This is particularly challenging if you’re a married only child, because that means either you or potentially your spouse’s parents are going to be alone for the feast. I figured that I had the space, I had the cooking skills, and this way no set of parents would feel left out of festivities. And hey — hadn’t our moms respectively complained each year they had to host? I’d be doing them a favor — nay, I’d be SAVING the holiday for the entire family. This was the perfect answer. “Oh I can’t believe you took this holiday away from me.” Uh … pardon? I shrugged it off, thinking she meant it in a sarcastic way; after all, wasn’t this the woman who once skipped the family meal because she was so frustrated she had to cook it? Sadly, I was wrong. A million sordid passive-aggressive comments and judgments filed in — and not just from her. “Wow, are you sure this is going to be enough food for all of these people,” an aunt inquired. “That sure is a tiny table, I wonder how we’ll all fit,” an in-law noted. “Well, I typically make my pumpkin pie with real pumpkin…” And believe me, the list went on. More from Cafemom: 19 Easy Thanksgiving Activities to Teach Kids to Be Thankful More from CafeMom: 13 Cringeworthy Stories of When Thanksgiving Went So, So Wrong Changing over holidays is a little like a loss for them. They are conceding you’re grown up, and sort of steering the familial ship. And while that certainly doesn’t excuse nasty behavior, it does at least make it more bearable.
title: “What Really Happens When You Take Over Thanksgiving” ShowToc: true date: “2024-10-11” author: “George Silvestri”
This is particularly challenging if you’re a married only child, because that means either you or potentially your spouse’s parents are going to be alone for the feast. I figured that I had the space, I had the cooking skills, and this way no set of parents would feel left out of festivities. And hey — hadn’t our moms respectively complained each year they had to host? I’d be doing them a favor — nay, I’d be SAVING the holiday for the entire family. This was the perfect answer. “Oh I can’t believe you took this holiday away from me.” Uh … pardon? I shrugged it off, thinking she meant it in a sarcastic way; after all, wasn’t this the woman who once skipped the family meal because she was so frustrated she had to cook it? Sadly, I was wrong. A million sordid passive-aggressive comments and judgments filed in — and not just from her. “Wow, are you sure this is going to be enough food for all of these people,” an aunt inquired. “That sure is a tiny table, I wonder how we’ll all fit,” an in-law noted. “Well, I typically make my pumpkin pie with real pumpkin…” And believe me, the list went on. More from Cafemom: 19 Easy Thanksgiving Activities to Teach Kids to Be Thankful More from CafeMom: 13 Cringeworthy Stories of When Thanksgiving Went So, So Wrong Changing over holidays is a little like a loss for them. They are conceding you’re grown up, and sort of steering the familial ship. And while that certainly doesn’t excuse nasty behavior, it does at least make it more bearable.
