Family Gatherings

Let the family gatherings begin! Thanksgiving is here and marks the official start of the holiday season. During this wonderful time of celebration, family gatherings will be in abundance thru the New Year.

I am not originally from West Virginia having relocated to this great state 17 years ago. Unlike many locals, my family doesn’t live in close proximity. I do look upon those of you without the buffer zone (Seinfeld fans know what I’m talking about) with great envy at times. To know that family gatherings require no sleeping arrangements and to be able to walk down the street or drive only a few miles to visit with your relatives is truly something to be treasured. However, I find that I relate better with a famous quote from George Burns, “Happiness is having a large, loving, caring close-knit family in another city.”

My family gatherings usually consist of several days that I truly look forward to, plan for weeks, love the idea of and try desperately to relish when they happen. Unfortunately, many times I find myself waving goodbye with great relief.

I have found that most of us have one thing in common no matter how often you see your family. It’s the constant bickering or rude comments from family members that seem to put a damper on the occasion. They surface in many forms from the outright complainer to the insulter who hides behind the statement of “I was just kidding”. At times, you have several of these all knowing, just joking, argumentative, insulting, drama causing relatives coming at you at once. This can have your head spinning and your blood boiling.

You are working as hard as you can to host this joyous gathering. Grandma is complaining that your house is too cold, while your uncle is telling you how hot it is. Some want the Macy’s Day Parade on the TV; others want football; and, you just put a movie in for the kids because your aunt was yelling at them for being too rowdy. Five different people have come up to you in the last 15 minutes asking when dinner is going to be ready. Your nephew is thirsty and no one else seems to hear his request. Someone announces you need a new roll of toilet paper in the bathroom as a family member storms by you after a rude “just kidding” comment was made by another. Shew! Coupled with the out of state relative that has either moved away or never lived here in the first place making comments that range from how they could never live here to the lack of pressure in your shower. With so much effort already involved in hosting a family gathering, this can be exhausting and extremely frustrating. Hopefully, along with the complainer’s you also have at least one family member that helps you to keep your composure. The person you can count on to make you laugh, tell you how great everything is and offers up a helping hand even if you don’t need it.

Family is, after all, a challenging, loving, frustrating, fulfilling, supportive, degrading, hilarious, irritating, blissful, trying and joyful gift. This is why we love them so!

During this time of celebrations, we should all remember to be thankful for our family. Appreciate them for who they are. Be kind to our host. Remember to respect each other and most of all relax so we can truly enjoy the time spent together. With some effort on everyone’s part, hopefully, you and your family will have a peaceful and fun filled season!