extended family
All about how to stay connected, strengthen ties and talk politics with your big, happy extended family.
Thanksgiving, 1990-Something
It was the Thanksgiving of 1990-something. I still lived in my childhood family home in Toledo, Ohio, my grandparents were still alive, my brother was still alive, my parents were still happily-ish married, and my auntās most-favorite-dog-of-all-time was still alive and well. Not to start on a morbid note. But all things considered, it really was one of the best memories I have of Thanksgiving, as fucked up as it was.
By Alexandra Sedlak3 years ago in Families
Just a Nice, Family Christmas
Christmastime seems to roll around quicker each year. Itās just some sort of thing that happens when you get older. You start to think back about all of the Christmas seasons youāve made it through. Each year has brought so many memorable moments, but the years that always pop out the most when I think back are the years that had everything go wrong. I have had many years that had seemed like everything that could go wrong, did. If I had to pick the most memorable Christmas season yet, it would definitely be Christmas of 2001.
By Sharon Smith3 years ago in Families
Aunt Bonnie
She was 70 and on oxygen the Thanksgiving that she pulled a butcher knife on my father...her brother...Jack. Then she threw it at him, but he ducked in time and it stuck quivering in her cupboard for a millisecond before crashing to the floor. Ordinarily, Iād label this event as ātraumaticā but taken as a whole, it was just a single scene in a surface ānormalā, albeit dysfunctional family Thanksgiving. There is poignancy in the fact that it would be our last one but that didnāt have anything to do with weapons. In any case, cousin Jeannie (Bonnieās daughter) and I were too busy rifling through Bonnieās closet for evidence of two of Bonnieās childrenās paternity, that we were not present for the argument that led up to the incident.
By Tammy Castleman3 years ago in Families
A Christmas I Donāt Remember Forgetting
There was poop and pee everywhere. On the floor, on the couch. Even a day later, and after a good cleanup, I was still finding poop in nooks and crannies. It even haunted me in my dreams. This is not a good way to start a story, I know, but given the theme of this writing challenge, I thought it best to give a preview where this is going. The events of this disastrous holiday gathering began so innocently, and as a result, I never could have foreseen such a revolting aftermath.
By Ghostface Writer3 years ago in Families
Monster Release
My family has always had deeply rooted secrets that seem to escape them yearly during the holidays. My family gets together a few days before Thanksgiving every year to have breakfast and put up my grandparent's Christmas tree. Because of "grandma's law," everyone is required to attend, with no exceptions. I missed one year because I didn't have the means or transportation, and she threatened to cancel Christmas and withhold everyone's gifts until February. My grandma is dramatic, manipulative, and demanding but makes the best desserts and genuinely loves you enough to nag you about wearing a coat in the winter and taking home a plate. My grandparents, my mother, my two younger brothers with their own families, and I were in attendance. Then there was my aunt Fradie's family, chosen by God, their words not mine, a family of four, usually her husband James, and two boys were there, but on this day, James was absent. It is always about an hour or a half into the festivities that things get interesting. It starts exciting and loving, with tones of games, laughs, and food, but eventually, the nightmares emerge. I don't stress that lightly; I mean monsters; it is almost like they create or receive these secrets or burdens, and the holidays force them to lay it all out on the table. Just to list a few past holiday burdens or secrets, There was when my brother pitched a fit, caused a scene, went on a rampage, and fell in the pool, all because he lost at spoons. An acid trip? It was never confirmed.
By LaRissa Dawn 3 years ago in Families
Yellow Shirt Girl
In my family, Thanksgiving is always quite the ordeal. There are so many people in my family that itās always a really large gathering, but itās usually the same people who attend it every year. Cousins, siblings, grandparents, and even some of our more distant relatives all join together at my great auntās large home, where we host a potluck brunch and everyone brings their favorite dishes. We gather around to watch movies and eat as many helpings of food as we can fit in our stomachs. However, a few years ago, we had an unexpected guest.
By Brenna Williams3 years ago in Families
Lobster for Everyone. Runner-Up in Holiday Hijinks Challenge.
Our first holiday away from home was a memorable one. I was twelve and a little too proud of it. My parents optimistically packaged me, my 10-year-old brother, and a weekās worth of luggage into our 89ā Ford Escort and set off for an 18-hour road trip. 18-hours and 28 minutes to be precise. We were going to spend Christmas with my momās family on the East Coast of Canada. Now, I know what youāre thinking but the road trip actually went fairly smoothly, My brotherās car sickness only caused a few minor delays and we ate on the road to save time. Mom and Dad took turns driving through the night and 18-hours and 57 minutes later we arrived in Kentville, Nova Scotia.
By Claire Jones3 years ago in Families
