Brianversion wrote...

lisa in mass. wrote:

it finally came to a head this year. the elder of my
brother's house is both relatively mid-point and large
enough to hold all of the family. nobody else has a dining
room big enough to hold twenty-something people.

this brother loves to cook, and hates the idea of having
to make the same, traditional meal every year. every year
he serves turkey, but its preparation and the side dishes
follow an international theme, with a different country's
cuisine being showcased each year.

our younger brother abhors change. he's borderline
autistic. he had the same hairstyle throughout his school
years and insisted on wearing the same clothing, even when
not available in changing sizes and fashions. anything
being different than expected throws him for a total loop.

this year, the younger brother put his foot down and
announced that if the meal was not to be purely
traditional, that he and his family were not coming. the
elder brother balked and said that if it were a
traditional meal, it was not going to take place at his
house. so, everyone's traveling to my parents' house,
though we'll have a 4-5 hour trip to get there on the day
before thanksgiving. once there, the dinner will be served
in the living room on several tables, because the dining
room's nowhere big enough.

so now everyone's *****. the joys of family.

-lisa

That sucks. Any chance you can broker a deal with Bro #2
and Bro#1? Of course, then your parents have to drive 5
hours... I'm having it here this year, second time I've
ever entertained anybody in my life. Labor day was a
success with half the family here, so my mother will cook
here, and I'm even inviting my brother who divorced and his
girlfriend who trashed the family at my father's wake.
Screw it, everyone can be forgiven, and we all know people
who haven't spoken for 20 years over silly stuff. She
probably won't come anyway./ Man it's a beautiful day in
the Northeast, isn't it Lisa? Good day to mow the yard and
mulch the leaves. Brian

there's no way to get either brother to back down from his
position.

everyone to sit, much less eat. enjoy your holiday. it sounds
like you're making it work out. my sister-in-law's mother and
her husband usually come to celebrate with us, and she'd been
written off everyone's list for quite awhile. i'm glad we gave
her another chance, because she now behaves herself and is
even pleasant company. i hope your brother's gf has a similar
change in disposition.

it was a beautiful day, and a nice evening to sit out on the
town common and hand out candy.

-lisa