It's that time of year again. People pack up and travel all across the country to see family and celebrate the holidays. Christmas, Hanukkah, New Year's, the list goes on. However, there is one certainty of this time period that everyone knows to be true:
Holidays are a time to reconnect with loved ones.
As people settle in to see their relatives, it is time to catch up on many months' worth of gossip and stories. I only see my aunts, uncles, and cousins once or twice a year, so this holiday stretch is the ideal time to find out what's new in everyone's life. With that in mind, here is a list of topics that are bound to come up in your holiday conversation.
School/Jobs
As family members reconnect after many months apart, people want to hear about updates regarding academia and the working world. Myself, as well as two cousins, are in college. One of my cousins has one semester left before he enters the real world, and it's always interesting to get advice from him. Meanwhile, my youngest cousins are growing in their own way, and I want to know what's going on with them and their families.
Family Gossip
Every year when you gather with family, there is always a story to tell. These stories often revolve around some other distant relative and a chaotic or impactful experience in their life. Even if you haven't met someone personally, you know that there will be a story pertaining to their life.
News/Political Events
In my family, we try not to delve too far into politics. However, it's not uncommon for somebody to comment on a major political, social, or otherwise noteworthy event that's happening in the world today.
Event Planning
Over the course of a few days, everyone has to help plan what they want to get done while they're all together. This goes to cooking/baking, to going into town for a movie, to just hanging out and talking about life.
Memories/Flashbacks
With 10-15 people under one roof, no memory from years past is safe. Whether good, bad, or just plain hilarious, if you did something, it will be remembered. It doesn't really matter if it happened last year or 9 years ago, it will be brought up for the rest of the family to reminisce in.
But, you don't really care. Looking back, you realize why it's a memorable event in people's eyes. One day, you'll be telling others about it, too.
