Thanksgiving is an extremely special holiday for many Americans, as this might be the only time you get to gather with all of your relatives the entire year. Finally, you get to cozy up on the couch to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, play board games with Grandma, enjoy a wholesome feast and express gratitude for all of your blessings. ‘Tis the season!
But as wonderful as Turkey Day can be, it’s not always picture perfect. In an effort to prevent conflicts, one woman created a “code of conduct” for her family to follow on Thanksgiving. But instead of getting everyone on the same page, her rules ruined her family’s holiday plans. Below, you’ll find the full story that her sister recently posted on Reddit, as well as some of the replies invested readers shared.
This woman is usually in charge of hosting her family’s Thanksgiving gathering
Image credits: Kateryna Hliznitsova / unsplash (not the actual photo)
But when her sister came up with a “code of conduct” for everyone to follow, she decided that she couldn’t do it this year
Image credits: pacoocimage / freepik (not the actual photo)
Image credits: ziolczykdaniel
The vast majority of Americans celebrate Thanksgiving with their loved ones
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
Thanksgiving is a huge holiday in the United States. The Pew Research Center reports that a whopping 91% of Americans celebrate Turkey Day, and over a quarter of Americans plan to enjoy the holiday with at least 10 other people this year.
This day is typically celebrated by eating a feast of seasonal dishes, watching football, watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, playing games with relatives and taking a moment to share gratitude for all that you have.
In fact, two thirds of Americans say a prayer or blessing before enjoying their Thanksgiving feasts, while 69% express what they’re thankful for. And 56% of Americans will do both before chowing down on turkey, mashed potatoes, green bean casserole and more.
Aside from watching sports, many Americans also plan to spend this Thursday talking about work or school, discussing the recent presidential election, talking about pop culture, watching a parade, donating food or goods and doing some holiday shopping.
But as magical as Thanksgiving can be, it’s also notorious for being a day full of family drama. Heated political debates with relatives can ruin your appetite, and there’s often tension in the kitchen as Mom works hard to prepare all of the food as quickly as she can and Dad sits in the other room on the couch asking, “When’s the food going to be ready?”
Standing in a hot kitchen with the oven and stove going all day can make you irritable, especially when you’re simultaneously entertaining 12 guests and trying to keep them all full and happy. Even without having a “code of contact” to infuriate everyone, issues between relatives have no trouble arising.
But family drama often ends up on the Thanksgiving menu as well
Image credits: freepik (not the actual photo)
According to Sean Grover, LCSW, at Psychology Today, there are a few factors that influence why family conflicts pop up during the holidays: exhaustion, regression and overindulgence. Holidays often include traveling and dealing with extremely crowded airports and flights or being stuck in bumper to bumper traffic on the highway. This can mean you’re running on a lack of sleep and patience.
It’s also common for us to regress to behaviors from childhood when we enter our parents’ homes, as memories come flooding in when we arrive. This may mean we’re not acting as mature as usual. And if you’re overindulging in wine, you might have trouble being on your best behavior and not simply voicing all of your thoughts without any filter.
So how can we make sure that the holidays are full of love and warm memories, rather than fights that will be talked about for generations to come? Licensed clinical psychologist Amy Marschall, PsyD, recommends being prepared before the day arrives. Set realistic expectations and identify boundaries for yourself, she told VeryWell Mind.
It’s also important to remember that you’re always allowed to retreat. You don’t have to stay for the entire gathering or keep yourself in conversations that make you uncomfortable. Try to avoid topics that you don’t want to discuss, but if a relative insists on talking about them, feel free to step away and get some air. Try to manage your emotional responses and, rather than bottling up your emotions, try to express them in a respectful way.
We would love to hear your thoughts on this situation in the comments below, pandas. Do you think it’s fair to ask family members to follow a “code of conduct” on Thanksgiving? Feel free to weigh in, and then if you’re interested in reading another article featuring family drama during the holidays, we recommend checking out this one next!
Some readers supported the woman for standing her ground
However, others thought that it was unfair for her to cancel Thanksgiving
And some provided advice on how to prevent drama during family gatherings
The post “AITA For Refusing To Host Thanksgiving After My Sister Handed Out A ‘Family Code Of Conduct’?” first appeared on Bored Panda.
Source link
