Expectations

It seems there are some families that do end of year celebrations good and some families that don't... I think the main thing that separates the two types of families are expectations - whether or not people come with particular ideas of how the day should and shouldn't work and want to inflict those ideas on everyone else in attendence (my idea of bad bad bad end of year celebrations, from experience!).

Tomorrow I'm spending the day with the bf's family. A day where people largely hang out together, drink a little bit too much, eat a little bit too much, and most importantly no expectations from anybody. Of course there are the basic rules so that you don't offend the nice people - be polite/curteous, stay clothed in public, that kind of thing. And it makes for a very enjoyable day.

Compare with festive celebrations of the past, at my family, where for example you get screamed at by a sibling because the hug you gave another sibling was longer and you didn't set the table right. Mostly it becomes a passive aggressive seeth fest, then add alcohol and time and then watch as all the perceived hurts from birth come bubbling to the surface.

I'm really glad I'm going end of year stuff the bf's family. It's too bad we've got a "party" with my family in the New Year.

Wish I could escape those expectations - especially those of attending this family shin-dig...