The holidays are a time when families can get together and do what families do: show their love for one another. That love is not always the most enjoyable, as some relatives may show it in annoying ways. This holiday season, you may be going to visit your family or your family may be coming to visit you but either way, along with being one of the happiest times of the year, it will also be one of the most awkward.
At every family gathering, the kids are exposed to relatives they normally do not see very often. With so many holidays packed into the end of the year, it is prime time for family gatherings. You’ll be driven nuts with questions about school, how much taller you have grown and if you are interested in any boys or girls yet. It is a crucial life skill to be able to answer these questions in the right way in order to make the questioner go away. Manners are essential in doing this, as hurting a relative’s feelings will cause you a lot of abuse from the rest of the family.
The worst confrontation you can be involved in is the “look how much you’ve grown!” one. I feel quite awkward when someone says this to me because it’s not like it is an accomplishment of mine that I am an inch taller than when they saw me last. I grew because it is natural to grow, not because of any amazing things I did. It is just a cringe worthy experience.
I always answer these types of statements by thanking them and smiling, before proceeding to hug them or shake their hand. This tends to kind of break the conversation, which gives you an opportunity to bid them farewell and move on to the next relative. Of course sometimes there are relatives who just can not stop talking so there is no way to get out of it.
The worst questions you can be asked are the ones about your love life. Some relatives, especially grandmas, are so nosy that it is unbearable. Grandmas seem to be so obsessed with the intimate involvement of all their grandchildren, it is almost unhealthy.
Many relatives are irrelavant to you, such as second cousins. I have more second cousins than I can count, but I can count the number of the ones whose names I know, on one hand. When I happen to see them at Christmas, I am forced to pretend I remember their name or to ask a more familiar relative what their name is.
Even though the holidays can bring families together and bring them joy, it can also bring the most annoying parts of them. No matter how annoying a family may be, they are still family, and the holidays would not be the same without them. In order to have a good time this holiday, just remember how to smile and give a firm handshake.
