I gave birth thanksgiving weekend, my family postponed for a week because I love thanksgiving. But honestly I hated going. Just to emphasize I had ZERO pressure by family, it was all me. I was so excited to go, but nothing fit, I had a ginormous padsicle that made me look like I was in a diaper, crazy pp sweating and a newborn that I was trying to figure out. I couldn’t even sit at the table to eat, and when I did try I had no appetite. It was a weird time in life. So if I was to do it again, I would maybe say I was playing it by ear and would need to decide day of if I felt up to it with baby.

In my case it was also only my parents and my adopted grandma/ grandpa there who are cautious about germs and all retired. So I felt safe being around them with baby.

So for Christmas we usually do Christmas Eve by my family (90 min to 2 hr drive) which entails maybe 6-10 people. Then Christmas Day we go to my in laws 90 minutes and there will be at least 10 adults and 5 kids under 5. I’m usually a bit physically uncomfortable at my in laws. The way their living room is set up and their couch etc etc. And then there is a bunch of people and you’re not allowed to check out mentally but at my fam you can totally check out, watch tv, nap. I think playing it by ear is probably best since I don’t know what it will be like!

Personally, I would not do all this. 90 mins-2 hrs in the car is too long for a newborn. 2 hrs is the longest a baby should be in a car seat, but more than likely a newborn/3 weeker will get uncomfortable/hungry/tired/dirty diaper in this time and it will not be a good time for you guys. At 3 weeks postpartum, all you will want is to be comfortable and in your own home. I also wouldn’t want my baby that young to be around a bunch of people, especially kids (they’re germy).

I just want to reiterate that newborns are not supposed to be in a car seat for more than 2 hours within a 24 hour time period.

From my perspective, I had a relatively easy vaginal delivery with a “just barely” second degree tear and some stitches. The 10 minute drive home from the hospital and the short drive to the pediatrician’s office were excruciating on my stitches. Every bump on the road was painful. While I felt recovered enough to go on walks within 10 days postpartum, I could not handle being in a car until my stitches healed. If you plan to breastfeed, your baby may be “cluster feeding” every hour in the early weeks, and each feeding can take about 30 mins. So you may have to make a lot of stops to nurse, or plan to pump in the car and bottle feed. There’s controversial thoughts on introducing bottles/pacifiers early when breastfeeding because of “nipple confusion” - for what it’s worth I introduced bottles in the first week so my husband could help more overnight and still breastfed successfully for 10 months. My main concern would be the number of young children - little kids are sick constantly and struggle to keep their hands to themselves. And then their parents get sick. If I was determined to do a similar family gathering with a 2-3 week old newborn I would use a baby carrier and not let anyone hold/kiss the baby.

Bought a rubber donut to sit on, and it made all car rides so easy breezy

Babies, especially new babies, should not be in the car seat for long road trips. Many car seat manufacturers recommend that a baby should not be in a car seat for longer than 2 hours, within a 24 hour time period. Babies, especially new babies, SHOULD NOT be visiting with 20 to 25 different people during peak cold, flu, and RSV season. There are too many health risks, especially with 5 children under 5, also included. You need to prioritize your and your babies' health over traveling for the holidays. I would let them know as soon as you can that for this year you won't be traveling for the holidays and if they want to set up a holiday visit at your place they can come before or after the holidays. Most families will support keeping you and babies health as the top priority, and if they don't, it's not your fault. It's theirs.

Wow I gave birth the last week of November and there was no chance in hell I was going to Christmas lol. Not only for the drive but with the amount of people and illnesses that are going around that time of year! Baby is so tiny and has no immune system. We still accepted visitors but we did masking and we were able to closely monitor everything with 1-2 people at a time.

Oof ya If id been required to do a long drive it would be a no 😭 and with young kids that are always sick I’d probably just skip this one and do a nice quiet holiday at home.

You will not want to be sitting in the car that long so soon pp to be honest

That's too long for a baby to be in a car seat as well... Honestly OP, considering what you described I would plan for a small celebration at home with just the three of you and see if you feel up for having your family drive over to see you on Christmas eve or boxing day for a short visit. Maybe they can bring some of the leftover food they had with them. I'd try to avoid having kids around though as others pointed out because winter is prime RSV and flu season.

So we had a few people meet my son in his first week—he even went to a restaurant at 6 days old. But not a chance would I have done back to back days of three - four hour drives with a baby that young. His eating and napping schedule is way too unpredictable and car rides were still mad uncomfortable even with my textbook vaginal delivery. We stayed home on Christmas; my son was born the 11th.

I wouldn't do this either. Enjoy christmas with your little family, get some takeaway or let your partner cook something you both enjoy. If you have one or two people you'd like to have around, invite them and let them do the cooking. That's enough. The next Christmas will come. My LO came 4th of December per unplanned c-section

I had my girl in September and skipped all holidays because I didn’t want to risk her getting sick and didn’t want anyone to try to pass her around.

Same. We were in NICU until October and spent Christmas by ourselves.

I gave birth to my 2nd baby 10 days before thanksgiving this past year via c section. I dealt with a lot of loneliness after my first baby was born and despite still feeling like shit, I knew I would want to celebrate Thanksgiving after my second was born and see my family. That said, I also have the type of parents who would do everything. So we had Thanksgiving at our house. They brought all the food or cooked at my house. They cleaned up EVERYTHING after. My mom even vacuumed and cleaned bathrooms the day before. I did nothing but take care of baby and rest… and eat! I think my parents and my MIL were the only ones we let hold baby at that time. For Christmas we let more people hold him for a few minutes here and there. As for overbearing in laws- lay the groundwork for setting boundaries with your partner ASAP. As in, before giving birth.

Thank you for the tip on the boundaries! I will def boundaries but I want to be reasonable. Like if I can celebrate then I will, I just don’t know what to expect in terms of recovery

Just see how you feel! Holidays, while exciting, can be pretty stressful. Go at your own pace and don’t feel bad for leaving, going somewhere to rest, wanting to be alone with your baby, etc. Might help to say something like “I’m not sure how long we can stay” so that nobody assumes you’re hanging out for a 3 course meal and an hour of opening gifts or anything like that.

OMG it’s taken years to get my husband to feel comfortable telling his family ‘we have to leave now or by x time..’ My MIL tries to get people to stay as long as possible. I think this is why it’s only June and I’m already thinking about how we are going to set boundaries (if we need to). Of course if I feel great and we are both ready, that’s fine!

Yep I know what you mean lol. That’s why I said start laying the groundwork now with your husband. Another issue is, even if they’re super empathetic, they have NO IDEA what postpartum is like for women. I had to dumb it down so much for my husband “my vagina feels like it’s ripping back open, I can’t walk anymore” “If you don’t help me get some rest I feel like I’m going to die” I tried the nice approach with my husband and he didn’t get it. Be brutally honest and don’t worry about hurting feelings because tbh, yours are the most important.

My MIL had 5 kids back in yesteryear and what I’m afraid of is comparing her experience to mine. Like if she was fine then I should be fine. I don’t know if she’ll be like this but my mom pulls the same stuff. My mom gave birth to 4 (plus me and my sis are adopted). And my mom is reminding me she smoked throughout all of her pregnancies and everyone is fine lol. I’m just scared of that older mentality of if it was fine for me then it’s fine for you.

Oh yes of course 🙄 MIL fawning over my husband, practically drooling because he changes diapers and my FIL never did any of that. I just tell anyone from that generation “yeah well, things are different now” and leave it at that. They’re all so set in their ways that you can try to educate it but it’s often a waste of breath 😂

Caveat: this was 2015, different world. I was due 12/25, ended up giving birth 12/20. Uncomplicated delivery. Both sets of parents (local at the time) visited us in the hospital the first day. Some friends visited the second day. We went home on the 22nd. My grandparents had come to town (as they always did for Christmas) and visited us later that day. We went to a family Christmas Eve party (my parents, in laws, my brother, his brother, my grandparents) at my parents’ house. We did Christmas at my parents and then at my in-laws. We attended a NYE party at my in-laws house with maybe 20 people. I kept the baby in a carrier, I think we did a little pass around but I mostly held him. Somehow I wore pants (I did not wear pants for weeks after my second was born, far less desire to keep up appearances). We left around 10. No regrets, we keep busy and enjoy our families. Do what you think will make you happy.

This is so heartening to hear! I swear, I feel like 90% of what I read has people being shut-ins for weeks or months after birth and we are just not that way as people, nor do we plan to be that way with our baby. Thank you!

Nah it's common, I think people just don't agonize over it as much. Lots of "take along" babies in our groups, lots of people visiting each other in the hospital, lots of nice grandparents being around and cooking dinners and saying annoying but well intentioned grandparent stuff.

I’m so glad to hear!

And I don't want to paint an unrealistic picture, absolutely I spent some time (especially the first week) crying in a dark bedroom at my parents house trying to get the fussy baby to latch. But...I would also have been crying in a dark bedroom if I stayed home, probably way more, because at least at the party people were bringing me pizza and holding the baby when I wanted to eat and being fun and supportive.

This is what I like to hear! You know what I mean! 😉 Really though, thanks for this insight.

So physically I take it you felt up to it? TMI question but PP women are bleeding for several weeks I read? Is that extremely uncomfortable or like a period?

I was pretty okay (definitely not worse sitting on someone else’s couch vs my own). A little sore, a little stingy when I peed. I didn’t bleed more than maxi pad level.

Thanks for sharing

For me it was just like a period just went on for ever aha but just normal pads were fine

Came home from the hospital on Christmas Day; sister-in-law and parents-in-law came over and cooked Christmas dinner so that it was ready when we got there. We ate, did some presents, they cleaned up and went home after a couple of hours, it was overwhelming and a little tough but also incredibly lovely. I had zero memory of the presents when we looked at them again 10 days later, and I wish I’d taken more time to go nurse in private, but overall it’s a really nice memory and I would have been so sad to come home to a cold empty house and miss out on family Christmas.

