Two turkeys, two sets of presents, two long days and a whole lot of travelling in between. This is Christmas if you’re an adult with divorced parents. And it’s challenging, to put it politely.
Even if you’re part of the most amazing blended family – with an extended clan of step parents and siblings you wouldn’t change for the world – there’s only so much Chris Rea one person wants to listen to while they’re driving home for Christmas 2.0.
The chaos extends even further if you’ve got a partner with their own family (or two) to contend with, leaving you in need of a holiday when you sign back on for work in the new year.
In these situations you can only laugh, which is why it’s oh-so-cathartic to see other people talking about their non-conventional, multi-family Christmases on Twitter.
We all know it’s busy...
Blended families on Christmas got me going crazy. How can I be at so many places at once....Oh, i can't.
— Been had a Fupa since '79 (@1smartco0kie) December 25, 2014
pov you and your partner both have divorced parents and are trying to spend time with everybody at christmas
this shit feels like four christmases just call me reese witherspoon
— holly jolly em ? (@eemiilyy_18) December 12, 2022
And it’s so damn expensive.
When both my divorced parents ask me, an adult who pays rent, to spend the night at their respective homes on Christmas Eve pic.twitter.com/bM6wU8uAW4
— sadnav (@rundrnc) December 12, 2022
is it socially acceptable to stop giving christmas gifts to my family in college bc like… i’m poor and having divorced parents is all fun and games until you have to buy double the presents
— HOHOHolivia ?? ? (@OliviaGLara) December 8, 2022
It’s almost Christmas and I still have 15 more people to buy for… oh the JOY of a blended family.??
— ?.? (@brii_nikole) December 10, 2022
You’ve got to be organised. So, so organised.
I don’t need it by Christmas as in Dec 25. I need it by Christmas as in the weekend before Christmas because your parents are divorced
— Taylor Garland (@atgarland) December 12, 2022
And you’ll get used to negotiating two (or more) totally different ways of doing Christmas.
My husband is a good man, and I love him dearly.
But he is a tinsel person (?). And he has a red sequin star Christmas tree topper that he loves (I swear he has SO MANY other redeeming qualities).
We’re a blended family, so we alternate how we do the ?
It’s a tacky tree year
— Karolyn Sharp (@etcandsoforth) December 13, 2022
You won’t want to see another turkey until next December.
December is a wild month when you're in a relationship AND have divorced parents.... .. I've been to 6 Christmas dinners now?
— ky (@kyraaamiller) December 27, 2017
When you have two sets of blended families and are on Christmas #5??
— Cass (@cassidyperez33) December 26, 2016
Say this every year, but having seperated parents is good at christmas & birthdays cos i get to have two days of each, and i am fucking BUZZING for a second christmas dinner
— tiegan ? (@tiegsx) December 26, 2018
Jokes aside, there can still be some tricky feelings and logistics to navigate.
Christmas is never a fun holiday when your parents are divorced and one of your parents get pissed if they don’t get their way. if you get it, you get it
— meg // stream warrior nun (@simpforshelby) December 14, 2022
Christmas when your parents are seperated is still stressful af even as an adult.
Next year can I FINALLY get parents who act like grown ups and stop putting their kids in the middle of all their drama.
— Charlie(She/Her)????️? (@Charliechatz1) December 26, 2019
divorced parents life is not knowing where you’re gonna be at any given time during Christmas because their communication skills are 0
— karma is ry’s boyfriend (@ry_is_scared) December 18, 2022
But hey, at least you double the chance of getting what you want for Christmas.
A couple of years ago I asked for a coffee grinder for Christmas and my (divorced) parents independently each bought me one. And I was delighted! Now I have one for spices.
— sara (@sarrible) December 11, 2022
One plus side of having seperated parents is double the christmas presents muuahaha
— Rachel Jones (@R_Jones1427) December 24, 2012
And we LOVE hearing the stories of families who make it work.
divorced or not and me being grown or not I still wake up on Christmas morning to both my parents because co-parenting is pic.twitter.com/SdkiANmJvh
— LINDSEY ??? ? | UX/UI Designer (@LindseyCreated) December 18, 2022
just got sent a video of my (divorced) parents doing karaoke together at a christmas party. honestly slay
— abbie ?? (@princessabble) December 17, 2022