Take the DEAL!!!! Splitting every other Xmas day is totally reasonable AND the odds are still pretty good that he won't take it when the time comes anyway.
Yes it is rotten that divorce leads to these awkward Xmas arrangements. My kids were 17-21 when our divorce happened and we alternated holidays. It's tough but not the end of the world. We alternated - one year I would have them Xmas eve, then they would go down to spend the night at their dad's and spend Xmas morning with him. The next year the reverse. I still had my mom and some other family to spend Xmas day with on the years I didn't have them.
One year my kids left after our Xmas eve together and my mom had gone to visit my sister in another state for Xmas. That could have been tough - BUT - I actually had the sexiest Xmas eve date/sleepover with a guy who I still think of fondly every Xmas, and the next night went to a super cool LA grownups party that a friend of my best friend used to throw every year - all these very cool LA people in arts and music would be there. Was it the same as having my adult kids on Xmas morning? no. Was it still fun? heck yes.
You just move your intense Xmas unwrapping/fun to another time slot, that's all. And if I'm right, your ex will end up not taking nearly as much time on Xmas as he has the rights to anyway.