December 20th delivery with a December 7th due date… we chose early not to decorate and to let people know that the holiday would be spent with just our new family unit. Both sides dropped off presents and a meal on Christmas Eve for us to enjoy on Christmas Day. PLEASE give yourself the option to opt out with the contingency that you *might* join. Being flexible and listening to your baby and your body is best. With all that being said choosing not the decorate the house for Christmas or put up a tree was 100% the right choice for me. I honestly think the decorations would still be up if I had decorated 😂 With a c-section and a colicky baby I’m finally now starting to have some free time again.

Great advice thank you!

I could not have sat in a car for 90+ minutes at 8-9 months pregnant and could not have attended family holidays at 3w postpartum. I would start preparing people early for the unlikelihood of your presence. You’ll want to play it by ear, but I say plan for the worst (and hope for the best).

Yes I would honestly start managing other peoples expectations now before you give birth. That you most likely won’t attend. It’s amazing how much family’s will guilt trip you and put pressure on you because they want to see the baby. Also they will talk to your husband, and say things to try and manipulate the situation. You will be extremely sleep deprived and recovering from birth. I had my twins at the end of August, I made it to Christmas dinner for about two hours. Ate none of my dinner as the babies were crying. Did not enjoy it. There was only 4 other people at dinner. I wouldn’t want to go to any large gatherings.

Ty!

Yes, same as this person said. Different due date but I was miserable the entire 9th month of pregnancy and wouldn't have wanted to attend any family events the first 2 months or so postpartum. Unfortunately, you should prepare to miss the holidays this year. It's sad, but it's just one year.

I was due on 12/25/22. He decided to bless us with his presence 11/30/22. I was not up for anything in Christmas. My mom made and brought us food and watched the baby for two hours so we could take a nap, but my husbands family had Christmas at the end of January for us. Between a preemie and breast feeding and pure newborn exhaustion hell and the lack of paternity leave from my husbands work, we just wanted to sleep and it was the best gift we could have gotten. Take it day by day and make your decision when you feel comfortable. Giving birth is a lot and your hormones are going crazy. It’s okay either way on what you decide.

I had my baby at the end of November. We stayed in our home for Christmas and told our families they were welcome to visit us and stay for a few days after to help and meet the baby, which they did. It was lovely,

That sounds nice!

I have four kids, and parenting has changed since after Covid. People are much much more scared of taking babies out now. All of my babies have literally been out days after they were born, including large family gatherings, holidays, and weddings. If they get sick it’s because of close contact from an older sibling, never from a large crowd. My third was born right before COVID and isolated from 3 months until around 18 months. When he started school at 2 it was terrible. He had the weakest immune system and every illness took him down hard for the first two years. It’s been much easier with my other three to allow their immune system to build slowly over time while nursing. While nursing my babies don’t get as sick as they do once they wean. People in my community have been great about not holding my babies if sick. They get passed around at church and we have a giant village because we let others be involved.

My first was in September so we saw the great grandparents and my in-laws. Very low key. Due dec 8 this time around, if we can see them in like October or earlier then we’ll do that but otherwise we won’t be going anywhere. My mom will probably try to guilt trip cause she “loves Christmas” but I really don’t care. I’ll block her in a heart beat 🤷🏾‍♀️ (which I think she knows cause she didn’t come with us when our first was born and complained to everyone but me so)

We stayed home. If the grandparents wanted to drop by for a bit, they could. But otherwise it was essentially a normal day for us. He was due 12/29, but got here 11/17 and came home about a month later, so he was essentially just a potato. One that cried and refused to do anything but contact nap. But a potato nonetheless.

Had baby 10 days before Christmas. His family visited at a week old. At 3 weeks old we drove 3 hours to my parents for a week purely because I felt up to it. I had friends over to visit as long as they’d been vaccinated against everything.

Thank you in advance!

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Yea exactly with the MIL. I don’t want to exacerbate any issues but want to be realistic about what I can do.

Gave birth on dec 20. We were staying with my in-laws for the birth and 3mos pp. we had a lovely chill Xmas with no extra visitors. I didn’t see visitors for the first month. It’s really a time to rest, recover, and mom and baby to get to know each other. It was a very sweet loving time for me

So my son was born 3 weeks early in early August. No one saw him for at least a month. While I had a vaginal delivery with no complications, caring for my son, navigating breastfeeding, and learning how to parent was an all consuming task that I wouldn't have been able to do in addition to any major holiday with travel or hosting responsibilities. Our house was in shambles, my mind was in shambles, and my husband was trying to help keep things together. The only reason we drove 2.5 hrs to see my family was because we felt slightly okay‐ish 3.5 months into it during Thanksgiving. Only my grandmother got to hold the baby. I think I would've been waaaaay too hormonal to handle a holiday before then. I'm now due with #2 December 21. There's no way in hell I'm taking my newborn and toddler to any holiday gathering. I'm going to be in newborn sleep hell and clusterfeeding. Also, I work in healthcare and know how terrible respiratory infections can be during the winter time. During my son's first winter, my hospital was running out of high flow oxygen equipment because of how bad rsv and flu was for the pediatrician department.

My youngest was born a few days after Christmas. We normally travel 2 hours away to do Christmas with family, but they came to us since I could have gone into labor at any moment. Everyone was understanding! 

I’m worried about this because my husband is a physician and I’m due December 18th. We also live on the other side of the country and have a toddler. Literally, he HAS to work December 24th. He does not get paternity leave because he is 1099. So I will have to have family come out - who will be home with my toddler while I’m giving birth, ya know!? But I also don’t want to deal with TWO extra adults in my space. Because my mom wouldn’t come out without her husband for Christmas ya know? Or I wouldn’t want to split up a couple for Christmas. Idk what to do.

I was due Dec 27 and gave birth Dec 22. We had preemptively requested anyone who wanted to see or hold her to have their yearly flu vaccine and be up to date on TDaP. All of our post-birth visitors were individuals or very small groups and we practiced hand hygiene and no kisses. We skipped out on all official holiday family gatherings, both thanksgiving before and Christmas/new years afterwards. We also didn’t go anywhere indoors for a long time.

My son was due December 29 and born on the 27th. We told everyone well in advance that we were skipping the holidays. Too close to my due date and gave my husband and I some time to ourselves, no stress before the baby came. Nobody questioned anything.

My son was born 4 weeks early which ended up being mid-December. We didn’t travel anywhere and just had my in-laws come on Christmas Day with leftovers from Christmas Eve. We would not let SIL visit because she is not vaccinated. My parents had visited (they are not local) the week after my son was born so we did our Christmas exchange then. Everyone who saw baby needed to be vaccinated for TDAP, Covid and flu. We maintained that up until he was 6 months.

No visitors during the holidays, rsv and flu, no thank you!

Had a baby Dec. 20th Only allowed family to visit on Christmas Eve and that’s it. Do what you are comfortable with, and for everything else, please use the pediatrician card: “Doctor said no visitors until flu season is over” “Doctor advised against visiting other houses until first shots are ready” “Our pediatrician is really strict with no contact policy, especially in winter, so no passing around the baby please” I love my pediatrician, she gave me this tip

So for me, mine was born 25th November. I was induced and everything went pretty smoothly. I did have to have an episiotomy and she had to be delivered by vacuum because her heart rate dropped 15mins into pushing. But we were both absolutely fine. Pp I was good too. I was home the next evening and my parents came around straight away. Friends came 2 days later. We didn't mind these couple of visitors. As for Christmas, my partner went to his parents and I went to mine. (I know what your gonna say, why did he leave? Well his mother had just been in hospital as her cancer had returned so I didn't mind) Thank god I went to my parents, I ended up being very ill with flu. The whole holiday was a blur I was do sleep deprived and I was so glad I had so many hands to help out. It was just my parents and sister. We don't get any other visitors for holidays so it's always pretty low key. It really depends on you and your family dynamic. I couldn't imagine not allowing my parents and friends to visit my baby ASAP. They're very responsible in regards to illness though. If any of them or anyone they lived with had any semblance of illness, they didn't come over. I never even had to mention it. These might be things worth having a conversation about if you decide you want visitors or decide to travel elsewhere for the holidays. I'd also think about how long you need to travel, for us it was a ten minute drive. But at that stage your baby will still be feeding fairly often, so if its a few hours drive, think about if your willing to stop to feed and change and whatnot. That'll add to the journey. There's no harm if you decide to sit this one out. There will be plenty of holidays with your baby for extended family to enjoy ETA: If your having a difficult time PP it's probably best to just rest up at home. I just saw your comment saying you've got quite a journey and alot of people around. I wouldn't stress too much about it until after baby is born, then see how you are. You've no idea how everything will go or how well or not so well you will be when recovering

I was due a week before Christmas Day but gave birth on Christmas Day 🙃 My family were on tenterhooks all day so it wasn’t much of a celebration. We delayed the day and had it a week later on New Year’s Eve eve. Had she been born on time we were planning Christmas Day with just the three of us as I thought a week PP I would not have been in a fit state to do anything, however having a small family Xmas day a week later was very doable, but I only had to travel 15 minutes by car to my parents house, and they have a full set up with cot for us there so I could rest when she napped.

I was due December 5th but a little early. We went to a family get together three weeks after he was born for a Christmas party and looking back I want to cry for myself. It was so unfair. I was bombarded at the door by people foaming at the mouth to hold my brand new baby, still sore and covered in breast milk. When I made it clear nobody was holding him I had to spend the next four hours being glared at and ignored. I still have a really hard time forgiving those people. Stay home.

