<p>Next year…even if it means only three of us , I don’t want my sister to join us. She is a total buzzkill. Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday</p>
<p>Actually, I’ve usually seen it written PITA (Pain in the A*#) rather than PIA. I count my blessings that the major drama queen is my sister. We were all holding our breath that she would really marry & move out of the house so she & my dad wouldn’t constantly be at each other’s throats (somehow they both press each other’s buttons). She & her MIL have very loud (& to us ridiculous) fights, no matter who is around. At Thanksgiving, they were fighting over whether anyone wanted to take any of MIL’s stuffing home. Ah well, most of us keep our distance and pass the duct tape around. My brother likes to fan the flames, but the rest of us give it a pass and prefer selective deafness and amnesia for peace.</p>
<p>It is bittersweet when the sainted spouse of the PITA dies and the PITA becomes even more difficult to take without the saint to help sweeten things up. It’s especially difficult if the PITA is a “close” family member.</p>
<p>please don’t move to nyc. </p>
<p>but i didn’t say it once…</p>
<p>My pet peeve, the tv is so loud I could go to my neighbors home and still hear it.(We libe on 10 acres).</p>
<p>My MIL than says it is because Daddy has a hearing problem…hint get a hearing aid because at this rate I too will have a hearing problem.</p>
<p>What is it with men not willing to get hearing aids? I have told Bullet that this will not be an issue because if he goes deaf he WILL get one, otherwise I will move out. He knows if I do he is screwed because hour 1 he will not be able to find anything in the house.</p>
<p>Had a tape of my S’s high school play to put on for my mom and aunt when they started to drive me crazy. I was thinking I would put in on in late afternoon but ended up putting it on 45 min after they arrived on Thanksgiving morn. They talked incessantly, asked questions without listening to the answers, and left cups, dirty plates, water glasses everywhere. They talked in great detail about people we don’t know, about people who have been dead for decades, about their church programs, and then fell asleep in front of the tv and kept announcing that they were going to bed but never moved. What’s that about? I am never going to go to someone’s house and sleep on their couch with my mouth open. My son gave up his room and the second night he begged to go to a friend’s house and I let him go. He said he couldn’t sleep on the couch again. Of course, they don’t drink and think people that drink are horrible but they make me want to drink like crazy! My sister and I had a drink just to take the edge off of “being a good listener”. ALso, as soon as Thanksgiving was over, they started asking about Christmas. I still haven’t finished washing all the sheets. Also, I still can’t believe my husband hid in the other room most of the time cruising the internet instead of talking to them. </p>
<p>This is the funniest forum that I have ever read on CC and thank all of you for posting because I feel so much better knowing that I’m not the only one that had a crazy holiday.</p>
<p>chauffeur – I seriously dislike people who fall asleep on the couch, putting their stinky feet on it and drooling. It’s so undignified, let alone selfish. They always wake up if you try to change the channel with a ‘hey, I was watching that!’. Everyone snores lustily while watching television, right?</p>
<p>Am I the only one that thinks we all have the same in-laws? </p>
<p>Pet peeve number 2:</p>
<p>I have absolutely no reason to lie to you when I say I don’t know them!</p>
<p>Take the hint, move onto a new subject, don’t go down the path of YES, You do, you remember they came to your wedding 22 yrs ago (along with the other 200 people that were there).</p>
<p>If you have to spend 20 minutes trying to jog my memory, do I really care about what their grandchild is doing now?</p>
<p>MOVE ON.</p>
<p>If you don’t as Bullet says, you are just sucking oxygen out of the room.</p>
<p>Pet Peeve 3:</p>
<p>Don’t reprimand our kids for something you disapprove of. Speak to me regarding your concerns, but we are the parents. I have no problem with them answering their phones while we are sitting by the tv as long as they walk away to have the conversation. Don’t chastise them for being rude by talking to friends to make plans with people they haven’t seen since August just because you are here doesn’t mean their lives rotate around you.</p>
<p>“Don’t reprimand our kids for something you disapprove of. Speak to me regarding your concerns, but we are the parents.” (Someday I will figure out how to quote.)</p>
<p>That goes for the animals, too. When the dog gets up on the family room couch, the one piece of furniture he is allowed on, don’t start yelling and scare the crap out of him.</p>
<p>to quote</p>
<p>use [ write quote than ] again after the part you want to quote use [ /quote and end with ]</p>
<p>you must write out quote/ /quote in between the </p>
<p>Also for the pets, please don’t feed them your scraps without asking first. Our 10 yo cocker will love you, but come the next morning because he can’t handle that food I will have presents around the home.</p>
<p>Pet Peeve 4:</p>
