I can't really come to a decision on whether or not I enjoy large family gatherings. What I am certain of is that they are exhausting. If I'm visiting with one related family, I'm fine. When it comes to a group of twenty, however, including those whom remember me when I was a baby that I couldn't recall to save my life or just complete strangers, I tend to have a more difficult time being out-going.
I try so hard just to carry a five minute conversation that by the end of it, I feel like I need a nap. But I can't even sit down because before I know it, some distant relative I don't recognize has me in a firm embrace and is going on about how much I've grown. So I force on yet another overwhelming smile that everyone just seems to eat up and ask them things I really couldn't care less about.
I feel like I'm being rude sometimes because little does everyone know, I would rather be curled up in a blanket in a closet listening to music and hiding myself from the world rather than talk. I can't change this feeling. I would if I could. I usually only get like this by the end of the reunion and spend my time actually being nice and caring without needing to fake for the first couple of hours before I get cranky.
To add to my exhaustion is the fact that I only got less than two hours of sleep the night before all thanks to an obnoxious thunderstorm. I also spent most of the party with my second cousins: Amelia is turning ten in a few weeks and William just blew out the candles for his sixteenth birthday. Their personalities are complete opposite because I'm pretty sure I've exchanged more words with Amelia than I have with anyone in the past two months whereas William referred to me and my brother as "those other people," spoke to us just to say hi when we first arrived, and ignored us the rest of the time. All he did was hide in the basement and watch television and she was right on my heels every step I took. Don't get me wrong — they both can be really fun. William was just absorbed in hating everything at the moment and Amelia was just a little over excited as a result of not seeing us in five years.
Everyone else at the get-together was an adult and, by the sickening aroma in the house, spent most of their time drinking or smoking when they weren't busy harassing me with questions. And then comes the drama. I expected some bickering going into it but by the end of the day, some people wouldn't even look at each other let alone communicate.
Overall, I think I had a pretty good time. I got to see family whom live too far away to visit frequently and more importantly, survived. Although I did happen to get some of my Aunt's champagne all over me because the glass she was using broke in her hand. It also got on my other Aunt's ceiling, but she was too drunk to care. Then again, when don't any of these things happen with my family.
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