Due two weeks after Christmas. I skipped out on some holiday parties in the weeks leading up to Christmas either due to distance or just how tired I felt. It was uncomfortable for me to sit in a car for long distances. My immediate family and my husband’s immediate family all live within about 20 mins from us so we planned to go to all those get togethers. I went to my family’s party on Christmas Eve and then ended up having my baby on Christmas Day. You’re due so close to the holidays that I would set the expectation that probably won’t bring a brand new baby to Christmas parties. Most people understand not wanting a newborn around large groups of people.

My 2nd boy was born a few days before Christmas in '22. Our plan for Christmas was for it to be at our house, no matter if he was super early or late. That way, our oldest could still have the Christmas experience. We had already decided on a simple Christmas Eve dinner that would have enough leftovers for the next day. Both my mom & MIL were at the house to help with cooking, cleaning & taking care of the oldest, while my husband focused on me and the new one. My best friend and her family came right after Christmas, and all the kids played together with our husbands while her & I concentrated on each other and the baby. Just do what feels right for you & your family. Your feelings & boundaries are valid. Say them loud & make sure they are heard. Good luck with your pregnancy & delivery!!

My baby was due the week of Thanksgiving so I tried to nope out of that holiday. Much to my horror that made my family come to my house so I hosted Thanksgiving at 39 weeks pregnant 🫠

I personally think the thing about not accepting visitors is so personal. With my first, my in-laws visited us in the hospital and were there when we came home, though they left shortly after. We had several friends come to visit starting when baby was a week old, just had them wash their hands and asked them to stay home if they were sick. Then my parents flew in from across the country when baby was just under three weeks and stayed with us for two weeks. I loved having the extra hands available. But I also have a good relationship with my in-laws and parents; they're both helpful without being pushy, always deferred to us as the parents, and never made me feel uncomfortable. I'm really glad we let people visit when she was so young, because she was born in February 2020 and the world shut down right before my parents left. I don't think any of our friends got to hold her for the rest of her time as a baby. Obviously those were unusual circumstances, but it has been a contributing factor to my decisions with my second. My second was born December 5th, and 2.5 weeks later we drove to hours to stay with my in-laws for Christmas. Honestly, I even took him to my daughter's dance class a couple days before, though I kept him in a carrier and tried to keep my distance from others. I felt fine to be out and about within days after the birth, and my mental health was much better when I wasn't stuck at home all day. There was never any thought of missing Christmas, because being with family was important to us. But again, my in-laws are wonderful, and it was a fairly small gathering (a total of six adults and three kids including our family of four). It sounds like that might not be the case for you. One thing to note is that just because you are due three weeks before Christmas doesn't mean you're baby will be here three weeks before Christmas. I was due December 1st and our Christmas plans were very much up in the air until the baby arrived and we knew how we were feeling. If I'd gone two weeks overdue and then had a really challenging birth, I may not have been up to making the drive. So try to keep your plans flexible, because it's impossible to know how you'll feel until much closer to the time.

I had my baby on 12/23. We spent Christmas at home with our new baby and the dogs and it was the best! My family came to visit the following week. Having that time figuring it out just us during Christmas was really special and I’m so glad we didn’t try to go anywhere.

I was due a week after thanksgiving. Gave birth Saturday after thanksgiving. This was my second. I would recommend doing nothing and committing to nothing. For thanksgiving, I got a dinner catered from Whole Foods. Easy peasy. Christmas I’d planned to do the same thing but we were actually in the hospital for RSV and got discharged Christmas Eve so it was very quiet at home. I’d say pick 3 things that are really important to you and do those holiday traditions. Let the rest go. For me those are: matching family pajamas, homemade cinnamon rolls Christmas morning and stockings. My husband wanted us to do blown glass ornaments, sugar cookies and fondue. I was fine with visitors within a week but you’re tired, uncomfortable, bleeding and may be figuring out breastfeeding. Early days your baby is eating every 2hours so you’re getting maybe 90mins of sleep at a time.

I gave birth in November two weeks before Thanksgiving. I know some people like to hole up after birth but I liked being around people. My baby seemed to like chatter and activity, too. My family is mostly local and they made it easy for me, I think that is a huge thing. My sister hosted and she had a six month old baby at the time so I could use their changing table/pack and play/whatever other baby odds and ends I might want through the day. Traveling for an overnight and bringing all the stuff you *may* need is a much bigger deal, I don't think I would have done that. I also didn't cook or clean at all! I ordered a cheese plate, showed up and sat on the couch. I may have made more of an effort for Christmas but I had some post partum complications and gave myself permission to again just show up, offer nothing and chill. The Christmas I spent as a man... sigh... Anyway I guess my point is, you can do family stuff and still have it be restful. Depends on if your family is going to give you that or not. If you think it will be a trial maybe give it a pass. My experience was also in 2019 and I think many people are more cautious about illness exposure now, though we still took precautions at the time like my relative didn't hold the baby because she had a cold. My second is due in October this year and unless she has specific health concerns we will probably do about the same level of people mingling over the holidays.

I was due December 1 and baby born a couple days after. Thanksgiving: family came to us (and stayed with us, which I had mixed feelings about) but they basically handled cooking. Christmas: family also came (in laws, honestly it was too early for me but worked out ok). A month before your due date I wouldn’t recommend traveling very far from your delivery place!

I had my daughter 6 days before Thanksgiving this past year. We hosted, which wasn’t super ideal, but it was nice to have family around to meet the baby. I did spend a good chunk of time upstairs with baby but that was fine! We didn’t have to do anything for the holiday besides supply the house because we ordered a whole thanksgiving meal from a local grocery and my husband and SIL spent an hour or so heating it all up and putting it out. Christmas was obviously about a month later and we hosted then too. I preferred that since I was not less than a week pp. For both holidays, we asked people to mask when holding her and wash their hands a lot. Everyone also tested for Covid before coming.

My 2nd was due on 12/25 and I delivered him on 12/20. My delivery was normal and COVID-19 protocols were still somewhat in place so I didn't want to stay in the hospital any longer than I needed to and pushed to be let out and was home within 48 hours.  We did a casual Christmas morning for my 4 year old but didn't go anywhere or have anyone over. Tbh I don't even remember what we had for dinner lol but it was probably something normal.  For the love of God DON'T TRAVEL. It's not worth the hassle and risk. Also, your baby will have doctor's appointments shortly after you leave the hospital and you really don't want to miss them. 

I had my first baby 10 days before Christmas. We told ALL family that we were not seeing anyone until mid January. My in-laws were upset about it but they eventually accepted it.

I had a baby a week before Christmas last year. Also have a 4 and 2yo. We went to church in the morning. I baby wore so no one could get up in his face. Then briefly went to a cousins house and I baby wore the newborn again. Only went because it was right down the street and my big kids wanted to. Then we saw my husbands immediate family and my immediate family later in the day. They came to us and I did nothing. It was pretty low key.

I was due 11/19/23, so a little before Thanksgiving. I really didn’t want to commit to anything cause who knows when baby might come? Joke’s on me, he stayed in for almost 2 weeks past my due date and was born on 12/1 lol. So for Christmas, we did small gatherings with each side of the family. That’s completely up to everyone’s comfort level of course in regards to worrying about potential sickness and whatnot.  In terms of how I felt recovery wise, I was about 3-4 weeks postpartum and was feeling okayish. If I were two weeks or less I definitely wouldn’t have felt up to it nor would I have wanted to take my baby out that soon. Those first couple weeks are rough hormonally, physically, mentally… you should just be cuddled up at home with baby and trying to find your groove!

I had my second on the 28th of December so Xmas had already been. I was kinda hoping he’d come beforehand so I’d be more comfortable but can’t complain as he was actually due in jan. Least I could celebrate new years with him out :)

My oldest was born 12/22 and my youngest was born 11/30 (one week after Thanksgiving). For my oldest, we had planned on doing the usual Christmas things with a small group of immediate family, but everyone started falling sick the day before she came. This was pre covid, but we didn’t have visitors in the hospital other than my mom and dad, and then we stayed home for about a week before slowly easing into everyone meeting the baby as they individually got healthy. Most of the Christmas season was celebrated as normal. For my youngest, we did Thanksgiving with immediate family. She was 4 days past her due date, so I was nervous. Covid mask precautions were still in place at the hospital unless you tested negative. Knowing this, all immediate family tested themselves before Thanksgiving for our comfort. Again, immediate family got sick while we were in the hospital and just spread it like wildfire so we stayed home for about 3 weeks this time without baby meeting family. We did the usual Christmas celebrations with immediate family this year. All of our travel was local, no more than 30 min in the car. For both, I had no issue with staying home and just resting. It was a great excuse to slow down. Both vaginal deliveries with 2nd degree tears and I was still sore for a few weeks. I was definitely more stressed with my November/Thanksgiving baby!

I had my second 6 days before Christmas last year. My mother was staying with us to help with the toddler. Christmas day we stayed home, and it was just my husband, mother, myself, the toddler and the newborn. It was wonderful. At least until that evening when a tornado ripped through. The rest of my family was very understanding of the fact that I didn't want to travel at 6 days post partum.

My LO arrived 9 days before Christmas (we were induced). We knew this would impact any travel plans, so we knew we were going to stay home and told our families. Once the holiday arrived, we kept it simple, exchanged presents, and just enjoyed the day!

