With Thanksgiving and Christmas just around the corner, everyone anticipates the long awaited sleep that they get to catch up on, the countless buffet of foods that we all get to indulge in and just simply being away from school. A nice, long break is very much needed and is the perfect way to regain your sanity. The holiday season is meant to be a merry time, bringing families together and being able to catch up on well, everything. But with that comes the dreaded and super awkward family dinners that your mom mandates for you to be at.

So here goes nothing. You brush your hair, put on some nice clothes that you forgot you had even owned, fake a smile, shamelessly look around for the wine and casually eat your meal as you stare at every family member sitting around the table.

You know it's already going to be a long night...

The first question you immediately come face to face with is the “Do you have a boyfriend?”

Of course being the strong willed and very independent woman that you are, you simply state the fact that you don’t need a man in your life. But in reality, you're like...

Because let's be real here. The f*ckboy culture has pretty much taken over the entire male species...

Next thing you know, that annoying and ‘perfect’ cousin of yours that you’ve always been compared to since you were a fetus announces that her and her boyfriend are going on 5 years strong. You nod, smile, and say “Oh my gosh, congratulations!” But really, you're just like…

And then the next thing you know, that nosey aunt of yours decides to jump in the conversation and gives you a life lesson about boys and finding the right man.

She makes a comment about your freshly brushed hair and how frizzy it looks, the outfit that you’re wearing and how it doesn’t suit your body type and then continues by saying that you’re going to end up alone if you don’t change those things in your life. She then points to that ‘perfect’ cousin of yours and tells you to learn from her because she clearly knows what she’s doing with her life.

You’re honestly kind of done with this whole ‘dinner’ thing at this point. The wine that you’ve been sipping on isn’t helping you feel any better at all and dessert can’t seem to come fast enough. You avoid as many questions about what you’re doing with your life as much as you can by trying to start conversation with that super weird cousin of yours that you really don’t even know how you’re related to. He talks up a storm about some video game that you’ve never heard of before and you’re suddenly regretting the fact that you’ve even tried to stir up a conversation with this guy.

So you just sit there, annoyed at everyone. And when someone asks about what you're gonna do with your life after you graduate...

Because really, who even knows...

And then the next thing you know, your dad, who thinks he's such a comedian whips out his jokes, which are not funny, whatsoever...

The night couldn't get any better, right?!? It's anecdote after anecdote and by this time, you're about to fall out of the chair yourself. You peer around at the crazy group of people sitting around the table and you're just like...

Because you love your family, so much. You appreciate each and every single one of them for the unique individual human being that they are. Each one brings something different to the table and without them, you probably wouldn't be the awesome person that you are today. So even though you may have a pretty kooky family, that drives you absolutely nuts, remember to tell them that you love them because one of the greatest blessings is the love of a family.