The 6 Relatives You’ll Run Into This Thanksgiving
The holidays are on their way and with it comes the unstoppable force of family get-togethers. You might only see some of these people once or twice a year, but by now you know what to expect. And while sure, life is no sitcom (where’s Danny Tanner when we need him?), there are plenty of relative “types” we’ve probably all run into throughout the years. For the sake of a little pre-Thanksgiving stress relief and fun, we thought we’d run through our favorite holiday family tropes.
The New Guy
Usually someone’s boyfriend or girlfriend, this person is thrust into the holiday madness headfirst with no concept of who’s who and you don’t know who they are either. Hallmark traits include: clinging to the person who brought them, being strangely quiet, and finding their way to the corners of rooms.
The Troubled One
Someone, without fail, is “really going through some stuff” and it’s apparent from the moment they walk through the door. They’ll pretend (poorly) that everything is fine and after a couple of drinks at the dinner table, it all comes out and the rest of the day everyone’s trading off hugging them and making sure they don’t get their hands on the wine bottle again.
The “Instagrammer”
This one’s all about the Kodak moment. They’ll post at least 6 things to Instagram, at least 2 of which will be slideshows. You’ll be roped into multiple selfies with them and they will dive into hashtags which will include, but are not limited to, #blessed #grateful #familytime #liveyourbestlife #gratitude #thanksgiving #foodbaby #toomuchfood #sogood #family4life
The Life of the Party
Also known as “The Center of Attention,” every family has at least one person who keeps the party going, sometimes well past when everyone else was ready to sink into a post-turkey coma. The Life of the Party is all about keeping the spotlight on them. This may include enthralling stories, ridiculous jokes, or outright shenanigans. Let’s be honest, this person has definitely mooned the entire family when they were a child and continues to regale the family with the story every year as a reminder that they are the king (or queen) of tomfoolery.
The “Partied Too Hard”
This one might be more commonly known as the “drunk uncle,” but hey, we don’t want to discriminate. Partied Too Hard might be Uncle Jim, but it could just as easily be anyone else in the family who decided to go one or two (or three) drinks too many and is now walking around the room hugging everyone and telling them how much they love you, how important family is, and how these are the things they will remember someday when they are on their death bed. You’ll also find this family member challenging everyone to do shots, or passed out on the couch half an hour later.
The Leftover Thief
Maybe they brought their own tupperware, maybe they’re just stuffing it in their purse (talk about dedication), but when Mom offers up leftovers because “we don’t want to be eating stuffing for weeks,” you better believe the Leftover Thief takes full advantage of that offer. Heck, even if Mom doesn’t invite everyone to take a few rolls home, they’re probably still sneaking away portions for the otherwise turkey-less days ahead.
Alright, alright. Now that we’ve had a little fun at your relatives’ expense, let’s cut to the real chase. Have a Happy Thanksgiving and enjoy the time you have with your family together. Curl up on the couch and watch the Macy’s Day Thanksgiving Parade with a cup of hot coffee, hoard the cranberry sauce if that’s your thing, but make some memories! Because hey, Partied Too Hard is right, this is the stuff you’ll remember when you’re old and gray.