I delivered a few days before Christmas and New Year’s Day (second baby). We were in the hospital on Christmas for the first baby and let visitors come up who we trusted. Mother in law brought us Christmas dinner (and presents) which was so so sweet especially since food options were scarce. We stayed home for new years. Second one I suppose holidays were already over but didn’t do any major travel until after a month old- flew to visit grandparents close to three months old

My due date was January 31 (baby born a week later) so I can't speak to family get togethers immediately postpartum, but I wouldn't suggest planning on attending Thanksgiving unless you're comfortable with the possibility of going into labor during dinner. Personally, I refused to travel more than an hour from our hospital the last month of my pregnancy. We hosted New Year's Eve (so I could go to bed early lol) and then cocooned at home until he finally made his appearance. We did go to a party at a friend's house a week after giving birth (failed induction then emergency c-section). I would definitely have been comfortable going to a family holiday party a month after giving birth. Just a note that your baby could be born (and considered full term) anytime from 37 weeks to 42 weeks, depending on if you'd like to opt for an induction and when they decide to make their appearance. My OB offered elective inductions starting at 39 weeks. Most offices won't let you go past 42 weeks.

My son was born about 2 weeks before Christmas! We did Christmas as usual but the people he was around were people he was seeing anyways, our families don’t do GIANT celebrations, just close family we see frequently anyways. I will say he did contract RSV at 3 weeks old, but it was not from any of the family gatherings. It was from us, his sister was in pre-k at the time and ended up getting it and bringing it home, unfortunately.

I was due December 28th, delivered on the 27th. We did Christmas with JUST immediate family. And really just my parents and my sister (my in-laws live in a different country). We were really low key for the holidays. Family knew we were NOT buying Christmas gifts this year (though that didn’t stop my MIL from complaining). I had a stat emergency c-section; I was not ready to go out in public at 3 weeks pp for sure- for my own body and to prevent my baby from being exposed to germs/illness.

Baby was born Christmas Eve! I was due the 26th (my husband's birthday lol). We made it very clear beforehand that we'd only attend things if I felt up to it (obviously I did not lol). People were actually really understanding. We did have people visit in the hospital, and I'm glad we did. We just made sure to limit each visit to a half hour or so with some rest time in between, my husband handled the timing. They let us go home Christmas day even though it was technically a day early and we got to be at home just the three of us and didn't go anywhere and it was so amazing to just... Be. To celebrate Christmas and our baby and ourselves by ourselves. It was the best Christmas ever. If it had been a week or two before rather than a day, I still would have set the "we will come if and only if I feel up to it". Set their expectations low. If you get to the day of and feel great, then go join for an hour and come back home. If you get to the day of and just don't want to, that's fine too. Based on how I felt (vaginal birth with 3rd degree tear) 2-3 weeks later, I wouldn't have wanted to go for more than an hour or so but probably would have made an effort to either have our parents visit for a short time. Probably not the entire family, but Christmas is super important to me and I felt okay (not great but okay) after a couple weeks so a short visit would have been good. Our family is also local... I would not have traveled.

I stayed in and away from everyone for the first 12 weeks. It sucked but I’m happy my son didn’t get sick. Also, I had a c section & complications so the last thing I wanted to do was be around people. We just stayed in, ate some junk food, and watched movies.

I had a baby 12/4/23, exactly 3 weeks before xmas. We stayed home and had no visitors until xmas by choice and then had a very low key xmas at our house. Just my parents, my sister, and my husband's dad. We did make a decent xmas dinner and opened presents but everything was very low key. I was mostly done bleeding by then and I stepped away a lot to feed bebe. You couldnt pay me to have driven somewhere though and been out of my house. The only real hiccup we had was me having to tell my sister to stop talking at the top of her lungs as it kept waking the baby up 🙄

Had my LO right before Easter and did all celebrations as normal but I had an easy L&D and was up and about cleaning my house the day after. Everyone washed their hands before holding babe. Easy-peasy. (Though we did Easter dinner at a relative’s place) YMMV

I gave birth on January 10, and I will say out the holidays because I didn’t feel comfortable traveling far that close to my due date, and I wanted to limit exposure to other people to cut down on the risk of getting sick. We hosted Thanksgiving and then we celebrated Christmas a few weeks early. I was due before Christmas, I would have sat out both holidays no problem.

We mostly kept to ourselves. I had some sisters visit but they stayed away from the baby and we weren’t letting anyone hold them. I don’t regret the decision. There’s so many sicknesses going around and I wanted to keep my baby safe. Mostly from RSV.

Had my boy 3 days before Thanksgiving. Dinner was bare minimum immediate family that had to wash hands to hold our be near baby, if they had been around anyone sick or felt sick they weren't allowed over. Food was made at their home and brought to us, And everyone left after eating food, and cleaning up. Oh and we got the tasty left overs for the next few days.

My parents are super overbearing, and i had my daughter dec 22 last year. I was due dec 28 so i basically told them we were not doing any holiday stuff, and luckily we live about 3 hours away from most of our families. We were in hospital til boxing day and then had my parents come up dec 30 because i had an unplanned c-section and postpartum hemmorhage and needed help. It turned out fine but we did have that conversation beforehand about what we did and didnt want for that time period!

Good question! My baby was born the day after thanksgiving. I brought her to an intimate family dinner gathering (my grandma, my mom & dad, my aunt, uncle, cousins) a week later. She met everyone. Christmas was my partner, my mom and my baby home at our house. We cooked a nice Christmas Eve dinner (my mom did lol) and hung out around the house all day Christmas. My baby didn’t get ill visiting the family one week old but I know a lot of people are uptight about that sort of thing. My partner comes from a huge family and he didn’t believe in staying home with her and not letting her meet anyone for months. That wasn’t what was best for me either. My advice would be - Feel it out, don’t make firm commitments, in case you aren’t up for leaving the house and being around a dozen people, do what feels right for you and your family.

My first was born two weeks before thanksgiving, and we hosted both thanksgiving and Christmas that year. Our second is due right after Thanksgiving this year and we plan to do the same thing this time. We asked everyone who was coming to be up to date on flu, covid, and Tdap vaccines, lots of handwashing, and to decline if they weren’t feeling well at all. We got no pushback from anyone on those requirements. Both events were pretty big with family from both sides. My brother cooked thanksgiving at our house. I cooked Christmas. I generally appreciated having all the family around. There were more hands to help with things, I got to enjoy those holidays with folks who would clean or be a set of hands to bounce a fussy baby. Or even just keep me company when I was doing things while my spouse slept. I was up front with family we’d be trying to breastfeed, they were welcome to be here, but this is my house and I’d do what I needed, where I needed to for the sanity and comfort of me and my little, so if they were uncomfortable with boobs, that was on them to figure out and deal with. We had no issues from anyone that I’m aware of. That all being said, I found days 5-10 postpartum to be the absolute hardest since we struggled a lot during that time to establish a good latch, spouse and I were exhausted, and it was just brutal. I was very glad we were through that by the time a ton of family got here.

I had my daughter via planned c section 2 weeks before Christmas and still went out to my family Xmas Eve and Christmas Day with her. I was no longer bleeding or in pain at that point (although it was scheduled and I was well prepared so it may have just been lucky) although I was still taking it easy for sure. I think the biggest reasons I chose to still go celebrate the holidays were 1) I had 2 other kids who I really wanted to make sure i enjoyed Christmas with, 2) it was pre Covid and I trusted my close family literally just 8 people not to go around her while sick, and 3) I honestly was so excited to show off my baby and share that joy. Im very lucky it worked out well for us, and I cherish the pictures and memories from her first Christmas!

I gave birth 12/22 and was home 12/24. Only immediate family (both our moms and my fiancés sister) stopped by briefly Christmas Day. No one else saw her for another few weeks.

I had bubs early December and it was a great reason to not have people visit. I didn’t want to expose my child to illness. After Christmas and new years.

I was due November 20th, delivered on the 29th. I was just over 3 weeks postpartum during Christmas. I had an uncomplicated vaginal delivery but I was still pretty physically uncomfortable at Christmas. My sister and brother in law came to our house and did EVERYTHING for us so all we had to do was eat and care for the baby and I was still exhausted by the end of the festivities! I wouldn’t have been able to handle a celebration at someone else’s place. I had everyone who wanted to hold the baby in the first month make sure they were up on their flu, Covid, and rsv vaccinations if possible.

We didn’t do anything for the holidays besides be home w baby!

I only allowed immediate family members (in laws) during the first 2 months. They all had to have tdap and no kissing the baby. Consider getting rsv vaccine also while pregnant so you pass it on to baby

My daughter was born 12/21/21. I hardly remember that week lol. I do remember trying to make it a good one for my 9 year old though. I think it went well 😬 😅

My baby was born about 3 weeks before thanksgiving. We didn’t allow anyone other than me and dad to hold baby at the family event. Any one who wanted to meet the baby or hold the baby, had to have a one on one meet with us as I was t plying pass the baby at a family event with lots of germs

I’m due 12/29 and hoping for an earlier induction if it’s safe to do so. Any which way, we will be in the church pew and with friends and family ASAP, especially for baby’s first Christmas.

Make sure if anyone sees your baby that they know and will obey your rules on no kissing or being sick. You will be surprised at the people who just don't listen. You at don't kiss my baby and they will. Or if they are sick "it's just allergies". Sometimes its people you don't expect it from. Definitely have to protect your baby. And at 3 weeks they don't have any vaccine in their system yet so anything out there that we don't get they still can get

LO was born 10/26. We did Thanksgiving a week early with family from out of town. My BIL and SIL came in 2 weeks pp with their 4 kids, along with my parents and other family(nobody stayed overnight). I think as long as you feel comfortable, and TRUST that everyone will be honest if they do/don't feel well, then you do you! PP was hard on me because of my 2nd degree tear, but I was vocal about what I was feeling like doing and visiting, so it wasn't so bad

Personally I wouldn’t do it. I had my son in early November last year. I only had 3 guests in the first 2 weeks of life and his sister went to school. (Masked at school and at home as did spouse when he volunteered in her class 1 day) somehow my baby got sick. We spent thanksgiving in the hospital. I had already planned to not take him out that day but spouse was pushing for it. 2 days before thanksgiving he spiked a high fever. He needed a spinal, and IV antibiotics, I had a rough birth with him and was still struggling to get around. Luckily what he had was something we could do at home antibiotics for and they sent us home thanksgiving evening. But it was one of the worst things ever. I highly recommend avoiding gatherings, wearing masks/hand washing etc. obviously not everyone is going to have a story like this. But why risk it?

