Friday OT 2 - Don't tick me off, Art

[CtownCyclone]

With @Angie letting the inmates run the Friday OT asylum, here's one that I've been stewing over lately. It's Christmas time, and we all know what that means - quality time with family. Be it your own or your in-laws. Spending all this time together with no real means of escape inevitably means there will be some friction with some folks.

For example, my mother-in-law comes to visit us for the whole month of December. While it's nice that she's around the house to watch the kiddo (gives us opportunities for date nights) and make dinner, there are a few things she does that really drives me up the wall. One thing in particular is with dinner - we always eat at 6, which is when my wife gets home from work. I'll walk in the house at 4:30 (I get to work at 7, leave at 4) and dinner will have been completely made and cooling on the counter, meaning we have to nuke it before eating. It's like having leftovers on purpose.

What really gets you riled up around this time of year?

 

[oldman]

My niece's live-in boyfriend. He's a know-it-all and never shuts up.

 

[cycloneG]

My sister is literally the worst person I know. Fortunately, she's not coming to Christmas this year. Best Christmas ever!

 

[IcSyU]

My mom's mom and stepdad. Nothing like opening with my wife and me with "You guys haven't given us any great-grandchildren yet. Are you sure you know how?"

On the bright side, my mom now totally understands why we avoid her mom and stepdad at all costs.

 

[weR138]

Christmas is just immediate family, totally chill. Thanksgiving on the other hand...

 

[coolerifyoudid]

My in-laws have agreed to just do gifts for the kids for the past several years. We get a text from my SIL this morning saying that she thinks it would be nice if we would do gifts for each other this year.

 

[CtownCyclone]

My mom's mom and stepdad. Nothing like opening with my wife and me with "You guys haven't given us any great-grandchildren yet. Are you sure you know how?"

On the bright side, my mom now totally understands why we avoid her mom and stepdad at all costs.

My wife's uncle is like that. At the wedding reception, he said something like "It's not for fun now, it's a job. Need to get started!" When we saw him at my niece's wedding (we now have a 3 year old), he told us "The little guy needs a buddy. No time like tonight to get started on it!"

 

[coolerifyoudid]

My mom's mom and stepdad. Nothing like opening with my wife and me with "You guys haven't given us any great-grandchildren yet. Are you sure you know how?"

On the bright side, my mom now totally understands why we avoid her mom and stepdad at all costs.

I'd take that as a challenge. Respond by going into great detail about some of the the things you've tried. Be sure to include a third party, preferably a little person dressed up as an elf. Just have fun with it.

 

[FarmClone]

I'm 27 and single. My grandparents always ask me when they are going to get grandchildren. Then they ask why I didn't bring a girl with me.

 

[WooBadger18]

My in-laws have agreed to just do gifts for the kids for the past several years. We get a text from my SIL this morning saying that she thinks it would be nice if we would do gifts for each other this year.

Kind of late for that this year, isn't it? On my dad's side we've moved to drawing names from a hat and getting a gift/gifts for that person (my mom's side has done that for a while). That works a lot better because there's a lot more thought put into the gifts when you're only buying for one person.

 

[cyhiphopp]

Holidays are actually pretty good for me... now.

Not so much when I was married to my first wife. She did not get along well with anyone, but particularly my family (RED FLAG). There was always some minor drama being blown out of proportion between her and my family. My sister, who is also a type A personality, hated my ex-wife more than most. Some holidays were ok, but there was usually some strained silence and tension.
My ex had a specific dislike for driving all over for the holidays. If we had to go to more than one or two places for extended family, it wasn't worth it to her and she would pitch a fit. My ex only had her mother for family and my former mother in law made my ex-wife seem like a sweetheart.

I'm convinced my family likes my current wife more than they like me. I can handle that. We run all over, including to Minnesota for her family, and we all just take it in stride. I love my in-laws now. We get along and joke and play games at holidays. So much better.

 

[JP4CY]

My sister is literally the worst person I know. Fortunately, she's not coming to Christmas this year. Best Christmas ever!

Same spot. No one in my family has spent time with my sister in over 5 years. And while most would consider that sad, its great. Don't have to walk on egg shells for an ungrateful narcissist.

 

[cyhiphopp]

My mom's mom and stepdad. Nothing like opening with my wife and me with "You guys haven't given us any great-grandchildren yet. Are you sure you know how?"

On the bright side, my mom now totally understands why we avoid her mom and stepdad at all costs.

I'd take that as a challenge. Respond by going into great detail about some of the the things you've tried. Be sure to include a third party, preferably a little person dressed up as an elf. Just have fun with it.

Just tell em, "You know, we could use some tips." Then lift her up on the dining table and get to work. See if they can help you with your backstroke and rhythm.

 

[Cyclone.TV]

My kids are annoying the **** out of me.

 

[cyhiphopp]

My sister is literally the worst person I know. Fortunately, she's not coming to Christmas this year. Best Christmas ever!

My sister is just a huge crab. She's self proclaimed permanently single, with just two LOUD dogs. She almost always wants to have the family dinners at her place, which would be ok because she had a decent amount of space for everyone. But her dogs never shut up and she spends half the night yelling at them to be quiet. Then she complains about having so much to clean up... after she all but demanded to have the dinner at her place.

I love my sister, but she's just too uptight.

 

[CRcyclone6]

Never fails that my sister in law and brother in law get into a political argument. And it's a loud one. Happens every damn year. My niece and I grab our drinks and head to the garage for a smoke and neither one of us smoke.

 

[jc4cy]

We have a "Christmas" with my grandparents siblings and their kids (so, it's our great uncles and great cousins?). The only one who enjoys this is our grandparents. We're not close in age or anything (only talk to each other at this Christmas and then any weddings in the family). Since none of us know anything about each other the "gift exchange" is we all buy $25 gift cards and "draw" one and that's it. We exchange $25. How stupid is that?

Silver Lining: it's been cancelled this year.

 

[cyhiphopp]

We have a "Christmas" with my grandparents siblings and their kids (so, it's our great uncles and great cousins?). The only one who enjoys this is our grandparents. We're not close in age or anything (only talk to each other at this Christmas and then any weddings in the family). Since none of us know anything about each other the "gift exchange" is we all buy $25 gift cards and "draw" one and that's it. We exchange $25. How stupid is that?

Silver Lining: it's been cancelled this year.

I wouldn't complain about a gift card exchange. You could be forced to find some "thoughtful" gift for someone you barely know.

My wife's extended family does a White Elephant gift exchange, passing around some of the weirdest crap we can find. That's actually pretty fun.

 

[jc4cy]

I wouldn't complain about a gift card exchange. You could be forced to find some "thoughtful" gift for someone you barely know.

My wife's extended family does a White Elephant gift exchange, passing around some of the weirdest crap we can find. That's actually pretty fun.

Very true, I would just prefer it to be cancelled (wish came true this year haha). And my inlaws family does that gift exchange thing too! Got a board game one year, next year I got an outdoor beer/ice tub for tailgating, last year we got a dog bed and we don't have a dog lol. So it's hit or miss but can be fun.

 

[cyhiphopp]

Very true, I would just prefer it to be cancelled (wish came true this year haha). And my inlaws family does that gift exchange thing too! Got a board game one year, next year I got an outdoor beer/ice tub for tailgating, last year we got a dog bed and we don't have a dog lol. So it's hit or miss but can be fun.

Tip with that dog bed. My 16 month old baby likes the dog bed more than the dogs do. So there's that.