<p>Don’t tell us what we should do with the home for improvements unless you are willing to write the check.</p>
<p>I do confess that I once grabbed my nephew (he was about four) when he was running directly toward the open oven door while his dad was basting the bird. The door was right at face-height for the kid. My SIL told me I should have warned her and let her stop him, but she was all the way across the kitchen at the sink (on the other side of a fairly massive island) and my BIL had eyes only for the turkey. My nephew was laughing over his shoulder at his sister and didn’t even see that the door was open. </p>
<p>Bad, bad aunt…ain’t I.</p>
<p>And, yes, no scraps for the dog. She is quite capable of stealing them from the counter all by herself.</p>
<p>Novelisto, are you supposed to watch a kid just run into the oven? What is your SIL’s problem? My SIL once told her son that he didn’t have to mind his grandmother; that he should just do what his parents say. My mom was trying to tell him where to play in her yard to avoid poison ivy. </p>
<p>Another comment about relatives sleeping in front to the tv: my mom and aunt wake up and say something to prove that they are not asleep and pretend that they aren’t sleeping. We don’t have room for everyone in front of the tv so those seats in front of tv should be reserved for those watching tv!! Also, yes, I talk when I watch tv but not while something is being said. I talk during commercials (I mute them if I’m holding the remote) and while the football plays are running but not constantly when important things are being said. At our house, the den is for tv and those just wanting to converse should go to living room. Helpful hint…put on the tv display so you can read what is being said if they are talking. Took me too long to think of that. My mom talks during important times then asks us what was said. I always say that I don’t know even if I do thinking she might take a hint.</p>
<p>What about those relatives who are SO tired after eating their holiday meal that they simply must take a nap–laying down on the sofa? They always get there first, because they are the ones who never help prepare the meal, set up, or clean up. </p>
<p>My house is not large, and we have one main gathering area. I can’t remember the last time I had a chance or a place to sit down in a comfortable seat and relax at any time on a holiday. This year, I nicely requested that he move to the bedroom to take a nap so that there would be enough seating. He flatly refused.</p>
<p>I’m thinking of going somewhere next year…somewhere far, far away…</p>
<p>This thread is fantastic! Brings back a lot of memories. Most of the issues that have been discussed can be fixed with one word - bluntness! </p>
<p>MIL painted a picture (she is an artist) and asked me my opinion. I declined. She then told me what her inspiration was and asked me again. I declined again. She then demanded to know what I thought the painting meant. I told her. She has never asked again!</p>
<p>FIL is the world’s worst driver (multiple DUI’s and drifts from lane to lane). He likes to go out to dinner and wants to drive us. I always decline and offer to drive. He demanded to know why we would not let him drive. I told him I did not want to die due to his inability to stay in a lane and not knowing whether he was under the influence (this in front of the whole family). He has never offered to drive since. </p>
<p>Wife’s aunt always brings food that no one knows what it is and taste’s horrible. She wanted to know why I did not get some for Thanksgiving dinner. I politely said I did not want any. She kept on me to try it. I finally did. She asked what I thought of it. Told her it tasted like crap. She has never asked since. </p>
<p>I love the holidays!!</p>
<p>No duct tape for you!</p>
<p>Maybe we should vote on a “Duct-y” for the person who showed the most self-restraint when dealing with difficult relatives over the holiday?</p>
<p>I think I may love ShamrockDad. ;)</p>
<p>B&P-
Have the perfect holiday gift for yoru FIL [Amazon.com:</a> Niko 2400RF 2.4GHz RF Extra Light Wireless Stereo Headphones: Electronics](<a href=“http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003B6S3T0/ref=asc_df_B003B6S3T01338417?smid=A2TGMCZ4O2P52Z&tag=nextagusmp0357653-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B003B6S3T0]Amazon.com:”>http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003B6S3T0/ref=asc_df_B003B6S3T01338417?smid=A2TGMCZ4O2P52Z&tag=nextagusmp0357653-20&linkCode=asn&creative=395105&creativeASIN=B003B6S3T0) We got some for my late FIL so he could hear at his sub-deafening volume and the other occupants of the house could set the tv at a normal volume. A definite lifesaver.</p>
<p>Shamrockdad-- too funny!!</p>
<p>A friend of mine , who often hosts thanksgiving (I grabbed it this year at my DHs request) is a terrible cook. terrible. Food is always bland, unseasoned, and some stuff (a baked zucchni thing cooked in that fat-free gelatinous slimy italian dressing) is simply inedible. We did pot luck this year. I asked her to bring a salad :)</p>
<p>^
Salad in a bag is always a safe bet, as well are store bought pies. ;)</p>
<p>Sparkling cider, ice, bakery cake, pie and/or cookies are always reliable and what we have non-cooks contribute to potlucks too.</p>
<p>GA2012MOM-
Maybe it has something to do with her first name… ;)</p>