We Put the Fun in Dysfunctional Family!

Over the holidays, we are inundated with images of perfect - looking families.  You know – those holiday cards where all the kids have matching outfits? Or even worse, the ones that include the letters listing everyone’s accomplishments??

And it can make those of us without perfect families feel even more inadequate and ashamed than we already do.  And helloooo,,, who has a perfect family? Literally no one.  Ok, ok, I personally know one or two that are pretty darn close.  And we aren’t friends anymore. (Kidding). 

So what this means is that huge numbers of people are walking around feeling like crap about their families; feeling isolated and alone in their crappiness, when the fact of the matter is that we aren’t alone at all! Everyone else is just like us.

I have some ideas for how to solve this particular holiday problem that would put some fun back into the dysfunctional family:

• Send an alternative “Let’s Get Real” Christmas letter.  Instead of the reports of the good grades, trophies won and exotic trips taken, let’s highlight the shameful stuff!  Example: “In 2023, Tom and I have been enduring a long, drawn-out nasty divorce; Emily has been battling bulimia and little Tommy was kicked out of boarding school.”

• Send a holiday card including a photo of everyone right when they roll out of bed in the morning. Let’s compete for the worst-looking photo!

•  Throw a party celebrating the most difficult part of your year, because hey… you learned something!  And even if not, you survived.  And that’s cause for celebration!

Ideas:

~ Divorce Party (I actually had one of these and it was awesome)

~Lost My Job Party

~ My Kid Didn’t Get Into a Single College Party

It’s got to be better than feeling like you’re the only one without a perfect family. You aren’t. Trust me!