When it comes to my family, my friends have often used the phrase "better than cable". Honestly, they're not wrong.

My family is the farthest thing from perfect. My dad hates pictures and if you get him in one, magically, he mostly likely isn't smiling. My mom forgets things easily and will ask you the same question within 24 hours. My sister and I fought like cats and dogs as children and now we only bond over stupid things and Sims--because Sims aren't stupid.

I love them all though.

My favorite example of my dysfunctional family has to be what I call the best Christmas ever. Now, I'll preface this by saying the rest of my family does not refer to it the same way.

So it was my first Christmas home from college. My family hardly ever has food in the house because my sister plays softball year-round so they're never home, but holiday break means it's time for a real family dinner. Mom cleared off the dining room table for the most part and plugged in the speaker and turned on Christmas carols. Usually, we're gathered on the couches watching an episode of SVU or NCIS while we eat fast food, so it was a nice change. We had sat down to dinner and it was all a little strange for us until my sister started running her mouth, as usual.

Now, our whole lives, my sister and I have wrestled with each other and our dad. As we got old, I kinda kept away from it--mind you, I can still kick ass if need be, but I know when I'll be beat--but my sister never really did. Usually, we'll be in the living room, she'll talk crap, my dad will find a way to get her to the ground--he was a wrestler in high school and is still pretty good at it, all things considered--and that's the end of it. Not that Christmas.

Since we were at the table, there was really no way of shutting her up. Until my dad found a block of wood on the table--he's really talented with a saw and makes little ornaments for people every Christmas so that's what the wood was for. My dad told my sister if she didn't stop talking, he was going to throw it at her, across the table. That shut her up pretty quickly.

For about a minute. It didn't take long before she was running her mouth again and my dad ninja-star-threw the wood across the table, hitting my sister smack on the mouth.

I have never laughed so hard in my life.

My sister's crying in pain and embarrassment, my mom and rushing to help her, and my dad is repeating, "I meant to hit her arm!" as he gets an ice pack for her. All the while, I'm laughing so hard I can't breathe.

My sister was fine, of course--though her lip didn't look good for about a week. My dad got a talking to from my mom. I still get a good laugh out of it, though, two and half years later--I'm even grinning as I write this.

My family is really weird and dysfunctional but I love them for it because perfect would get really boring really quickly.