Christmas is a wonderful time, but it can also be tough. From lying to your relatives about how exciting your life is, to masking the disgust on your face as you force another slice of your grandmother's famous fruitcake, Christmas is no walk in the park. The Griswold family, eccentric yet connectable, show us how normal our families actually are. Here are 15 ways the Griswold family prepared us for the holidays.
1. Nostalgia is strongest during Christmas and it hits hard.
Watching old videos from your childhood is always nice, especially when they are being commented on by relatives that have a better memory of the video than you do. Because of this, the emotions hit harder than you expect. Prepare yourself now.
2. The food may not always be good.
When you see your Aunt pulling out what she thinks is your favorite type of pie, you know you can't deny her. Just do what Clark does here, and nobody will be the wiser.
3. Some gifts are better than others.
Not all of the gifts you get will be great, and looking at them in the right perspective is important.
4. Not everything can be wrapped.
Even if this seems obvious, somebody will wrap something that should never be wrapped. If the box is shaking, it is okay to open it early.
5. Somebody spent a lot of time on those Christmas lights.
Make sure you let them know you appreciate it. Christmas is not the same without all of those lights blinding the neighbors.
6. Even if you think you are prepared, you aren't.
Preparing for Christmas is important, but it is more important to expect things to go wrong because they will.
7. Stuff around the house will break.
The best way to prepare for this is to hide everything expensive. If you find yourself on the other end of this situation, pretend like it didn't happen.
8. There will be situations not worth your attention.
Sometimes, it is better to pretend like you didn't just see your father take a swig from his flask. He probably needs it anyway.
9. Hide behind that smile.
Never slip up and show that desperate look for help. You may need it, but you can't show that.
10. Some things are better left unsaid.
Never speak your mind when you are stressed over the holidays. Mumble it as you walk away. You will feel better and nobody will have their feelings hurt.
11. Your family will do crazy stuff for you.
Like kidnap your boss because he did not give out any holiday bonuses. You can't get angry about this because they are showing you that they care.
12. Sometimes stuff will happen that doesn't make sense.
Fighting in these situations will do no good. The holidays are about being with families and ignoring the negatives. Fight about the messes later.
13. Misery is necessary to have a good time.
Expecting to be miserable will make the holidays much more enjoyable. Nothing is quite as bad as the way you think it will be, so start with a low expectation.
14. Weird situations will happen. Just go with them.
The best response to a strange occurrence, is to go with it. If anything, it will start a new tradition.
15. Everything is worth it in the end.
Although the holidays are tough to get through, everything will be alright in the end.
