As if the holidays weren’t hectic enough, try being in a small house with a bunch of hungry loud Italian uncles, aunts, and cousins. But we love them anyway as well as the typical things we know we are going to see at the holiday celebration. These are the 13 things every Italian expect to see at Christmas dinner.

1. Being smothered by the row of kisses from your aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins when they walk in the house

Everyone knows how touchy their Italian families can be. Add in the factor that it’s a special holiday and you haven’t seen your family in a while and before you know it you’re being sandwiched by your two aunts.

2. Helping your mother and grandmother prepare enough food to fuel an army

Although everyone you know will be there it doesn’t mean we have to make six pans of pasta mom…

3. Endless rows of fold out tables to accommodate the 30 relatives you’ll be cramming in your house

Christmas calls for the special occasion of using the dining room set that you’re never supposed to touch otherwise and for pulling out the folding chairs and tables to make the world’s biggest dinner table to fit all your crazy relatives.

4. The traditional Christmas Eve and Christmas meals

It’s the food that you look forward to all year, only served on Christmas, and served in surplus. You have the 7 fishes on Christmas Eve followed by the manicotti. It doesn’t stop there of course. Then you have your choice of dessert ranging from cookies to struffoli and cannolis.

5. Your Nonna offering you food every 10 minutes

No matter how many times you insist you’ve already had enough food, Nonna will keep asking, taking offense each time you say ‘no.’

6. Having to dress nice for family dinner and suffering once you’ve consumed 5 pounds of pasta feeling like this

7. Every conversation turns into a yelling battle

"I'm not yelling its how i talk!" Between your 15 cousins and 7 uncles and aunts the noise volume and competition to speak is overwhelming.

8. Having enough wine in the house to fill a tub up

This absolutely doesn’t help the yelling problem but sure helps you forget about it

9. The one uncle who starts giving you life advice and sort of reminds you of this

10. The excitement of getting to open the last box on your traditional advent calendars

If you’re Italian then you are most likely catholic, meaning Christmas is a huge holiday to celebrate in your religion.

11. The anticipation of a sea of gifts since your family does everything over the top

No matter how many times your family insists they aren’t going to do gifts this year, you always end up walking away with tons of cash and a sea of clothes

12. Counting down the minutes until you get to be alone

With so many people crammed in the house you can expect to find them scattered throughout the bedrooms, the living rooms, the dining room, and the kitchen, but it’s okay because you kind of like that you are surrounded.

13. Saying goodbye to everyone and counting the down days until you get to be with everyone again

Christmas only comes once a year after all and family is forever.