In my opinion you should do whatever YOU think is best. The reason I say this is because I KNOW where your coming from. When I bought my Mini Doxie almost 4 years ago, my family went NUTS. They all wanted to "see" her - but their "seeing" her was fighting over her, being too rough with her, holding her WAY up in the air to where she was SCARED TO DEATH - it was just all together BAD. Not to mention, my cousin with 4 LITTLE kids let them ALL hold her and pass her around like she was a RAG DOLL after I had SPECIFICALLY told everyone that I did NOT want the LITTLE kids holding her - that they could only pet her. I know it's hard for kids not to be able to hold a new little puppy - but that's just
TOO BAD - she was TINY - I mean it was only 2 days after we brought her home and heck, even my husband and I were still "new" to her - she wasn't even adjusted to US yet - let alone 20 + other people, AND kids passing her around
Anyway - to make a long story short (whoops! I think it's a little too late for that
) one of the kids ended up DROPPING her flat on her BACK - which, if you don't already know - you have to be EXTREMELY careful with Dachshund's and their backs - because they are so long, and they can break VERY easily. Well that DID IT for me - I was FUMMMMMMMING MAD!!!!!
I didn't even know that their mom was letting them hold her - I had turned my back for ONE SPLIT SECOND - and she handed her over to one of her kids and BOOM! She dropped my puppy flat on her back and I almost BURST. I was (excused my french)
PISSED beyond words!
I could almost FEEL my face turning red I was so mad. My husband on the other hand, TOLD them OFF. I don't know who was more pissed, HIM, or ME. I had specifically TOLD EVERYONE THERE that the little kids were NOT to hold her. And sure enough - the second I turn my back one of them is holding her, and then DROPS her - not to mention, she was OF COURSE standing up when she was holding her - so she dropped her while STANDING - EVEN WORSE
Anyway, my point is that I know EXACTLY how you feel because my family is the SAME way. It really is too bad that you may be missing a Christmas dinner, and true it only DOES come once a year, but...if they won't just ZIP IT about you bringing your baby along, then I just say SKIP IT!
And maybe that's just because 95% of my family drives me INSANE, but it's not worth risking anything happening to your baby - because if your family is ANYTHING like mine - they don't listen anyway when you tell them what NOT to do!
P.S.- They all wanted to RUSH RIGHT OVER
when we got Stedman (our Yorkie) - but not answering the phone pretty much does the trick
My husband said NOOOO WAY, not all those kids...not after what happened the last time! It was TOTALLY fine by me.