F
amed comic George Burns once said, “Happiness is
having a large, loving, caring, close-knit family — in
another city.”
Here in the U.S. of A., most families celebrate
Thanksgiving, followed by Christmas, while people of
other faiths and cultures also celebrate key holidays in
December, whether you celebrate Hanukkah, Kwanzaa,
Omisoka, or Saturnalia. Maybe you don’t celebrate any
holidays, or if you’re like some of my friends, perhaps you
celebrate everything.
No matter which of these categories you’re in, the fact
remains that this is still a time when the younger members
of your tribe get a break from school, the older ones get a
break from work, and then everybody has that one relative
with a lifestyle that’s made up of one continuous holiday.
You’ll probably either be entertaining guests from far away
or you will be entertained in places far away. Gifts are
probably a necessity.
Well, the holidays are here and either they come to
you or you go to them. Which is more stressful? They
all are. It’s the time of year for spending time with your
family, including the crazy ones, no matter if you are
welcoming them into your home or they are welcoming
you to theirs. We all have stories about a holiday mishap,
whether it was a meal gone wrong, or buying a present
that someone didn’t like. Who knew that your uncle didn’t
like crazy socks or that your aunt was allergic to perfume?
It’s the season when you want your children to have the
best time of their lives, as long as they don’t drive you
crazy, derail your plans or wind up in the E.R.
You make the plans, pick out the Pinterest idea, and
the next thing you need is a vacation to recoup from the
family time you’ve been planning for months.
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