Holiday season pet peeves

[Anonymous]

I'm so glad I have a big happy family. Who cares if Aunt Sally has had too much vodka? She is not driving and we're all adults. We play some ridiculous game and pit the guys against the girls and it's all fun.

A lot of you sound uptight.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I'm so glad I have a big happy family. Who cares if Aunt Sally has had too much vodka? She is not driving and we're all adults. We play some ridiculous game and pit the guys against the girls and it's all fun.

A lot of you sound uptight.

So your family has too much alcohol to forget the awful traditional foods you had?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the guest at Thanksgiving rather than the host. I don't know where to be - if I'm on the couch I get an exasperated call to help out, but if I'm in the kitchen I am in the way. As soon as I get my kid settled into an activity an older relative will interrupt to take a group photo or insist the kids need to color turkey placemats or something.

I like seeing extended family, but the traditional meal is gross and the amount of stress that goes into the holiday makes it my least favorite. I wish my hosts (relatives) would chill. Let's have tacos and watch the dog show on TV.

An invitation is not a summons. Why don’t you stay home and eat tacos? Or why TF don’t you host for once?

Because I love them, and because I'm allowed to have a "peeve" without wanting to cut ties and set the whole thing on fire.

At the table this year I'll suggest we do tacos at my place next time. Will let you know how it goes.

[Anonymous]

My number one holiday pet peeve is when my BIL (not married, no kids) makes things entirely about himself with no self-awareness of the way he's burdening other people or just being a pain. Stuff like demanding certain side dishes because they are "tradition" even though he is the only adult who does ZERO cooking for the meal. Or him holding up the start of dinner by disappearing right before the meal, but then getting militant about the kids staying at the table during the meal even though they are ansty because we all had to wait around for 20 minutes prior to the start of the meal for him (and he will have a fit if we start without him).

But there's no lesson to be learned here. He's just an impossible person and he's extra bad on holidays because having family around and a big event activates his mental health issues. We just live with it an move on. But thanks for letting me vent!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My number one holiday pet peeve is when my BIL (not married, no kids) makes things entirely about himself with no self-awareness of the way he's burdening other people or just being a pain. Stuff like demanding certain side dishes because they are "tradition" even though he is the only adult who does ZERO cooking for the meal. Or him holding up the start of dinner by disappearing right before the meal, but then getting militant about the kids staying at the table during the meal even though they are ansty because we all had to wait around for 20 minutes prior to the start of the meal for him (and he will have a fit if we start without him).

But there's no lesson to be learned here. He's just an impossible person and he's extra bad on holidays because having family around and a big event activates his mental health issues. We just live with it an move on. But thanks for letting me vent!

Is he the one going out to the car for that "secret vodka?" Or is that a different poster's guest (read upthread)?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the guest at Thanksgiving rather than the host. I don't know where to be - if I'm on the couch I get an exasperated call to help out, but if I'm in the kitchen I am in the way. As soon as I get my kid settled into an activity an older relative will interrupt to take a group photo or insist the kids need to color turkey placemats or something.

I like seeing extended family, but the traditional meal is gross and the amount of stress that goes into the holiday makes it my least favorite. I wish my hosts (relatives) would chill. Let's have tacos and watch the dog show on TV.

An invitation is not a summons. Why don’t you stay home and eat tacos? Or why TF don’t you host for once?

Because I love them, and because I'm allowed to have a "peeve" without wanting to cut ties and set the whole thing on fire.

At the table this year I'll suggest we do tacos at my place next time. Will let you know how it goes.

You should probably propse before you eat anything this thanksgiving. If you say after eating, the cook will think food was sub par (and it may have been), so avoid saying right after eating.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the guest at Thanksgiving rather than the host. I don't know where to be - if I'm on the couch I get an exasperated call to help out, but if I'm in the kitchen I am in the way. As soon as I get my kid settled into an activity an older relative will interrupt to take a group photo or insist the kids need to color turkey placemats or something.

I like seeing extended family, but the traditional meal is gross and the amount of stress that goes into the holiday makes it my least favorite. I wish my hosts (relatives) would chill. Let's have tacos and watch the dog show on TV.

An invitation is not a summons. Why don’t you stay home and eat tacos? Or why TF don’t you host for once?

Because I love them, and because I'm allowed to have a "peeve" without wanting to cut ties and set the whole thing on fire.

At the table this year I'll suggest we do tacos at my place next time. Will let you know how it goes.

They’ll probably faint with shock that you offered to host.

[Anonymous]

^^tacos better than some of the foods at traditional turkey meal

[Anonymous]

I can't think of any.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm the guest at Thanksgiving rather than the host. I don't know where to be - if I'm on the couch I get an exasperated call to help out, but if I'm in the kitchen I am in the way. As soon as I get my kid settled into an activity an older relative will interrupt to take a group photo or insist the kids need to color turkey placemats or something.

I like seeing extended family, but the traditional meal is gross and the amount of stress that goes into the holiday makes it my least favorite. I wish my hosts (relatives) would chill. Let's have tacos and watch the dog show on TV.

An invitation is not a summons. Why don’t you stay home and eat tacos? Or why TF don’t you host for once?

Because I love them, and because I'm allowed to have a "peeve" without wanting to cut ties and set the whole thing on fire.

At the table this year I'll suggest we do tacos at my place next time. Will let you know how it goes.

They’ll probably faint with shock that you offered to host.

People are such martyrs about hosting. I'm the "taco" PP and I host Christmas every other year. It's NBD.

Grandparents want to have all the kids and grandkids "at home" for a traditional Thanksgiving so that's what we do. Any of the adult kids would be pleased to host if grandparents didn't want to.

[Anonymous]

Honestly ai wish we could dial down the stuff aspect of the holidays. White elephant, random gifts, it just piles up. I try very hard to purchase things like tickets as gifts instead.

I feel like I commonly had this experience where people would latch onto one thing about you and then go overboard. "You like tea? Here's enough Early Grey for four lifetimes."

Anyway I'm a big fan of "let's dial down the materialism".

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Honestly ai wish we could dial down the stuff aspect of the holidays. White elephant, random gifts, it just piles up. I try very hard to purchase things like tickets as gifts instead.

I feel like I commonly had this experience where people would latch onto one thing about you and then go overboard. "You like tea? Here's enough Early Grey for four lifetimes."

Anyway I'm a big fan of "let's dial down the materialism".

+1. And lol to the tea so true

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Idiot neighbors who put up their outdoor Christmas lights on Nov. 7.

Guys: if you have decorations up for 3 months, they will start to lose what makes them special. You don't have a birthday cake with candles and a song every Sunday for two months leading up to your birthday, do you? Knock it off

I love my neighbors who decorate early. It makes morning or evening walks just a little more cheerful. I love seeing just little twinkles of cheer here and there this time of year. I think it’s very special.

I agree. I love it.

[Anonymous]

Leaving the toilet seat up or down. Which will it be?