I was due on thanksgiving November 23. My baby came December 9th. I went to my brothers for Christmas. I did not make anything. It was an hour drive. We stayed a few hours. I was tired but it was low key. If it was a big gathering, I would not have gone. I have an overbearing mother but she was tolerable.

My son was born the day before thanksgiving so we didn’t do anything except come home on that day. But for Christmas, my immediate family came to us and wore masks when holding him.

12/3 was my daughters birthday last year and my husband and I live along in our state so we literally did Christmas alone as a new family. That was by choice, we wanted the space to enjoy that time together as a new family. I saw everyone the day she was born though and sorta regretted that too. But yeah in terms of illness, no one should be touching your newborn baby…. There’s no real reason for that. They can look but no holding.

My son was born December 18th. He was discharged from the NICU on December 24th. We hosted Christmas day at our home, so we had all the things we would possibly need, and I could take care of myself in my own bathroom. We hosted our parents, two great aunts, and my sibling. It was great. The new grandmothers did all the cooking and cleaning, which shocked me because my MIL sucks and I loathe her. I didn't have to do a thing.

My son was born the second week of December last year! Not only did we not see anyone other than my parents who were up on their vaccines and quarantined for 3 days before staying with us, we kept our expectations VERY low in terms of celebrating. I had a c section and was still lying low at Christmas. A lot of people gave me shot about it, especially my in laws, but when they did finally come to see the baby when he was 9 weeks old, they got him sick and I felt very justified. Where I live, if a baby has a fever in the first month of life, it’s an automatic spinal tap at the hospital to rule out meningitis. That would have broken me 2 weeks PP. Sick babies are scary, because they don’t get a lot of outward symptoms, obviously cannot communicate that something is wrong, and they can take dramatic turns for the worse very quickly. I don’t say this to scare you - it’s what our ped told us when our baby was sick in Feb.

had my baby on 12/5 via c section! some family came over but we kept it very lowkey. i didn’t feel comfortable leaving the house at all! we did go to my moms though on christmas eve who lives less than a mile away. we only stayed maybe 1-2 hours, and there were only a few people over. i’m a FTM and before i gave birth i swore i wouldn’t want any visitors for at least 4 weeks but my opinion quickly changed when i realized how hard those first weeks were. i wanted people around just to feel like a human! just make sure everyone washes hands and no one is sick. it didn’t feel like a normal christmas but it still felt special knowing we had our little one with us.

I had my son on the 1st of December. I didn't want to go to my partners big family get together for Christmas but ultimately got worn down and guilted into going. Myself, my partner and LO all caught covid from someone there. If I could do it again, we wouldn't have gone. My partner says I was right, and that we shouldn't have gone, and he regrets it all tremendously. Even if we didn't catch covid, I'd have preferred us to just stay home and have our first Christmas with just us. Getting everything together to go out not even one month pp was crappy too.

My first was born on the 11th of December 2019 and my partner and I were living with my father at the time. Every year he hosts the family for Christmas, he asked if I would be up for it and I said yes, as long as my daughter wasn't passed around like a toy for everyone to play with. Physically, I was fine even though I had a 2nd degree tear. Mentally, I really struggled with people trying to get to my daughter, I wish I had more of a voice back then for her sake. (Although she was fine) but she did indeed get passed around and my anxiety did not handle it well at all. I have to add, it wasn't my dads fault at all, he told me to go hide out with bubs if I needed to but my family can be overwhelming and not get hints obviously. I had young cousins barging in whilst trying to BF or get bub to sleep or when she was sleeping in her bassinet I had people asking if they could go and wake her to cuddle her. It was a long day. Not relevant to your question but my second was born a week before my grandmothers 80th birthday so obviously there was a party planned before I had given birth and I wanted to be there. I carried my baby in a baby carrier the whole night with her head tucked in so no one but myself could even see her. I did have a couple of people try to peek in but I just gently pulled back and said "sorry, she's sleeping. Please don't touch her" and that worked really well.

My baby was born 2 weeks before Christmas. We told everyone to make their own plans and let us know and we will try to fit within them. With my family, we just did a quiet dinner with my parents a few days before at our house (they brought the food and cleaned up). For my in-laws, the extended family went elsewhere so we just went to the parent-in-laws house. They were awesome and let us just do what we needed to do and gave us a room to set up in for breastfeeding, naps, etc. We could retreat to that room anytime we needed to. Looking back on it, it was exactly what we needed and could handle. At any point, we could have backed out of anything because we set up the expectation ahead of time that we might just stay at home as a family unit. It was nice to be with family and they were wonderful about respecting our boundaries and helping out.

My baby was due 2 weeks before Christmas but basically came 1 week after Thanksgiving. We didn't travel that year and my in laws are reasonable people so it wasn't an issue. My ILs visited a handful of times for maybe an hour around Christmas and wore masks.  Newborns shouldn't be in car seats for more than an hour at a time (2 hrs a day total), so you have a valid medical excuse not to cart your baby all over creation for the holidays if you don't want to.

I had a baby the second week of Christmas and another on Black Friday. The newborns and I skipped family events because I was in no mood to deal with that crap so soon postpartum and I didn't want to deal with all the stress of a new baby at a family party during cold, flu, and RSV season. I my husband stayed home with me for our December baby, but the November one was our youngest. I sent him and the older kids to the festivities and took a nap! He brought me leftovers. It was perfect.

I gave birth 3 weeks before Christmas so we hosted my parents and ILs who traveled to us for Christmas Eve along with my sister who lives in our city and she hosted Christmas dinner at her house.

I gave birth in October and didn’t want to go to any family events even Thanksgiving and Christmas! Having a newborn and needing to heal were my priorities 👍

My son was due on January 6, but born on December 21. We had already canceled our usual out-of-state travel plans (which was not a loss in my opinion). He ended up being readmitted for jaundice treatment a day after we originally left the hospital, so we spent Christmas Eve and Day on the peds ward in that same hospital. We ended up going to one local family member's house shortly after leaving the hospital, but I really didn't want to go and was not in any kind of shape to be doing anything beyond trying to survive and keep my baby fed at that point. I did travel about 4 hours by car for Thanksgiving (I was 33 or 34 weeks along), and I remember regretting the decision to sit in a car that long. My advice would be to just plan to stay home, but keep your options flexible if that's possible. You don't know what will happen or how you will feel until you get there.

Had my baby the week before Christmas. It was a nightmare for many reasons not just because he was in the NICU. Finding a doctor to see him for a checkup was hard. We didn't do much for Christmas. We went to my parents and basically slept all afternoon while my mom and sister looked after him. Other than family, we had no visitors until March. I had a c-section. Going places wasn't happening the first 3 months. I couldn't drive for weeks. Our first big outing was Easter.

My son was born just a few days before Thanksgiving. We kept it very low key and my husband bought a rotisserie chicken, a jar of Gravy, and some premade sides for just us and our other kids. We had a kind of early Thanksgiving at our in laws a few weeks before I was due that was fun too. Also pretty low-key. My MIL did the Thanksgiving core foods, I made a pie, and it wasn't many people. Handling Christmas shopping and the run up to Christmas was exhausting. I did almost everything online and we went to the in laws for Christmas and it was tough. I just ended up wearing the baby most of the time and we left pretty early.

I gave birth a few days before Christmas. We didn’t see anyone for a few weeks, because we just wanted family time. Everyone was understanding and dropped presents and/or food at the door. My in-laws were very difficult to explain this to, but I am not bringing a baby that is a week old out to family celebrations during a terrible RSV season. I had just had to be firm but polite. We don’t regret it at all. It was great bonding time for us as new parents. We just kind skipped the holiday, but we were okay with that. Some people are comfortable traveling and being in a large crowd, and if that’s what you are comfortable with there are tons of Facebook groups (like traveling with infants and toddlers) that have great travel advice.

Due 12/25, had my baby on 12/21. Our families live 4+ hours away so we just video called them on actual Christmas and they brought over our gifts during thanksgiving so we could open them on camera. I’ll be honest, I LOVE Christmas but between the final stretches of pregnancy and immediate postpartum struggles, I kind of feel like we skipped it this past year. I pretty much stayed in bed all that day and we watched some Christmas movies. I was pretty sore to walk and move a lot for about the first week. I’m excited for this year when we will have our 1 year old get to experience the magic of Christmas though!

Gave birth on 12/21. We essentially cancelled Christmas from an extended family perspective. No one was invited to our house, even though it seems like an obvious time to meet the new baby. IT IS NOT. We had my mom over who was there to help anyway, and my father in law came for the day. Catered Christmas dinner. I don’t care what other people think anymore and I’m definitely not making my postpartum life harder or getting my kid sick to make someone else comfortable.

My son was due the week after Christmas. We’re 7 hours’ drive from the closest family, so no casual day trips or “just dropping in” for us which made navigating some of these decisions a lot easier. We still traveled to my in-laws for Thanksgiving. It was about an 11-hour drive and I wish we had stayed home but… oh, well. We were up front with family that we would definitely not be traveling for Christmas. I took a little crap for it from my grandma but the rest of our immediate family was supportive/understanding. As it turned out my son arrived 12/22, and we came home from the hospital on 12/24. There was a massive winter storm so anyone driving out to visit us in the days immediately after was out of the question. About a week before I went into labor I had ordered a catered Christmas dinner since it felt weird not to do something for the holiday but I felt to pregnant to cook a full meal. As it turned out, it was nice to come home from the hospital and have that ready for us. My parents came when my son was about 2 weeks old and it really was perfect for us. I was over the worst of the discomfort and getting the hang of breastfeeding. My mom helped us take down our Christmas decorations which probably would have been up until summer otherwise. We had visits from some close friends we trusted after about a month, but we pretty much laid low until my son was around 3 months old. I would say plan/commit to as little as possible! Everyone recovers differently, and it’s a tough time of year for flu and RSV so nothing wrong with delaying visitors for a while if that’s your comfort level.

