Now that November’s here, Thanksgiving plans are bubbling up. Mom-66 is retiring soon and the finishing touches are being placed on her brand new house to which she’ll retire. Word is it’s quite nice, so you can’t blame her for wanting to have the immediate family down for some turkey. I was planning on making some food, packing up the puppy, and heading down there for the day, but there’s one small problem.
The Aunt.
You see, historically The Aunt, my mother’s sister, hosts her family, a couple of close friends, and my family for Thanksgiving. Mom-66 wants to buck the trend this year, but was hesitant to initiate the conversation with The Aunt because um… The Aunt’s family wasn’t actually going to be invited to Thanksgiving at the new house. A little awkward, that. But why aren’t they invited? Because my immediate family hasn’t been together for a Thanksgiving in something like seven years. Mom wants to make it a special 66 family event to commemorate her retirement, the building of the new home, and also a little of younger I-6sis’ pending winter graduation from college. So I was shocked when, just the other day, Mom asked if I wanted to go to The Aunt’s for Thanksgiving.
Whaaaaaaa?!
It seems that Mother Dear is worried that the house won’t be ready by Thanksgiving, and so she’s amenable to going to The Aunt’s and having essentially a second Thanksgiving at the house. This decision she’s come to reluctantly, and I can tell she’s not all that hot about it. I’m not either, and that’s because… well… I’m not much of a fan of The Aunt and her family. I went to Thanksigiving there last year after much internal debate, and I’m debating again. Frankly the family irritates me a little. The Aunt gives me shit all the time about not staying in touch (hello, it’s a two-way street). Her older son shows up at Brother-in-Law’s restaurants unannounced and expects he and his party of never-less-than-5 to be taken care of (Older I-6sis absolutely can’t stand that, because she’s the one who always gets the call from the restaurant). Oh, and they’re ultra-competitive at Catch Phrase. Nothing significantly damning by itself, but a bunch of little irritating things put together.
I dunno. I’m comfortable with being a Thanksgiving refugee this year. I’m coming closer and closer to saying no to The Aunt’s by the minute.
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Come over to my house! My roommate and I are refugees as well but I think we are still going to make a turkey and all that jazz. (And by “all that jazz,” I mean watch football and get drunk.)
You had me at jazz.
Let me ask you. Can you sit down with your mother (and you seem to have a very good relationship with her,) and tell her what you just wrote. Tell her it is important to you, as well, to make this an “immediate family” Thanksgiving…for just the reasons you cited.
Tell your mother you don’t care if the house is finished or not. The important thing is that you are together to celebrate these many events.
Relatives can gult you to death. Don’t let them.
She cares about the house. I think she wants everything to be complete for a family gathering like this, so I can’t fault her for wanting to wait.
I think you’re safe if you refuse to go- TWO familial Thanksgivings is too much for any mortal to handle.