Merry Christmas!

[Sigarms]

I'd just tell the habitually late ones that the start time is 2-3 hours before I really planned on eating.

I've been telling that to my in laws even when my FIL was still alive at least for the last 10 years I just said 1 ho.ur instead of 2-3 hours

That said, being the "in law" myself, not my place to put my foot down so to speak.

As far as the habitually late ones, that's pretty much everyone but my wife and myselff, and my father and mother in law.

Remember how I said no two kids could come out alike as adults being raised in the same house with the parents? I lucked out because my in laws are the ones with common sense, even when they come to our house.

 

[ArlyA]

With late relatives to dinner, who has tried giving out a earlier time than necessary???

 

[Sigarms]

With late relatives to dinner, who has tried giving out a earlier time than necessary???

Before I got married, never on my end. We could have up to 30 people on my moms side and everyone pretty much showed up early at my grandmothers house LOL

For the most part, given how good my in laws are to me and how I love them, I could have much worst things to complain about than relatives always showing up late for family functions is that makes sense.

 

[lilranch2001]

It seems that you, your wife and MIL have accepted it as your cross to bear!

It just seems odd so many of your in-laws have the same failing when your mother-in-law and wife does not seem to have that character fault

 

[Sigarms]

It just seems odd so many of your in-laws have the same failing when your mother-in-law and wife does not seem to have that character fault

Believe me, it's more than strange to me how some kids turn out when they are raised in the exact same household. Mother in law is the oldest of 3 girls.

Now that my FIL has passed added my MIL, seemed more than perturbed about this yesterday then I've ever seen her out of all the years we've been going, I may stick my nose into something where it doesn't belong LOL

It comes down to me if you really want to possibly "lose" family over something kind of trivial?

This is where I think an open discussion may be good (or perhaps bad) to find out why people are always late.

 

[fatjay]

Family, you got to love them, but I need to start smoking weed and chill at the family gatherings.

My wife, myself and my Mother in law (and my FIL when he was alive) are the only people in my wife's family who has this concept that if we're meeting at my MIL's at 3 PM to eat, you show up between 2-2:30 so you can start on time.

There is this other concept that if you have an hour drive to the MIL's and your gathering at 3PM to eat and you're just leaving your house at 3PM and won't get there until 4PM, you call to tell everyone you're running late. I mean do you run late for work or other appointments all your life?

We always take two cars, because with the dogs, we generally don't give them more than 5 hours alone so we can get them outside, added the generally eat around 5PM and I generally spend 3 hours at the inlaws while my wife will stay most of the day now with her mom.

Common sense and common courtesty.

After 20 years of NO ONE being on time other than me, my wife and in laws, I'm getting to the breaking point Christmas, Easter you name it, always this way.

I told my wife, new rule... Set a time to eat, that IS the time to eat and if you show up late, you can eat late. I told her we doing nothing more than enabling people to be inconsiderate.

My, how some family time can change the perspective

I'm fighting to be more like Jesus...

Butthole rant off...

Again, Merry Christmas!

My sister said christmas eve would be dinner at 5:30. I have a 5 month old who has his own schedule, so we try not to incovenience others. We were running a little late, arriving at 5:25. We were the first to arrive, The next family showed up at 6:15. Others showed up at 6:30. Dinner ended up being ready at 6:45. Tell me what time you plan to actually have dinner, please, so i can plan my schedule accordingly.

 

[lilranch2001]

I’m pretty sure a one off five month old baby visit is not what Sig is talking about but rather repetitive almost intentional, not giving a crap about a loved one and her feelings

 

[MossRoad]

With late relatives to dinner, who has tried giving out an earlier time than necessary???

Tried that. They showed up early.

Normally, we are the first to arrive at my in-laws house, set up, take care of everything, and last to leave, as the others cut out so they don't have to help clean up.

Last night, we stealthily loaded up the Suburban, then asked my wife's siblings to please move their cars so we could leave!

They were kinda stunned that we were cutting out early and they'd have to help their mom clean up.

First time in 44 years!

 

[Sigarms]

My sister said christmas eve would be dinner at 5:30. I have a 5 month old who has his own schedule, so we try not to incovenience others. We were running a little late, arriving at 5:25. We were the first to arrive, The next family showed up at 6:15. Others showed up at 6:30. Dinner ended up being ready at 6:45. Tell me what time you plan to actually have dinner, please, so i can plan my schedule accordingly.

What I find funny is you and I think alike. You mentioned you were late for a 5:30 dinner because you showed up at 5:25PM.

That's one reason why I was aggrivated yesterday. Explaining to my wife that I'd be there at 2:30 instead of 3 because I didn't want to get there to close to when people were eating (I showed up at 2:15).

Preparing a meal pre work and time. The idea is to eat when everything is coming out of the oven and hot, added the people hosting the event have to plan on the start time on their end as well so everything is "ready".

Being on time is only a basic courtesey that I believe should be given to everything.

 

[Sigarms]

I’m pretty sure a one off five month old baby visit is not what Sig is talking about but rather repetitive almost intentional, not giving a crap about a loved one and her feelings

Yes, have a baby and it's expected your life is going to be upside down. That's only a free pass for a couple of years though LOL

I honestly don't think anyone is being late intentional, I just think they are idiots who really have no planning structure on what they need to do when including to add the drive time to the activity.

What drives me bat ***** crazy though is the inconsideration not to even call when you're past the arranged dinner time How hard is it to text or call from your cell phone?

When we need to be somewhere for a family event, our day does kind of revolve around the fact that we plan on being on time.