This Christmas will be my mum's second one in a CH but the first that we're able to visit or have her here. I'm planning to speak to the CH manager beforehand as regular visits, on the whole, don't always go well (I am not her daughter/her daughter is dead/ I am a very good actress/an imposter). On the other hand she asks the carers when I'll be visiting, and, even when she's giving me a hard time, will hold my hand and ask me to visit soon. I suspect it will be an on-the-day decision as to what happens - luckily we live in the same village so it won't be a problem to play it by ear. What I will say to others is - try to keep noise and other people to a minimum. My mum loved Christmas with us but on Boxing Day, when we had other family and friends over (it was the same group of people every year, who she knew), she would get very stressed, sitting away from everyone else (sometimes out on the stairs). A couple of times she was abusive to other people and she was always clingy with me - the whole thing was overwhelming for her and she couldn't cope. This was despite asking who was coming, wanting to help with the preparations and being quite excited about it all. Even if they seem ok with the whole idea, don't take it personally if they behave the opposite.
In fact, our mantra for coping with Mum, these last few years, is exactly that - Don't Take It Personally!