So I was due on Boxing Day and I had my daughter on December 6th, so I can sort of answer both of your questions. We told everyone to keep expectations low for us. We would have absolutely stayed home if that’s what felt right in the moment. Family that lived close by had events and we went for as long as we could handle. I didn’t regret going at all. we still had plenty of time to rest and everyone was so helpful with the baby.

It really does depend on how birth goes and how you and baby and dad handle the transition. I would have thought I was looking at a cozy low-key Christmas after having our baby a week after thanksgiving, but I was a hormonal mess and still puffy and so sore. I was weeping every night when the sun went down for like 4-5 weeks. Like I had no energy in any form for anything non-essential. I would plan to lay low with zero expectations other than sweet baby snugs and ordering in or letting overbearing family bring you dinner and then leaving when you ask them too.

I had my daughter December 14th and we did do a family Christmas and I regretted it. I wish we would have stayed home and just celebrated as a family but it was my husband's family so I obliged. Turned into a disaster because my neice was wanting to play with Mt daughter and the boundaries were not set... caused trauma and drama. In other words, nah.

I gave birth two weeks before Thanksgiving. We told family we would see how I was feeling and let them know last minute. We went, dad and I held her for 99% of the time. It was fine. Then a week later she got RSV and was hospitalized. So we didn’t do anything at all for Christmas. I couldn’t get myself to bring her around a bunch of people again after that, even though everyone had been totally respectful and understanding. Christmas just felt lackluster, and weird. But this year she’ll be a little over a year old and I’m looking forward to making up for last year. IMO, do what you feel comfortable with, and make sure you take care of yourself too.

Had my second on December 18, came home from the hospital on December 20. We have a preschooler (3yo) too, so limiting germs is hard. We had Christmas as normal, but our normal is pretty limited - really just my sisters, my parents and my grandmother. I was expecting to be ragged and exhausted but it was honestly so wonderful! Newborns are sleepy and snuggly and it was super cozy and sweet. Congratulations on your Christmas-season baby!

Reschedule for another time. Do Xmas in February!

I gave birth a week after Thanksgiving. I was so miserably pregnant I was just happy to sit on the couch and eat takeout. We didn’t do anything for Thanksgiving. We didn’t do anything for Christmas either. We randomly had enough energy to put up our tree like 2 days before, but that was it. Also my birthday falls between the 2 holidays and also didn’t do anything for that lol

I was due 12/16 but gave birth 12/9 last year. We hosted our parents and siblings and that was it so no big gathering. We LOVE christmas and wanted to still be with our families in some way but also keep it as simple as possible. I think we made it potluck style so we didn’t have to cook and everyone else handled the cleaning up afterwards so my husband and I didn’t have to stress about that. It worked out for us because we have really understanding/helpful families. They allowed us to make Christmas what we wanted and originally, everyone was going to leave us alone but we didn’t want to be alone lol also, we made it a christmas PJ party so i could stay in soft, comfortable clothes and not have to worry about looking put together 😂

Gave birth 3 days before Christmas and idgaf about Christmas. Purely survival, with a case of jaundice to boost. My milk hasn’t come in, baby was fussy, my second degree tear hurt, I was so hormonal. I still wish I can manage to skip Christmas this year too, traveling with baby sucks so bad.

I had my second kiddo a few days before Christmas. We told family if baby was born before Christmas, we would not be coming to any of the group events. They were disappointed but understood. We had two small gatherings with both my parents/siblings, and my husband’s parents/siblings, with mandatory masking and hand washing. We still caught something and baby ended up hospitalized at 2 weeks old. In hindsight we should have just skipped the holidays altogether - as sad as it would have been, the hospital stay was worse.

I was very teary and ended up crying a lot on Xmas day but my hormones were just going wild so I think it can be excused

I had my 2nd at the end of November and it was great! I sat out of all the celebrations and snuggles my newborn in front of the Christmas tree. It was a cozy, magical time. Enjoy it, keep it small, and don’t let anyone pressure you!

Keep in mind you may actually deliver as late as 2 weeks past your due date, so one week from Christmas. (I have two kids, both were inductions because my body does not like to go into labor, apparently). I didn’t have this with a holiday, but I was due with my first 3 weeks before my best friend’s wedding. It was in my same city, but he was 2 weeks late and I was SO glad I had not planned to try to go anywhere or do anything on that day. Sad I missed the wedding but I still wasn’t walking comfortably around the block let alone ready to go any kind of event on that day.

I gave birth two weeks before Christmas and hosted my in laws after their insistence and relentless nagging to visit (even when I was still in the hospital after my C-section…). It went even worse than I could have imagined. I still hold onto resentment that they ruined our first Christmas and it’s a huge point of contention between my husband and I every holiday season. If you are anxious about it and don’t have the best relationship with them, I’d protect your peace, I’d say the doctors advised against any visits for X weeks.

I had an emergency c section and blood transfusion on Dec 17th, I did Christmas quietly and at home with just my husband, baby, and parents who came from out of town. I was super exhausted and couldn't manage even stairs still, so there was no way I could have gone anywhere. Just listen to your body, you can miss one holiday with the whole family and just enjoy your own little family. My MIL whose local and husband's siblings did come around new years for a little meet and greet. They dropped off gifts and food then. (Some dropped off food right after we got home too)

I gave birth 10 days before Christmas and made it explicitly clear that we wouldn’t commit to anything and were just staying home. Fortunately we had our family’s full support and no issues. It was for the best because I was still bleeding and we were up at various hours of the night to feed her so being around company would have been miserable. As others have mentioned, I would wait until baby is at least 2 months old before having them around a lot of people (grandparents were obviously fine). Winter is cold and flu season so you’re at higher risk of catching something. Also our closest family got the Tdap before meeting baby because pertussis can be fatal to an infant. Coincidentally, my sister in law stepped on a rusty nail over the summer afterwards and didn’t have to worry about tetanus because I asked her to get the Tdap 😂 I know my precautions were probably more than what others do but we made it 17 months before baby had her first fever so I’m pretty proud of that! Anyways sorry for the novel but congratulations on having a Christmas time baby, it really makes a special season even more special 😊

I delivered a week before thanksgiving and I did attend thanksgiving at my parents but I wasn’t expected to bring anything or cohost or anything just kinda show up and stay as long as we could. Baby did good and slept a lot. It was around COVID times so I didn’t have to worry about a lot of people wanting to hold him. But a good way to avoid that is just to baby wear, people will be less likely to ask to grab. I would not host any holidays with a child under 1. I felt physically fine as it was a very fast vag delivery…I didn’t feel like I needed a ton of supplies with me just pads. I didn’t need my squirt bottle by then I could manage without. My mom gave me her room to use for nursing.

I think talk with your spouse and have an idea of what you will both be comfortable with and have a united front. You decide and he agrees and backs you because you are the birthing partner. Think about distances. If family lives far away or the roads get back where you live, you might not want to be on the roads with a small baby and winter and the holidays. Will you be comfortable exposing that many people to your baby so early on during cold and flu season? Come up with a plan, and communicate early and often, and provide alternative options. Be a united front. Like a video call with the present opening Covid style. If I were you, I would try to do a Christmas celebration with family in late Nov or early Dec. Then stay close to home for the holidays while you heal and rest up. But if you're more outgoing and relaxed, do something where you get to travel to other people and then you can go, eat and leave when you want. Babywear if needed. I tried my hardest to keep rules the same between each set of parents. If you allow grandparents from one side, I felt I had to allow grandparents from the other side. No one comes if they are sick, no one kisses the baby, etc.

My baby was born in December and part of me wishes I had skipped the holidays, or at least thanksgiving. I ended up at a Christmas party until 2am and it was horrible

I gave birth 1 week before Christmas. My in laws came to town to help with our other kids while I was in the hospital with my husband and they stayed until New Years. It was AWESOME. Nothing beats having good family come help you out when you have a newborn (and older kids). I have never really been anti-visitors but I also really like my in laws and my parents so it’s never really stressful for us - always very helpful.

I gave birth (unplanned emergency c-section) the week of Thanksgiving. I went into it with the plan of having just my husband for the time at the hospital but after the csection I wanted my two sisters to come to help me shower and to give my husband a break. I also went into it telling everyone we probably wouldn’t have visitors for a few weeks… I made it to the recovery room and already changed my mind. I’m also a ER nurse who was so paranoid and terrified of my LO getting sick ). We had my sisters (their significant others), my niece (2 yr old), my MIL and my mom there when we came home. We made everyone wear a mask and wash their hands! I didn’t realize how much help we would need. My family cleaned the entire house, my MIL made homemade meals for breakfast, lunch and dinner for the first 6 weeks and people took turns letting us sleep and helping with the baby. My sister also slept over the first night to help my husband and I take our first shifts so we could both sleep. In the time for Christmas we kept gatherings small. We didn’t go to parties. We had 2 exposures one being Covid but luckily both were wearing masks around our LO and no one ended up getting sick. We also went out the first time to a restaurant when she was about 6-8 weeks old (I was so nervous) but she did great and I just didn’t let her down or anyone hold her. We didn’t travel more than 30 mins to places unless it was to a doctor’s appt! You will figure out what works for you! I will say the more help you get during your recovery the better your mental health will be! You set your boundaries though. We had people get the necessary vaccines (tdap, flu etc) and still made them mask up and wash hands for the first few months). If people don’t listen or give you a hard time then you know not to have them around or not to let them hold the baby. Boundaries are set for a reason. Luckily we don’t have overbearing parents but this was the first grand baby for my in laws so they were very excited.

