this car. It makes every trip so comfortable and enjoyable...and I love the fact that my wife can't see the speedo to see how fast I'm going. "Don't worry, honey - I'll be sure to keep it at 70" (actually 85 - 90). Thank you, GM!
 
#14 ·
I drove 8 miles to Grandpa's, same tradition as the last 20 years.
 
#16 ·
Well I made the mistake of hosting this years Christmas dinner. Had lots of help cooking so I didn't feel so bad. They made me create another German Chocolate cake from scratch (it didn't last the day). But as the day progressed, I noticed a trend. All the men bailed as soon as they could. Not retired to the big screen - left the premises, gone. So I spent most of the day waiting on 15 women as the gossiped, traded recipes, and ate, and ate, and ate. By dark I had to leave. too. There is only so much estrogen a man can stand. Went down to the corner bar for a stiff drink. By the time I returned, my house was cleaner than its ever been, dishes washed, leftovers (what little they left) put away. Having lots of sisters, daughters, nieces, and grandchildren makes you thankful for family.

Merry Christmas all and Happy New Year.
 
#17 ·
By the time I returned, my house was cleaner than its ever been, dishes washed, leftovers (what little they left) put away.
That's frickin' hilarious! :histeric:

Went skiing yesterday with my brother-in-law, niece and her boyfriend. Took other family out to the coast today. Windy, off-and-on rain and high surf, but my Mom enjoyed feeding the seagulls and Hoover had fun running on the beach. Bro-in-law, niece, boyfriend and other sister going skiing tomorrow. Not sure if they're also planning to ski Sunday, but by then, I should be ready to give it another go. I haven't gone skiing in 11 years, so it was nice to know I still knew how.
 
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