People say the darndest things at holiday gatherings! What have your relatives said at past gatherings?

Attending a Thanksgiving family gathering at my son's in-laws,
(that would be his wife's parents),
I commented that it was such a nice meal, and that I missed cooking for family.
Just after my divorce, it was funny (strange) to hear the hostess say:
"When you remarry, then you can have the dinners at your house".

Can’t think of a specific thing that’s been said, though I’m sure it’s happened, I guess I truly have let it go. But I can say this, I’m the least helpful person ever at all family gatherings at my in laws home. Decided years ago to be this way. I don’t help get anything ready, and after we eat I take my plate to the sink and go sit in the living room and do absolutely nothing. It’s beyond rude of me. I was conditioned into this by them over years of trying so hard to be of help. No matter what I did it was done over again. If I took something from the oven it had to go back in, if I put a plate in the dishwasher it had to be reloaded differently, if I wiped a table it was done again, there has been no task that wasn’t redone no matter how trivial. So now I sit. I wouldn’t act this way anywhere else. It does help that my husband thinks they’re a bit nuts 🤗

My mother was blind, deaf and used a walker. We went to Thanksgiving at her sisters house. It was buffet style. Mom sat down at the table and I fixed her plate. Her older sister told me to sit down make her do it “She could see and hear if she tried.”

Good idea for a thread Send!

I'm sure there have been a lot of inappropriate things said over the years at my family gatherings.

One year we all sat down to dinner and my mom asked "Does anyone want to say grace?" Everyone looked uncomfortable, then my obnoxious B I L said to my mom "well, you are the only religious one at the table" I piped up "no she isn't" Anyway, what should have been a nice, sacred moment turned into an awkward moment and no one ended up saying grace.

Last year my sister has this thing where she describes every dish she made. Kind of like what the waitress does at a restaurant when she's describing the specials. Last year my sister said "So, guys how do you like the broccoli?" My other sister who has always rolled her eyes at Sis's food descriptions piped up "it tastes like shit" My S I L's brother who attended last year just couldn't stop laughing and my sis (the hostess with the mostest) looked none too pleased.

It is what no one said this one time.
There was a silence as we waited for the cooks....
I peeked into the kitchen, and the 3 of them had left. There was a
12 qt. pan of mashed potatoes upside down on the floor.

I kept their secret....

Well. the worst that my brother said at our holiday table after a meal (a very good meal, I might add) was to my husband. He told him, “Thanks for the delicious meal.” To which my husband would respond, “Thank your sister. She made everything, not me.” It always infuriated me when he did this year after year!

So he would then turn to me and it was obvious that it pained him to thank me.

The other annoying thing that he would say was that his wife didn’t like turkey for thanksgiving and prefers ham! Grrrrrrr.

Rather rude to say that when I cooked a delicious turkey dinner and all the trimmings. plus desserts.

I may be the one that's "said" something and maybe not real funny.

Thankfully not hosting this year, going to my youngest brother's for them to host. Hooray.

Here, when I host, in my home, I have a very small kitchen. Perhaps DH is seated at the kitchen table, electric knife, carving up the turkey. I'm flittering about in the small kitchen, getting rolls onto a pan to pop them in the oven last minute, setting out drinking glasses and ice and tea and any other last minute things you do before calling the masses to come serve their plates.

I will never understand why people don't see/observe ... if I didn't call you in here to assign you a specific task then why are you in here. There's not enough space to be flittering about in and out of this and that cabinet and drawer and having to ask each individual to scuse me, scuse me, I need to get in that drawer .. need you to move, scuse me ...you're in the way I need to grab something out of that cabinet

I finally did, stop the presses and announce with much aggravation to my tone "unless you were asked to be in here to do something..scram ..all of ya..I'll call you when it's all ready .. don't need yall in here all in my way.

People did .. scatter like roaches and scram. Not very warm and inviting atmosphere by the host.

But dang ... get outta the way .. can you not see that your presence along with the 5 or 6 others that decided to amble into this small space, you're just in the way .. why make me have to be rude.

MIL was always one of the worst offenders ... she & her walker .. and not able to .. cant move fast ..hop outta the way.

Just dangit .. stay outta the kitchen .. unless you were asked to help.

Not real funny ...but yea probably me that did/said something awkward. Yep.

Great topic to discuss, Srndhelp. Thanks for posting this.

Lol,
"We're not hungry, can't stay long"

Mwah ha ha ha ha!

Son arrives, and Mil on first meeting him:
"Was beginning to think she did not have a son".

No matter how big the spread somebody is bound to grumble about not being served something or other - I always like cheese sauce on my veggies or mom didn't used to make the stuffing like this or aw, no peanut butter balls?...

One year at my house, my mother got drunk, totally smashed and she told all my guests to go "F" themselves, I must admit, it was different. I never invited her to a social event again.

I saw a quote that said, "Thanksgiving is getting a bunch of crazy relatives under one roof and hoping the police don't get called." Bout sums up my family's gatherings. Someone would always be arguing with, shouting at, or not speaking to someone else by the end of the day. Or drunk and disorderly.

When my father was a bit more with it he would exit the bathroom and announce his bowel movement. Fun times

Oh, I thought of another good one. One time my eldest brother went to use the loo. Now anyone who knew him would know that he was kind of a conservative, don't say certain things to kind of person.

So my sister's boyfriend at the time proceeded to stand outside the bathroom door and say loudly "anything over 5 pounds you better lower down with a rope"

We all sat at the dinner table and cringed. (but laughed)

When my vegan Sister served nutloaf to us at Christmas one year: My mother (who occasionally treats me like I am five years old and don't have good manners) told me what she was serving and I was to finish the entire portion, even if I didn't like it (she said that she was going to eat her entire portion). The meal was terrible. I finished my portion reluctantly but my mom didn't. To make matters even more interesting, She proudly told everyone that her friends love her nutloaf and they request that at meals that she has for them regularly. I almost said to her "If they request it, then I weigh 105 pounds." but decided to keep my mouth shut for the rest of the night.