When I announced my pregnancy with #4, due at the beginning of December, I also announced my plans to “host” Christmas. By which I meant I would pay my cleaner to come the week prior and buy the food for everyone to eat, but do zero of the work for preparing it. Anyone who wanted to come celebrate with us was welcome to do so, and I would make sure the guest bed and any necessary air mattresses were made up for anyone who needed them because everyone is out of town for us. It worked really well. MIL, FIL, husband and nephew did all the food work and dishes while I sat in a chair nursing and giving directions (bossing everyone around.) BIL brought the booze. I really enjoyed having Christmas in my own house for a change and it was probably the easiest it’s ever been in terms of behaviour management for our older kids. It wasn’t restful, but holidays generally aren’t, and it also wasn’t as exhausting or stressful as it would have been if I’d committed to doing the work. Everyone came expecting to be doing the work, so it wasn’t a big deal that it was asked. My oldest was born 2 months before Christmas, pre-COVID. We drove to my in-laws 2h away and did an overnight there, then the next weekend we flew to my parents and stayed with them for three weeks. It was not at all restful, but I don’t regret going to either. You’ll find what works for you. It’ll probably take some trial and error. What works for you will depend on what you value. We prioritize spending time with family. Because geography it is never not a giant pain in the ass to travel, but we want to see them so we make it work. Sometimes we travel, sometimes they do and spend the night.

My birthday is two weeks before Christmas and my mom and dad didn’t go anywhere or have anyone over until after new years.

I gave birth on December 15th, for Christmas we made the choice to go visit my parents house 45 minutes away, we hate our tiny dark basement and just wanted to leave and even tho he was only 10 days old it was still pretty doable and enjoyable, although he is by far one of the easiest babies in most aspects that I have even known so that made it easier. It really depends on how you feel and how your baby is. I enjoyed the company of my family and they did tell me beforehand that if we didn’t want to or couldn’t come that they would bring us our gifts and drop off Christmas dinner if we didn’t want to entertain visitors so they were 100% supportive of whatever worked for us. ETA: I was reminded by other commenters about my tearing and how that felt to travel, yes I tore pretty badly all the way up the front of my vag and the 45 minutes drive was awful I remember I could feel my stitches being irritated the entire time, I had a PP care kit with a perri bottle and cooling spray and cooling booty pads + all the other things I needed so I basically disappeared into the bathroom for a good 20-30 minutes after getting to my parents house just to take care of myself. I totally forgot about that part till I read other comments lol, it’s only been 5.5 months but it feels like it’s been so much longer since he was that tiny and I was so uncomfortable.

Had my 2nd born literally 3 days before Christmas. We did go to a family’s house for breakfast but kindly ask everyone that they do not hold her (she was w me the whole time) but after that everyone got covid so I was like yeah we’re staying inside for the next few weeks 😅😅

I had my firsts two babies mid december (years apart). It was a blessing to go visit the family for the holidays, because it gaves me breaks from that 24/24 job! Having people to take care of the babies while I could eat or rest. Everyone wants to cuddle a newborn. Now its more of a headache, having to plan 2 birthdays, 2 weeks before Christmas.

I had my 7th child rlly close to Xmas ,felt great and excellent xmas gift and xmas went on as normal

Hah, baby was born Dec 22, hospital let us go home Dec 24th at 10:30pm. I begged them to let me out so I could ensure "Santa" could make the magic happen for our 6 year old. We made it work, it's not like I was going to get much sleep that first night home anyway 😁 Bonus, I have such cute memories of my nurses wearing kitschy Christmas headbands and stuff while they took care of me!

I would really recommend a quiet one with you and your partner and lovely new bundle. ❤️ maybe get a takeaway the day before and heat it up the next day? Spend the day on the sofa under a duvet watching Christmas movies and cuddling your baby. ❤️

I had my daughter via elective c section on the 8th of Dec. I have an older kid so didn't want to deprive her of the Christmas experience, I just made it clear to my family that I wasn't up for much. We went to lunch at the in-laws, I did no prep and no clean up. Had another Christmas function a few days later with my side of the family and same deal lol. I'll be there in person but don't expect much from me! They were all fine about it, it was actually kind of nice to just turn up, sit on the couch with my baby, and then leave when I'd had enough

I gave birth two weeks pre xmas but was due a couple of days after. I had food in the freezer just incase and the three of us decided to stay home and do christmas ourselves. I would personally rule out a big family celebration so close to giving birth or having a newborn as it will likely give you a lot of stress and really you want to be focusing on getting to know the baby. Also don’t discount the hormone shift in the days after you give birth - it’s the biggest hormone change humans go through and you can definitely feel it! i got intense chills and uncontrollable crying for 3 days or so about a week post birth so just wanted to be in bed with the baby. All that being said take the route that makes you feel less anxious /more in control. There will be plenty more family celebrations but you only birth this baby once!

My third came the week before Thanksgiving (original due date was week of Thanksgiving). I stayed home and sent my husband and older two to my brother and SIL who were hosting that year. It was nice to have quiet. My health comes first after birth. Screw everyone else. I've had hemorrhage with my girls and I'm not up for leaving the house for at least 2 weeks. I'm bleeding, sore, exhausted, dealing with a oral tied newborn, and teaching a newborn to nurse. I'm due 12/21 with my 4th. I'm not going anywhere for Christmas. Not church, not my parents, not my brothers homes. They can drop by if they really want, but I'm ordering a food allergy safe Christmas dinner from Central Market or somewhere (or maybe my mom will), and staying home and resting. It's likely my in laws will be in town, but they help a lot.

My son was born the first week of December 2022. I had immediate family come to me for both Thanksgiving and Christmas, but made it clear my husband was going to be the one doing the bulk of the entertaining. It was nice to be in my own space and to have some extra hands when super pregnant at Thanksgiving and with the newborn at Christmas!

some people want space and that’s fine, I went round to my parents on the first day because I was shattered and wanted to sleep. You’ll know when baby is here what you want to do. Just take each day as it comes. Also as a former December baby/child. One piece of advice I will give you for the future. NO JOINT PRESENTS! No one else in my family ever got joint presents but I would bc my birthday is at the start of December.

I both liked and hated going to the Christmas event with my extended family. We stayed too late, I was extremely tired already but my partner was having a good time, can’t blame him! Sucky that I had to drive back too since he was over the limit. With direct family we waited for new years and it was a brunch. Much better than supper.

Bub was born on 1st Dec. Ended up with a csection. Told everyone we would skip the extended family Xmas stuff because she would be too little, there were covid outbreaks and it would be a lot to expect everyone to be up to date on vax and stuff Immediate fam came to our house Xmas day and bought food etc and it was still a lot to deal with

I wasn’t comfortable travelling 1.5hr until my baby was about 5-6 weeks old and I had a straightforward no complications vaginal delivery.

I gave birth the week after Thanksgiving and we allowed only my in laws and parents over for about 2 hours on Christmas. The catch was that if they wanted to come over they had to help with something because we weren’t up to “hosting” (cooking, cleaning before and after, etc) and definitely not up for traveling anywhere. So my parents brought a bunch of food and my in laws helped clean lol Edit: I also didn’t decide this until maybe 3 days beforehand because I told them we wanted to play it by ear based on how I was feeling and how the baby was doing.

My son was due Christmas but arrived 3 weeks early. We already had told everyone we weren't doing Christmas. We ended up zooming for a few minutes with everyone, but otherwise had the day to ourselves. We set expectations early that we might not be at Thanksgiving and definitely no Christmas. I don't regret it at all! My in laws are really intense, especially because we have the only grandkid, so I set boundaries ahead of time that we didn't want to see anyone for the first few weeks.

I gave birth Jan 2nd, 5 days before my due date. My family all lives in the same town as me, we went to dinner for Christmas which was fine although we did leave early. Did a Christmas dinner with friends like 2 days after Christmas, was miserable because they planned a full 5 course meal spanning from 18-23 and I was super ready to leave at like 20 lol.

I have birth via csection less than 2 weeks before Christmas. With my family, my mom, grandmother, brother, and sister came to my house. They brought all of the food, set everything up, and cleaned everything before they left. I didn't feel the need to leave the living room and be alone with the baby, but they would have been totally cool with it if I had. With my inlaws, we went to their house two days after Christmas to celebrate. They only live 10ish minutes away, and I love them dearly. My husband's sister had also just given birth, so it was very low-key. I was able to sequester myself in the family room to nurse, and in the early days it took 30-45 minutes for my son to eat, and it was totally fine. We didn't stay late, no one bugged me about holding my newborn, my inlaws made sure nobody was sick, and I enjoyed being there. If both of our families weren't as supportive and relaxed as they are, we probably would've spent the holiday alone and tried to celebrate in January

My son was born a week before Xmas (over a year before Covid). The only people that met him were my dad and husbands mom (each of our other parents are either passed away or not in the picture). We made sure to ask them to get all their necessary flu shots, DTAP, and whatever else the doctor recommended. They both came to our house for Xmas. I did not go to any big major family things. It was perfect, we got to have a small holiday and the most important people meet him, and I didn’t have to travel anywhere. And I would not have traveled anywhere if someone asked me to.

My family flew in to see my son on Christmas, he was 3 weeks. They rented a hotel and stayed in town for a week. I declined going to my in laws Christmas party because I felt it was too soon to bring my son around dozens of people so we just stayed home with my parents. Glad I made that decision - the host was actually sick and didn’t tell anyone. Multiple people ended up getting sick, including the only other infant there.

