When you're Italian, everybody knows. That is one of the first things you say to people when conversing...

But what those people don't know is, what it is like to be an Italian during the holidays.

First, it all starts with the thought of seeing your gigantic family .

But then realizing what the holidays are really about...

You know the only one cooking and serving is going to be your Nana.

But you better ask her if she would like help with anything or else you will get shunned from the family. You also come prepared for how much food you will eat because she serves gigantic platters, and expects you to finish it all.

This is what it looks like when the family starts arriving. Good luck finding a seat.

This is how we are welcomed right when walking into the house, and you have to greet each individual person.

Right after you walk in you notice the huge table full of appetizers and realize that isn't even the beginning of the food.

And before you sit down to dinner all the adults have to drink a lot of wine.

But once we sit down to eat everybody starts talking, and as Italians we are loud, and the whole family ends up trying to scream over one another just to hear whoever is sitting next to us.

Sometimes you feel like you have been waiting forever just to eat dinner so you begin to get impatient.

But then dinner is served.

And now you start shoving it all in your mouth as fast as you can.

It is so good you just can't physically stop eating.

Still eating...

There's always that one person to tell you to slow down cause you won't have room for the 7th course.

During dinner, there are always those awkward conversations about girlfriends and boyfriends that no one wants to talk about.

God forbid you disagree with someone at the dinner table.

Cause it turns into this:

There is always that part of the dinner when your Nano has to give you a talk about life, and that is his way of telling you he cares.

But don't forget we are still eating.

And eating...

When you are finally finished you have reached the point where your body just gives up from being so full.

But then you realize that was just the first course... You still have six more to go.

After all seven courses, the kids have no choice but to clean up while the adults sit at the table and enjoy their Sambuca with coffee beans in it.

It can get a little rowdy, and extremely loud, but we don't care we love everybody in the family anyway. After all the dishes are done and the excess food is put into bags for each individual family (yes how is that even possible) it's time for our goodbyes.

But we know it isn't for too long because we can't seem to stay away from each other. The family is so big you're very likely to run into them anywhere.