Yeah, if he had a disability then it would be understandable but other than that, the woman has her priorities wrong and the brother should grow up. I'm disabled and when my sister gave birth to her first baby, my mum couldn't travel to be there for the birth because she couldn't leave me alone and I've always felt extraordinarily guilty for it. The birth of a baby, especially a new grandchild is very important and emotional event that my mum couldn't witness because of me.

Maybe OP prefers not to see her brother? It seems like there's already some family weirdness in this situation.

Then the FML would read, "Today, I found out I'll be alone at Christmas because my sister won't visit, effectively forcing my parents to go to them. I'd go too, but [wasn't invited, can't fly, can't get out of work or some other compelling reason]. FML" The parents seem to be in a tough spot either way, so they made a tough choice.

@28: First, it's a lot easier/cheaper for a single middle aged man to travel on a plane than for a family of 3 or more that includes a newborn and a woman who's still recovering from childbirth (yes, that can sometimes take months). Second, who said the brother wasn't invited? He may have been the one that forced his mother to choose by refusing to go. He might just hate kids. Or hates flying. Or hates his sister. Or just hates seeing other people happy because he's 40+ and still living with his mother. Third, if he wasn't invited- there may have been good reason. For all we know, he's not allowed around the child because he's an abusive drunk. Fourth, the brother has had at least 40 Christmas celebrations with his mother already. The baby has had zero. He can't give up ONE Christmas?

Not everyone has good relationships with siblings though. If op doesn't want to see her brother that's up to her

So how does your mother leave the house then to buy groceries or go to work?

Can't your mother get someone to stay with him like a community nurse?