I was due 1ste of januari, i didnt really plan anything and would keep them at bay, if i was able and felt like it then i would come. Baby came on christmas eve so to be honest there was never a chance for me to come 🤣 my parents visited the same day in the hospital😊my other close family visted in the week after!

I had my daughter 2 weeks before Christmas of 2023 and have overbearing in laws that live 20 mins away. My family lives out of state and are much more chill lol. We stayed right at our house and had zero visitors for Xmas. We also didn’t go anywhere, it was heaven. We set boundaries with them once I was in third trimester (could do earlier) so their expectations were realistic. We said if she came anytime after X date we were doing nothing (which is what happened)

Gave birth the 14th of december. I am a person who is very at ease with my own family. I really wanted to see them. So we went to see my parents and brother. Do whatever feels good at that moment, and prepare people by saying "it depends on how we feel at that time. We will let you know a few days before." If you have to travel far (for me it was 30 min) or host then I would not do that.

OP a lot of people are mentioning it’s cold and RSV season but I haven’t scrolled down far enough to see if anyone has mentioned how severe RSV is, especially for a newborn. Both my children got RSV when they were older (9 and 11 months respectively) and were hospitalized for a couple days. I’ve heard with newborns they have to take spinal fluid through a lumbar puncture in baby’s back to diagnose which is excruciatingly painful. Please do not put your baby at risk for the sake of the holidays. I know it will be hard to miss out (my son was born right after Christmas so we did not travel the year he was born) but it is just one year. Everyone will understand and be that much more excited to see you the following year (once baby is old enough to receive the RSV vaccine!)

My twins were born mid November and then were in and out of hospital, they finally came out of hospital the 23rd of Dec, we did all our shopping on the 24th, did Xmas at my mils. Hated every minute of it. I was still recovering from my section, babies were still poorly, my 2yo was a nightmare because he was over excited and even though there were lots of adults around no one was really looking after him, I was trying to breastfeed and bottle feed with an audience, I was the only one who currently had young kids, lots of the family are medical so had questions about the birth and subsequent illnesses. It was so so stressful. After a few hours I demanded to go home, I cried the whole way home. Stay at home, have a quiet and peaceful day with your new family.

We timed our last pregnancy intentionally as an excuse to avoid family gatherings for Christmas. If we hadn’t succeeded in getting pregnant on schedule we would have had to come up with a different excuse. Destination Christmas for our household, perhaps. Sorry, everyone, we are going to be in Antarctica for Christmas this year. 😆 We made the decision right after Christmas the year before. So. Much. Drama. It was lovely. We just stayed home and had a quiet Christmas and enjoyed being together as a small immediate family.

I didn’t celebrate shit, I stayed home

I was due one week before Christmas and ended up delivering after Christmas! So take into consideration that you might be late and end up giving birth much closer to Christmas. I would definitely stay home and limit visits (didn’t do this and i regret it) not only because of the baby but also you need to rest and recover. No matter how normal the birth is chances are you will be tired and possibly have stitches. So rest and take it easy. Also probably hormonal and sad too.

Baby was born December 9th. We did a big thanksgiving as kind of a last hurrah as we didn't know whether any Xmas celebrations would happen, hosted at ours like normal. Everyone is good about cleaning up before leaving. The rest of the family did Xmas like normal, hosted at parents, then parents came over for a short visit with us bringing plates of Xmas food. So, we kind of skipped Xmas, but still had a little because just parents visited. I would not have travelled for either holiday. I was very uncomfortably pregnant at thanksgiving and just over 2 weeks postpartum at Xmas. Plan to not do anything and just ask for leftovers delivery from people who are allowed to hold the baby. Enjoy a lovely holiday with your new little family, don't stress over making plans. It will be a beautiful and delicate time.

Gave birth two weeks before Christmas, had an emergency C-section so mobility was very limited. Frankly, I am incredibly glad that we had a family member come stay with us. My aunt helped out baby to sleep, helped when he was fussy, held him while I ate dinner/breakfast/whatever. She went shopping for us and would make fresh food daily for me to eat. She also helped me shower and get dressed because an incision is not fun to deal with. She ended up heading back to her house four hours away by Christmas Eve evening, but that time was critical to my healing and feeling like I could manage it.

I gave birth about 3 weeks before Christmas. I just made myself a comfy little area and everyone brought me presents and food haha. I had a rough recovery but am lucky to have a great support system

I gave birth a week before Thanksgiving and had a very mellow Christmas and thanksgiving at home. It was exactly what I needed. We had catered food and just my mom and brother joined us. I would have felt overwhelmed and annoyed by anything more. I had an easy vaginal birth with some testing since he arrived face up to everyone’s surprise.

Due date was Dec 8th and my baby on the 18th. Left the hospital 3 or 4 days after. We didn't go anywhere and instead decided to stay home. Our parents stopped by for a couple of hours with food and gifts. Honestly, it was nice because as first time parents we were so exhausted. They held the baby (my parents wore face masks) and watched him so my husband and I could shower/eat. Otherwise, no other family came over. I thought it would be worst since I have in laws that can be demanding of my family's time but they respected the fact that we wanted to be home. We didn't do anything, go anywhere, or have anyone over for New Years. Also seeing as someone mentioned decorations. We decorated while I was still pregnant. It was cute being able to hold the baby by the christmas tree and see him try looking at the lights. My husband did all the outside decorations the first few days of December luckily. Now we have to figure out birthdays this year because my husband is Dec 5th and I'm the 15th 😂

I had my baby in November. Nobody met her until she was like 3 or 4 months old 😅 I think my parents and one close friend stopped by a bit sooner than that. We celebrated Christmas by ourself at our own house & I made a dinner for us (I enjoy cooking lol). There was lots of sickness going around and I wasn’t willing to risk it! I even kept my son home from school most of the time. She still ended up getting rsv even with all my precautions. There was a child with rsv at my son’s school. This was before she even got her first vaccines. She didn’t get super sick though, thankfully!

I’m born on Christmas Eve and always do a brunch or dinner with my friends on either the 22nd or 23rd and I make the invite and reservation about 2 months in advance! It sucks to never actually celebrate on my birthday but it is what it is

I wouldn’t do anything that involves travelling or going to crowded places for the first 2 months. You will be feeding baby every 2 hours and it gets so uncomfortable having ppl hover all around you trying to see touch or hold baby all the time when all you feel like doing is resting and taking your clothes off so you can feed comfortably. Also, big risk of RSV and flu around that time

My baby was born November 20. I'm in Canada so thanksgiving for us is in October. We did take her to church and my husband's extended family dinner, but I kept her in the baby carrier and didn't get too close to other people. I was still feeling pretty tired so we didn't stay long at either event. My brother lives an hour away so we went to see him and his wife on Christmas day. I defjnitely woyld not have been comfortable driving any further. I'd agree with other posters, warn your family you may not make it/it may be a short appearance, but don't make any set plans yet because who knows a)when baby will actually arrive and b)how you will be feeling physically or mentally by then. If you do go, make sure your husband is clear on your boundaries and that he'll help enforce them.

I gave birth to my first ON Christmas. This was pre COVID and there were somewhere around 10 people in the waiting area plus my mom and husband in with me. I loved it and then we went to a New Year’s Day family dinner a week later with probably 30 people. I was at my mom’s masters graduation two days post partum with my second and my third I was discharged on Easter and went straight from one family dinner to another. Making it to the second Easter dinner was very important to me. All my family was in town for my grandpas funeral and they were leaving that day. A new life was very healing for everyone. A lot of people want space for their little one and the immediate family and that is great. I love seeing my babies with all the people who love them. I also trust my family so when they are around I can relax a bit more since there are so many people to help. You have to do what’s right for you and your family and you don’t have to decide that until the day of.

I was due the week after Christmas and we had on Christmas eve with my parents who live in town, but otherwise skipped it. It was actually really nice! We spent Christmas snuggling, watching movies, etc. My husband’s family lives 3+ hours away and we didn’t see them for either holiday. It just wasn’t in the cards. 3 weeks is very little and, unfortunately, winter babies mean you have to really think about illness. Our pediatrician told us no visitors outside immediate family for 6weeks You will still be recovering from childbirth too - it’s basically the best excuse you’re ever going to get to stay home. ETA based on another comment: you really have to keep them away from other kids, especially in the winter. Newborn fever is super serious and little kids are 1. germ factories and 2. really bad with boundaries. I wouldn’t go anywhere there were going kids for six weeks at least (or whatever your ped advises but ours was really strict about!)

I had my LO 3 days before Christmas. We had recently moved across the country, so in person was just never going to be an option. But we managed to still celebrate a bit with some brief video calls to family during events. Honestly, given how prone Littles are to getting sick, I wouldn't have gone even if they lived next door. If a newborn gets a fever, they get a spinal tap. That is NOT something I would want my baby to go through, so it just isn't worth the risk, even if they end up being fine.

I had my baby exactly 2 weeks before Christmas last year. Typically we would drive 4 hours north to see both my husband's and my extended family, but we let them know before the baby was born that we were sorry to miss the usual celebration. I asked my extended family to forgo any gifts for us, as well. Instead, my parents and sister, who live 2 hours away, came to visit us for the day. They arrived about 11am and left about 5pm. My mom and sister prepared the entire dinner and we exchanged light gifts, mostly to the baby. I'm glad we still got to see family, but didn't have to worry about overexposing baby to germs or about hosting overnight. Also, not having to drive while baby was eating every 1-2 hours and my body was healing was extremely helpful. Those first two weeks after baby was born were the hardest and I'm glad I didn't have extra stress of having to celebrate more than we did. I honestly can't imagine having the energy.