Holiday Conundrums: Gathering Family

Now that Halloween is over, you are probably beginning to make your Thanksgiving plans. I certainly am trying to. It has just become this huge cluster of madness in trying to coordinate different families and their "holiday" schedules. You know what I'm talking about: Different families spend a Holiday with one side of the family and then the next year with the other. It can all be so confusing and aggravating. This is what I am currently dealing with among my family and I felt that maybe you were feeling the same as I am.

Here's the deal: This year my husband and I are planning on being with my immediate family. An aunt on my mothers side wants to take on the planning of the day and host the gathering. My family never spends this holiday with them so it's sort of throwing everything off. However, my fathers side of the family usually spends every thanksgiving with us and has no one else who could take on such a daunting task (and hosting a Thanksgiving dinner is daunting). Therefor, they would have to be invited to my aunts but this may end up being too many people for her to handle (food wise and space wise). Because of this my mother is now thinking we may just have our own Thanksgiving as usual with my fathers side of the family only. But....... she's not sure. She hasn't decided. She doesn't want to hurt my aunts feelings or exclude the other side of the family. So here we are, unaware of what is happening and where the holiday will be taking place. For some of you this may not seem like a big problem, but to me it is. I can "go-with-the-flow" in many situations, but not when it comes to planning holidays. This is when I want to say, "Screw all this indecisiveness! I'll be with my in-laws."

Now, I'm bringing all of this up to inspire you to get your holiday plans worked out now before it's too late. The best way to go about planning your holiday is to know how many people you can accommodate (the more people, the more food you have to make and the more room you need). If that means that some people can't be involved then either host the gathering at a different location, ask people to bring more food, simply relinquish your desire to host or someone will have to host a separate gathering. No matter what you decide, decide now. Make your choices and then get the word out. Don't wait until the week before and leave everyone hanging. It will be the people like me - that always find information out through the grapevine - who will end up ansy and frustrated until they know where they will be for Thanksgiving.

No matter which way you decide to go, making the day lovely is what you really desire; ending up with happy people, focusing on what they're thankful for. So, take feelings and space into consideration, but ultimately make the choice that is best for everyone involved. And do it now!