I just need to vent a little. I don't know how everyone else's family does things, but when I was growing up everyone chipped in to help clean up after a big family dinner. Get it cleaned up, dishes washed, put leftovers in containers, table wiped off, THEN sit down and relax. Even the kids helped get glasses and silverware off the table, scraped dishes, etc. I remember one Christmas my cousin and I cleared the table, put everything away, washed all the china and crystal by hand (without breaking anything!), got everything else in the dishwasher and we were 14 and 11 yrs old. And it was our choice.
Apparently, it isn't that way with this family. My MIL hosts Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's dinner. NO ONE helps except me and DH. We helped clean her house for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I make side dishes (candied sweet potatoes, broccoli casserole, etc) and no one else brings anything. Yesterday, I spent over an hour peeling potatoes. My SIL wanted mashed potatoes and my niece wanted scalloped potatoes, so I cubed and sliced. I cooked the ham and the pork and sauerkraut (MIL's oven was full) and took a plate of cookies and cake balls over for dessert. No one else brought a darned thing. When dinner was over, guess who was on clean up duty....me and MIL. One SIL was too busy watching Shrek and the other was too busy drinking wine. My niece (who is 15) was busy texting to her friends and didn't lift a finger.
I'm sorry, I just needed to vent. There is NO reason someone else couldn't help, or make something. I mean seriously...it's not like they are living 2 hrs away. My SIL lives 1.2 miles away and my BIL a little over 3 miles away. It happens every holiday. They come, eat, and leave (or sit on their butts and don't do anything to help). I know I can open my mouth and say something, but I don't want to get everyone mad at me. I mean, on Christmas, there were still a few dishes in the drip tray and someone threw their dirty dishes and silverware on top of them which means everything needed cleaned (I guess it was nice they actually brought their plate in....it would have been better if they scraped it first!).
Apparently, it isn't that way with this family. My MIL hosts Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's dinner. NO ONE helps except me and DH. We helped clean her house for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I make side dishes (candied sweet potatoes, broccoli casserole, etc) and no one else brings anything. Yesterday, I spent over an hour peeling potatoes. My SIL wanted mashed potatoes and my niece wanted scalloped potatoes, so I cubed and sliced. I cooked the ham and the pork and sauerkraut (MIL's oven was full) and took a plate of cookies and cake balls over for dessert. No one else brought a darned thing. When dinner was over, guess who was on clean up duty....me and MIL. One SIL was too busy watching Shrek and the other was too busy drinking wine. My niece (who is 15) was busy texting to her friends and didn't lift a finger.
I'm sorry, I just needed to vent. There is NO reason someone else couldn't help, or make something. I mean seriously...it's not like they are living 2 hrs away. My SIL lives 1.2 miles away and my BIL a little over 3 miles away. It happens every holiday. They come, eat, and leave (or sit on their butts and don't do anything to help). I know I can open my mouth and say something, but I don't want to get everyone mad at me. I mean, on Christmas, there were still a few dishes in the drip tray and someone threw their dirty dishes and silverware on top of them which means everything needed cleaned (I guess it was nice they actually brought their plate in....it would have been better if they scraped it first!).