mothglitter (re: star and tree): LOL! How come you're not a member yet? The more senses of humor 'round here, the better. It kinda makes up for us stodgier types!

Jimmy C: you said: "Kids are off school at week-ends, summer vacations, March break etc, and other times during the year." Yes, of course that's true, but they often have sports or other activities scheduled for that free time, whereas Christmas is one of the very few days where such extracurricular stuff is virtually never a problem and it's safe to plan a big family get-together for that day. Also, the adults aren't always off work on weekends, and have to schedule vacations from work (and don't even get a March break!), whereas virtually all businesses schedule Christmas as a holiday. The exceptions include hospital workers, nursing home workers, public services such as police and fire departments, and convenience-store employees.

So the odds favor Christmas as among the best days to schedule a family gathering. Even if this were not the case for the general public, it apparently works out to be the ideal time for Mrrzy's family to do so!