When I was a kid, it’d have to be Memorial Day. All the extended family would convene at the old family cemetery to decorate the graves. That isn’t the weird thing… the weird thing was we treated it as a family reunion and picnicked together among the head stones.
On holidays, my family insists on gathering together and sharing a meal. It’s fucking terrible.
Have you considered calling CPS? What a terrible situation.
Sadly I’m 32 and I don’t think there’s much they can do for me.
Family meals can be overwhelming, and even traumatic depending on the family. After I got married, I could at least take every other year off. It’s now really just me and my dad who are left, and he doesn’t really put much effort into relationships. I miss them all so so much. I don’t really miss the chaos at family gatherings, but I’d deal with it again. Just make the most of your time with the ones you care for.
I don’t know what your families nationality is, but this is very common in some countries (not for memorial day, specifically, but picnicking in the cemetery on a holiday).
Yes, I found out from my Filipino friends that picnicking among ones ancestors was a thing. Or at least for their family, it was. I kind of like the idea now as a sentimental activity, but kid me thought it was macabre.
After big family meals those of us doing the dishes blast Abba and all sing along as we do it
haha, that sounds awesome! I recently set up an Echo for my aunt, her first Alexa device. I told her she could ask it to play music. I expected her to ask for Andrea Bocelli or something, but she asked for Abba and then the Beegees. I’ve never heard her listen to disco in all my life, and then she started dancing. So of course I’m not gonna leave her hanging; I got up and boogied down with her.
We have a family tradition of watching giant monster (Godzilla, etc.) movies on New Years Eve.
My siblings and I are all in our 30s and we still get visits from the Easter Bunny. We go through our baskets in front of our mom and talk about how much we enjoy our gifts from ‘the bunny’. I wasn’t able to be with my family this year so my Easter basket shower up in a FedEx box. Chocolate is chocolate, I’ve got no problems with this tradition.
My MIL gives us all presents from “Santa”. I’m pushing 50. She thought it was hilarious when I started doing it back to her (“why is Santa’s handwriting different on this tag??”)
Haha, that’s great, your MIL sound fun. We’ve all been ‘bunny’s assistant’ over the years (helping to buy stuff) but maybe next Easter mom will get her own basket!
in the seventies, we all swam naked together
I was a prudish kid in the 70s but yep, my mom and stepdad had no such hangups. Hippies, man.
When I first met my wife’s family, they had a tradition of playing cards (Canasta) anytime the family would gather. My wife however didn’t know how to play. They taught me and it was actually really fun hanging out and bullshitting. Like guys playing poker. We still do it all the time after nearly 20 years of being married.
My sister did this with her ex-inlaws except it was Pinochle which they taught to me as a teenager when I was there on an extended visit. It was also pretty damned fun.
I wish my in laws were game players. My grandmother used to get us all to play Rook together. It’s like Gin Rummy but acceptable for Southern Baptists to yell out! … it was a dry county…
