What are the holidays for if not to gather with family near and far to boast, bicker and reminisce about everything and nothing, eat until bursting, watch the game, and then fall into a tryptophan coma? And although we love them, let’s admit it: some relatives are more trying than others. Take for instance the well-meaning aunt, who can’t help but comment on your lack of (fill in the blank) or the loud uncle whose clothes are trapped in a time warp. How about being compared to your can-do-no-wrong sibling who makes Mother Teresa look like a Kardashian or the ne’er-do-well cousin who always wants to borrow money?
My personal favorite is the family gossip who loves creating drama. I’ve spent more than a few holidays evading inappropriate questions like a hostile witness before a senate subcommittee.
They may never be the Brady Bunch, but would we want them to be? After all, imperfection makes life more interesting and being loved flaws and all is a pretty special thing. So let’s give thanks for the not so perfect family who helped make us, for better or worse, who we are.
All the best to you.
Toni O.