Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 18:21     Subject: How to navigate Thanksgiving hosting issue
An air mattress wont kill you for 2 nights. Get these for your kids and your whole family can sleep in that attic. Let the BIL with no children sleep in the unfinished basement.

https://www.hiccapop.com/products/hiccapop-inflatable-toddler-travel-bed-with-safety-bumpers?srsltid=AfmBOopHUaQVt4GKS6V_45AEO0R6boXXnsi7WuU5kutDi53wgiyyk093
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 17:38     Subject: How to navigate Thanksgiving hosting issue
Read the Trip Advisor reviews and choose the "least bad" hotel option.

That is what I would do. And what I do do every time we have to go to a crappy softball tournament location out of town.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 17:00     Subject: How to navigate Thanksgiving hosting issue
OMG, are you for real, OP? I spent last Thanksgiving sleeping in the cold basement of a lake house in Wisconsin in a Little Tikes Toddler Firemen bed. With a child- but they were warm so you know pluses and minuses. This is not a vacation exclusively for your pleasure, it's a family ritual. You are fortunate to have extended family. The answer is get over it and share a room with your kids or put the kids in a room, or let somebody sleep on a sofa. The remote lake house in winter thing is not how I roll but it's worth it because it's H's (crazy) extended my family and sharing time with them is worthwhile.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 13:37     Subject: How to navigate Thanksgiving hosting issue
Anonymous wrote:For years, my in-laws have hosted Thanksgiving at their house. While the travel is aggravating to get there (7-8 hour drive up I-95, or spending $$$ on flights), they have a house that's big enough to host us (me, DH, 4 year old and 2 year old) and DH's brothers (one brother who has a four year old and a two month old and live 4 hours away from us, another brother who is married but with no kids and lives on the west coast).

Since last Thanksgiving, IL's have downsized from their large house to a small condo, and DH's brother who has two kids moved from a small starter home to a larger home...Hiltons/Marriotts are 20-25 minutes away, and it's probably too long for a day trip.

So I feel a little bit stuck about what to do. I know that DH also doesn't want to be sleeping on a couch/air mattress, but I also know that Thanksgiving means a lot to him.


BIL bought large house and is 4 hours away. You shave off 6-7 hours of your round trip. No to sleeping in unfinshed attic or basement. How many bathrooms? Stay in a Marriot or whatever 20-25 minutes away. No big deal especially if it is in the dorection towards your home. 20-25 minutes is a day trip or a drive from Arlington to Tysons. Don't be silly
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 12:31     Subject: How to navigate Thanksgiving hosting issue
Anonymous wrote:So no kids sharing
No motel 6
Doesn’t want to host
Hadn’t really thought about an AirBnB

OP please stay home. No one will miss your prissy/pouty face.


And totally clenched about a holiday 5 months away. Nothing will please OP. If the DH gives up and agrees to stay home, OP will whine about having to pick up a premade holiday dinner at Whole Foods. "The parking lot was so crowded!"
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 11:42     Subject: How to navigate Thanksgiving hosting issue
Anonymous wrote:OP here; there's one hotel that's a little bit closer, but it's a motel 6/days inn type place.

Re: the four year olds sharing a room, we tried that during this last visit, and it was kind of a disaster. Neither of them went to sleep until 11 at night, at which point both kids came out of the room crying that one wouldn't let them go to sleep. We could certainly try it again, but it wouldn't change the fact that an adult(s) would have to sleep on an air matress or couch.

The AirBnb option is one I hadn't thought of!

My parents retired to a three bedroom house. We just put my family in one bedroom and my sister’s family in the other bedroom. We each have two children. When they were younger, it meant one of us went to bed with both kids until the kids were asleep. Sometimes, the adult just stayed they until morning, as they fell asleep with the kids. It sounds like this house is big enough for that.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 09:16     Subject: How to navigate Thanksgiving hosting issue
Anonymous wrote:
A Marriott 25 minutes away seems IDEAL, OP!
You can have your own place to relax at night, and only socialize during the day, instead of sleeping badly and getting grumpy because there are too many people in one house.





+1. As my parents downsized and my sister and I had kids, we started alternating who stayed with my parents and the other stayed at a hotel/airbnb. We all tried cramming in once and it was a disaster, no one slept and was grumpy. They're also not in a big metro area so we typically have to drive 15 min anyway to wherever we are staying. It just is what it is!
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 09:10     Subject: Re:How to navigate Thanksgiving hosting issue
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:Leave the 4 year at the house to sleep with cousin. OP, spouse and 2 year old stay in hotel 25 minutes away.


4 is still very young to be left. Please don’t do this to your family who may end up dealing with a crying child all night


Or the kid might love it. Remember, there’s another 4 year old there. And there are grandparents and aunts & uncles.
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 08:39     Subject: Re:How to navigate Thanksgiving hosting issue
Anonymous wrote:Leave the 4 year at the house to sleep with cousin. OP, spouse and 2 year old stay in hotel 25 minutes away.


4 is still very young to be left. Please don’t do this to your family who may end up dealing with a crying child all night
Anonymous
Post 07/01/2025 08:35     Subject: How to navigate Thanksgiving hosting issue
So no kids sharing
No motel 6
Doesn’t want to host
Hadn’t really thought about an AirBnB

OP please stay home. No one will miss your prissy/pouty face.
Anonymous
Post 06/30/2025 22:59     Subject: How to navigate Thanksgiving hosting issue
How many nights are you going for?