Surviving home for the holidays
- posted: 11 Dec. 2007
- scrollopinion@byui.edu
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, the time for family gatherings with relatives you haven’t seen for a while — or have seen too much of for a while. Here’s how to survive these family gatherings:
First, try playing my aunt’s game, “Dysfunctional-Family Bingo.” Divide a piece of paper or cardstock (if you plan to reuse it each year) into squares, and write down your predictions for this year’s family gathering in the squares.
Square one could include, “Uncle Bob will make some culinary dish and complain when no one touches it.” B3 could be, “Aunt Jean will eat too much and then tell everyone else how much weight they’ve put on.” The possibilities are endless.
Once you’ve made up your card, grab some candy or poker chips to mark it with, sit back and wait for the fun to begin. Just don’t get caught shouting, “BINGO!”
If you’re fresh out of paper, try listening to some great holiday tunes about family. “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” is always a fine choice. For more related family songs, check out the Dysfunctional Family Christmas Songbook. It includes such parodies as “O Holy Fight,” “Silent Wife,” and “Whose Child Is This?”
Nothing says family like the movie Home Alone. In the end, Kevin learns that he really didn’t want his family to “just disappear.” Maybe watching this movie will help you to keep the same message in mind.
The most important thing to remember is to be yourself and focus on the positive characteristics about your family, even if the only one you can think of is that you won’t see them until next Christmas. They may not be perfect, but they’re all you’ve got.
And if all else fails, pull out the board and play a little bingo. Who knows? You might get a blackout this year. 
