Lifestyle

Why Your Holiday Get-Togethers Never Work Out the Way You Planned

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Tony Maples Photography

 

Many of us have dreamy illusions of how our family get-togethers are going to work here in Texas. Some of them actually entail snow, humorous visions of what our ugly Christmas sweater parties will be like, and still, more of them actually imagine nobody fighting as we converge on some poor soul’s home to joyously celebrate family togetherness. But, if you take a closer look at these festive occasions, you just might see a little tarnish here and there. Stop. That’s not a bad thing. That’s what makes your family, your family!

1. Great Expectations

Why Your Holiday Get-Togethers Never Work Out the Way You Planned

Photo: Free Stock Photos

We may start out thinking everyone will bring a dish, they’ll all help out with the cleanup, and then afterward, Uncle Jack will regale the family with a story about how the good old days in Texas used to be. Snap out of it! A few people will bring a bag of chips and bottle of Dr Pepper (if you haven’t pre-coordinated who’s bringing what) and when the meal is done, three-quarters of them will hustle off into the living room, leaving yourself and poor Aunt Dorothy on cleanup duty. And, finally, you’ll be lucky if Uncle Jack isn’t too busy yelling at the kids to stop jumping on the couch to tell any tall tales. Manage your expectations and this whole scenario won’t seem like such a let-down.

2. Be Who You Are

Why Your Holiday Get-Togethers Never Work Out the Way You Planned

Photo: Pexels

Putting on airs never helped anyone. Acting like your life is all rosy certainly never helped you personally, so why expect that to do so at a family holiday gathering would be any different. Admit that you eat at Whataburger three dinners out of seven, you let your pants out last month instead of following through on your gym membership, and your kid failed the fourth grade. You’ll be thankful for it later while absolutely no one is looking at you like the host of a reality TV show when the best you can muster is simply yourself.

3. Understand That Your Family is Also Going To Be Who They Are

Why Your Holiday Get-Togethers Never Work Out the Way You Planned

Photo: Flickr/Ace Armstrong

Along with the expectations and the being who you are, you also have to recognize that your family isn’t exactly the Cleavers or the Huxtables. You’re going to have issues, someone’s not always going to be happy, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have a great family gathering, no matter what. In Texas, we do everything big. And, if that means your family comes together as one big happy mess, then so be it! Enjoy, because it’ll fly by in the blink of an eye, and you’ll miss it when it’s gone.