Christmas /why do they do it?

Lavazzslt why are other people dictating tour choices for you in your life and your home?
Chewbacca puts it perfectly:

Stop pandering to relatives who apparently don't have any one but their own interests at heart, and do what YOU want to do. Now is the time to put your big girl pants on and start taking back some control of your life, home and Christmas. Good luck.

I’d just say you and your immediate family are having Christmas Day on your own, if others wish to visit on Boxing Day, that’s fine, but between the hours of x and x when they would be welcome to a cup of tea and mince pie. Be prepared to turn them away firmly if they turn up unexpectedly.

@Lavazza, I haven’t read all the replies but there are restrictions on who you can have at Christmas - THREE households so I suggest you send a message:email/text as appropriate simply saying that because of the regulations you need to know if they want to com to you and set an RVP deadline (soon) do that you can

Oops
Plan accordingly. Keep it brief and businesslike and stick to it. Do not get involved in any personal discussions, if they want to play it cool, let them.
Then move on - have the Christmas YOU want and don’t be emotionally blackmailed into pandering to them.
(Is this the son with the Chinese wife?)

PS time slots for different groups is BREACHING the regulations -don’t go there.
And as for whether or not you are “allowed” to FaceTime anybody in your own hone - I am speechless!

@MawBe I am not sure how many groups we are allowed to see but my parent is in our bubble already as we see them a lot, the only other group would be our son, his wife and child. We were not planning on seeing anyone else. Is that not ok?

My apologies, I thought there was another parent but I suppose that would still only be 3 households.

@MawBe Just one parent plus my son and his wife and child (if they will even come) but I have got pretty upset because my elderly parent refuses to be in the same room as my son and family due to covid. I have offered alternatives such as delivering Christmas dinner so they can stay safe at home or splitting the day in two. Not really happy with either as it's going to make more work for us, but willing to compromise to keep people safe in the time of covid.

The other reason I feel it would be good to have elderly parent there for less time is that I can't video chat with my other parent if they are there due to extreme jealousy and bad feeling between the two (divorced parents)