My mom is going to be alone on Xmas. She’s 65 or so, my stepdad (they were married ten years) died about 3 years ago. She told me today that her worst Xmas ever was the one after he died because she woke up Xmas morning alone and she was alone all day and this Xmas would be the same because my brother is going to spend the day with his wife and kids, and my wife and I don’t celebrate Xmas. We plan to spend most of Xmas eve with her.
I didn’t even know how to respond. Got hit with the “maybe I shouldn’t have said anything but it’s how I feel”.
Is this normal behavior for older parents once kids move out and have families of their own? Do most people have their parents over for the holidays every year? Are people not supposed to create traditions with their own families? Personally I don’t think I saw either set of grandparents at any holiday growing up.
Edited to add my wife and I don’t celebrate Christmas because we are Jewish. We see my side of the family on Christmas Eve because they celebrate Christmas.