Not really a concern. Never had holiday gatherings with relatives

When my uncle was still alive, we always had the meal at their house. He had 7 kids, add in a few spouses ( we were younger so there were only a few) all spread out throughout the house on card tables, food had to be ON the table, and passed.. you get the messy picture. Well he was a devout catholic, and always said the prayer,, for ages and ages,,, One year his one son whispered, hurry up, the food is getting cold. Once you heard the pin drop,, the laughter began! I;m not sure we ever had a hot holiday meal!!

One year, Mom told my MIL she shot off one of Dads guns in the house, after he died and she was living alone. My MIL was shocked and asked me, at the table, if I knew about this. So many people there, I didn’t hear Mom’s convo with my MIL, and said I did not hear what Mom said. MIL asked Mom to repeat how she came to shoot in the house.

Nice Thanksgiving convo around the dinner table!

one year my fun aunt became a born again Christian and would use every family holiday to preach at us and harangue us - it was awful.

Finally - one holiday dinner she was standing up while we were eating and yelling at us "have you found Jesus?!!!" My uncle put down his napkin, stood up and said "I didn't know he was lost - i'll go look for him" and left the table. I was 10 and of course enjoyed the ensuing drama - her getting VERY upset - yelling and crying, other relatives telling her to stop being a pill about religion. I feasted and watched the drama - better than any movie.

Then there was the time my sister's SIL stormed out of a gathering because she forgot to bring popcorn (for popping with the nieces and nephews for a movie later) and none of the kids wanted to leave their game to go with her to the store to buy the popcorn. It was a year before she spoke with anyone in the family - she can really hold a grudge.

There are times I chuckle about all of the family dramas - but honestly, would rather watch them in a movie than around a table.

I remember another one. I bought my father pants for Christmas but wanted to hem them before I wrapped them so at Thanksgiving I asked him to try them on so I could measure the length. I figured he would go into the bathroom and try a pair on....NOPE....dropped his pants right in the middle of my dining room in front of everyone. A few years later I was at a wedding several states away and met some of my cousin's in laws. They had met my father before and asked how he was. I told them the Thanksgiving story and they mentioned he had dropped his pants in their home too. It is amazing he was ever invited back anywhere.

Sendhelp,

Personally, I still love Santa! Hahaha

People do say the funniest things. I have a friend who hates Christmas music! The odd thing is that she is the pianist at her church and has to play it. She plays beautifully.

When we go out for coffee and they have Christmas music playing she says, “I hate Christmas music! I don’t want to hear it.”

She loves music but I think since she’s had issues with her family. She and her sisters are quarreling and she can’t handle the warm, fuzzy emotions of Christmas music.

What a great question and answers!! Love it!

My mom hosts Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter, etc. She loves to host the meals and has the china, crystal, silver, etc to set a beautiful table. We all gather around the living room to join hands and say a prayer.. which Mom says and takes very seriously.

Anyway, Mom was saying the prayer and I looked up to check on my (then) eight year old son. He was holding my brother's hand and dry heaving. I thought my brother had passed silent gas (his specialty) and that my son was at the height to be "in the line of fire." I couldn't help it and began to giggle. I really tried hard to stifle it but that just made it worse! My husband was squeezing my hand trying to quiet me but that also made it worse. I just couldn't stop!!!

I ruined my mom's prayer and she was, understandably, not happy. I apologized but was still reminded how to behave during the prayer for the next several holiday dinners.

Turns out, my son was standing near an appetizer tray of cheese and crackers and was getting an unwelcome whiff of blue cheese. Not surprisingly, neither of us like that cheese!

Feast or famine ? My new SIL a few years back of two weeks sat down at our table for Thanksgiving and had the nerve to say "I guess we have to eat what they prepared.." nothing like putting a bit of drama to the occasion. I did tell her about her comment a year later in a heated discussion about family matters.

At a Thanksgiving long ago, an elderly gent (my future FIL) peered at me and said, "Young lady, you are very pretty." Long pause. "Of course, I'm half blind."

Still laughing 20 years later. Love this thread, thanks!

My brothers fiancée came for Thanksgiving one year and brought her two dogs. My brother purchased a large turkey at a local turkey farm for $70. At the start of dinner I informed her she can prepare a dish of turkey for each of the dogs after we all finish dinner. Well I went into the kitchen to make turkey pie and turkey soup and low and behold the turkey was scalped to the bone. The next year I was carving the turkey and looked at her with a frown type look and said " I will cut some turkey for your dogs after we all have dinner." I jumped up with the carving knife, and did a Chinese type gesture and slammed the knife into the turkey all the while looking at her and niece watching. Nothing said, but turkey was intact. End of story.

This past Thanksgiving my brothers close friend of thirty years asked my brother why my apple pie was wavy. I was a little aggravated, but deleted the thought quickly. Told dear brother not to repeat things.

I too had everything redone when I helped. Or I was told exactly how to do it... cut the green beans in 1 1/2 pieces.. three cuts to each string bean. They checked them. Next time I brought bread from Panera and it was the best bread they’ve had. They gobbled it down. Never a thank you.

1. "The way your hair is right now makes you look a little like Spencer Tracy". To laughter all around the table. Luckily that was several years ago. But you can imagine I didn't forget it. Hee hee.

That my nephew and his girlfriend (who was pregnant) were having a "Jamaica baby" (the timing coincided with an ill-advised trip to Jamaica that they took together).