I disagree with the idea the mother in law is some kind of savior to the couple. She is a big part of the problem. She gets in the way for her own needs and wants.
The husband is putting his birth family ahead of his family with his wife and expecting her to just go along. It's not fair to anyone. Even the sister tries to explain to her brother the dad that not everyone is used to always putting your birth family first. She talks about how they tried to name the baby before it was born . All the husband could say I was in trouble with my mom about that. The mother in law finally gets it half way thru the movie . She finally stops meddling.
It was a good idea to discuss real issues in a Christmas movie. The holidays often brings out real conflict that really about other things.
