We Survived Another Family Holiday Get Together!

Saturday we had our family holiday get together and boy let me tell you that there was a ton going on. My day started out early and in the kitchen which is where is usually starts out during one of these events. I actually had a lot planned for the day since I am the organizer and planner of the bunch. My younger brother actually came up with the idea of doing our holidays this way a few years ago and it works for us. Last year we had a lunch and dinner which was HUGE! However we learned a lot from that event. (1) We all can’t spend that much time together without a priest or a call for 911 and (2) the finger foods of lunch was a bigger hit then the big a** dinner that I spent days cooking and planning for. Yep I ‘m still little sensitive about all of that! The only good that came out of last year’s event was my older brother who is always so distant made me cry and then hugged me. Of course then he told me not to tell anyone that he was hugging me because it would ruin his image and all.  It was a Christmas miracle 😉

 

 

Anyway!! This year we decided to go the finger food route and I spent weeks searching the Internet for recipes and foods that I thought would work. Then Charlie (my younger brother) and I spent week trying them out (with my injury this means I spent time sitting in the chair yelling at him the directions) because, like he said, we needed to make sure they worked and were good (I see a lot of gym time in my future!) The food ended up being wonderful and I really am glad that we decided on the finger food route because everyone loved it. We didn’t actually sit down to eat. We tend to all stand in the kitchen or hover over the food and eat when we are together. I blame my Grandmother for this! When we were growing up and went to her house we  were always in the kitchen.

 

 

 

We don’t do this every year but every few years I force (yes I said force) everyone to have pictures taken. We do a large family and then several various other ones. Typically the family hates me and the kids are crying by the time we get to the end so this year I had a plan. One that went out the window within a few minutes but at least I had one. I decided to go ahead and do my family and Charlie’s family pics before everyone arrived. I figured it would be less work in the long run and then all we would have to do is the various group shots but all of that was easier said than done. It took two hours (I may have used words that I shouldn’t have and created some new colorful ones that will have me on Santa’s Naughty List for sure) but we got it done with very little tears. Then came all of the others and along with it came the vow “I’m never doing this again you ungrateful heathens!” There may or may not have been other colorful adjectives used. In the end I got the shots I wanted and hopefully they will all turn out alright.

 

 

That is the million dollar question! Of course it is easily answered. We do it because in the end we love one another. Yes we get on each other’s nerves, act like we are six years old again (Ma! He’s touching me!!! may have been yelled numerous times over the course of the day…..by the adults) and have the occasional fist fight (none this year…thank you Jesus!) But in the end we love one another and would rather be ourselves then pretend to be on our best behavior. I can tell you that our parents didn’t raise us to be this way but they did raise us to have our own opinions and to speak our minds. Which means we do and we somehow always bring the childishness out in one another when we all get together. In the end though everyone left with hugs and I’ll call you laters so it was a good day all in all! 😉