OK Veteran Ladies..Holiday Madness & CD Tips

I feel your pain. I hosted a Halloween party which is a yearly thing for me. I thought that thing would go great I was a week out from my Remicade infusion. What a disaster. I was kicking myself in the butt the whole day and for the next week. I am the kind of person who does not like other people to know that I am sick and try not to let it show when I am, so having a get together was important to me (crazy I know). It was my way to show people that I am ok and that it is no big deal. People treat me different now that they know that I have crohn's and it is not easy to educated family let alone friend about the disease. Get real tired of them asking can she do this is, are you ok, do we need to leave soon.It is nice at first but after a while you start to feel like a pain in their butt. So i am thinking the less people that know the better. So any tips on how to take on the holidays or any event are very welcome here as well!!! Thanks!

Hi It is great you are able to have a good get together with family it's the hoilays and entertaining I worry about. The only thing I can suggest is to have as much as possible ready before hand like the desert I buy more stuff now instead of making it. Getting help also makes a difference with the cooking. Veggies can be peeled early and perhaps a rest before guest arrive. Timing might help but I guess the good thing is that it brings family together and most should realize that we only have so much energy they must have been happy just to be able to share a meal with you.Perhaps limiting get togethers to tea and desert might help at times. I really don't do much entertaining it's the not getting the cramps thing I wonder about.lol gail

I was still recovering from surgery when my future daughter-in-law asked if she could use my home for her wedding shower, the place she had planned on bombed at the last minute. At that point my house hadn't been cleaned in a few months. I called a service, had them come in and clean top to bottom. It was cheaper than you'd think, but still more work for me than I thought it would be.

As far as cooking. I seem to have holidays at my house pretty regularly. If I have my way (sometimes my husband likes to do Italian and we cook everything), I ask everyone to bring a dish. I cook the main portions of the meal (turkey, ham, roast beef, whatever you choose) and assign different side dishes to different family members. I also do the potatoes because they just taste better freshly mashed ;0)

As far as the house cleaning, I usually have my husband, son or daughter here the day before to do some of the heavy cleaning like the floors and the patio area. I do the light stuff, washing throw rugs, dusting, bathrooms, in small increments the week before as I feel like it and/or have time.

I'm usually a Bah Humbug person around the Holidays. It just gets too busy and stressful, and like I mentioned, we usually have everyone to our house (because no one else will do it because it's too busy and stressful). As far as gifts, we no longer have small children around and buying for picky adults is the pits. I always vote that we don't exchange gifts but get out voted, sigh.

I'm hoping that since I'm off school this semester, and off work still because of the CD, that maybe it will be a little more fun for me. Hopefully I can do things slower and enjoy them. But to me the holidays are for the children, I wish my kids would get with the program and give me some grandkids, lol.

Broom, pass the buck, whenever you can! I can't come up with much else. I feel like "have yourselves a merry little
Christmas, but don't drag me into it" Awful I know, but I just can't help it. Judy I have enough, you could borrow some
of mine, but you would have to go to the UK to get them LOL.

I am an organized person and I do bake ahead and the like, even though some things are better prepared just before serving. Childhood Christmas memories for my husband has always been difficult so I have always gone ALL OUT (borderline Martha Stewart) as best as I can afford too since we've been together. Last year I was still recouping after surgery so everyone was empathetic. This year I'd like to try ALL OUT again, I just don't know if I can handle it. As for gifts, our family has grown large enough that all the young adults/teenagers draw names and couples treat each other for an evening or breakfast out after the holiday is over. This saves alot of stress & money on everybody! I also agree with Judy...buying for picky adults is NO fun. I want grandchildren too!!! I've secretly started buying sewing patterns for the nursery layout...all daughter-in-law has to do is pick a theme/color, etc. I also have an extensive library planned for my grandchildren. I want them to experience REAL books, the smell, the feel of them. One day they will be a thing of the past as everything goes to digital media. So sad! Alright...I'm off topic now!