My wife’s parents are coming over for the holidays and staying for a few days. We were looking at an air mattress or possibly a futon mattress bed. We opted for the air mattress but are thinking about getting the futon for their next visit. They live in another state and do come to visit often. It would be more comfortable if we bought an actual full size bed for them, but the futon is a little cheaper. In any case, it’s going to make the holiday’s a little nicer with the grandparent’s here. One thing that I think is tougher for our parents to understand is that we want to be home for Christmas and not travel. I think it is a little different than it used to be when families lived closer together. Nowadays, people live so far away. It makes it a little harder to get everyone together.
If that is the case for you family, try and make the best of it, even if you need to move the date of the actual holiday to make it more convenient and less expensive if you have to fly. The key is that you want to keep the tradition of getting together for the holidays the priority at a time when it’s easier to do your own thing.