Complaints about traffic or air travel or what it took to get here. Mentioning it once, we'll all be very sympathetic. We're so glad you made it and sorry it was so hard. If you want, reconsider next year, we understand

Anonymous wrote:The inane holiday movies that I get sucked into

We had a whole thread on Hot Frosty last year. Please everyone, get on the entertainment thread with your bad finds!

Anonymous wrote:

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

Omgawd yes. Lights should be start of advent or a little later in mid Dec or a few days before Dec 25th until first week of Jan

I think lights are fine from Dec 1- Jan 1 (or 6th if you are very religious and celebrate that). Christmas decor before thanksgiving bugs me. For me, part of the excitement of thanksgiving is that the day after is when we start thinking about Christmas!

Please start any lights NOW friends. It is dark and depressing and I for one would appreciate it.

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.

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?

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

Omgawd yes. Lights should be start of advent or a little later in mid Dec or a few days before Dec 25th until first week of Jan

I think lights are fine from Dec 1- Jan 1 (or 6th if you are very religious and celebrate that). Christmas decor before thanksgiving bugs me. For me, part of the excitement of thanksgiving is that the day after is when we start thinking about Christmas!

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

Omgawd yes. Lights should be start of advent or a little later in mid Dec or a few days before Dec 25th until first week of Jan

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

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.

But then the extended family headlines will be "can you believe cousin Larla only prepared tacos, we only watched a dog show, they didn't even have crayons for the kids to color on a turkey..."

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No racial slurs would be good. And no running out to the car multiple times because you "forgot something" so you can suck on a flask of vodka. No ranting about "the Democrats."

It's to smoke not for the vodka. Why can't they just drink the vodka in the house?

Oh, they are drinking vodka in the house. And wine. And peach schnapps. This is "extra vodka." This is "secret vodka."

Peach schnapps is "breakfast vodka"!

My IL’s are the worst cooks and get offended if people bring food or offer to take over cooking. So every year at Christmas (we don’t go there for Thanksgiving and they are usually traveling at that time) it’s a plain, dry ham with no sauce or glaze, crescent rolls from the tube, microwaved frozen vegetables or sometimes cooked carrots, mashed potatoes with zero seasoning or flavor, and bagged salad. The one year my SIL was allowed to help a little and did some decent oven-roasted Brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes instead of mashed potatoes, it was nonstop complaining. That’s not what you serve at Christmas. That’s too fancy. We didn’t eat all this growing up. But did they eat all of it, you bet they did.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:No racial slurs would be good. And no running out to the car multiple times because you "forgot something" so you can suck on a flask of vodka. No ranting about "the Democrats."

It's to smoke not for the vodka. Why can't they just drink the vodka in the house?

Oh, they are drinking vodka in the house. And wine. And peach schnapps. This is "extra vodka." This is "secret vodka."

Sitting at the table for SO LONG after eating and feeling like if I get up to spend time with other people not seated at my table, the ones at my table are abandoned. This is mostly true with my elderly parents. I wish everyone would rotate a bit after the meal to allow more time with everyone.

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.

Generally speaking, it’s a pressure cooker for extroverts who don’t get it (I’m not saying all extroverts—I’m saying Extroverts Who Don’t Get It) and introverts who don’t make an effort (I’m not saying all introverts, I’m saying Introverts Who Don’t Make an Effort).

I’m an introvert who makes an effort. I give as much as I can. But when I need a break, I take one. I no longer care to try to appease my IL extroverts who don’t get it. There is never enough for them. They don’t get it, and they don’t care to get it. They accuse people who go to the bathroom or who dare to make a phone call during a multi-day visit as “disappearing.” They are constantly asking “what’s wrong.”

There’s nothing wrong. My oldest daughter has spent lots of time with you, now she wants to go read the book she asked for for Christmas that she was excited about. She’s a tween who is reading. You should throw her a parade, not criticize her.

It’s so hard. The more they Don’t Get It, the less we Make an Effort, and there you have it.