Holiday travel has begun, and with that comes an annual point of contention in many relationships — whose family to visit. Such is the case for couple Jane Vye and Colby Mercer, who are still debating which side to complain about spending Christmas with.
“If we go to my parents’ place, it’ll be a seven-hour drive. If we go to yours, it’ll only be three hours, but then we’ll be in Indiana,” said Jane to a sympathetic nod from her boyfriend of three years.
Still, there’s more than location to consider for the Chicago sweethearts.
“Don’t get me wrong — I really like your mom. But there’s zero chance we'd get out of there without her asking when we’re getting married at least a dozen times. Last time, she brought your grandma’s engagement ring to me and offered to drop it in your eggnog,” recalled Colby to a cringe of agreement, especially given that both of his girlfriend’s grandparents are still very much alive.
But while one mother can be a bit overzealous, another can be as welcoming as a hungry grizzly bear with newborn cubs.
“That is wildly uncomfortable, but your mom hates me. Remember when she learned Photoshop just to cut me out of the picture of us you sent for the Christmas card?” questioned Jane. “Not to mention when she specifically told me she wanted pecan clusters, then freaked out when I brought them because apparently she’s allergic to nuts.”
With the mother conundrum reaching a stalemate, the conversation turned to sleeping arrangements.
“What do you think sounds better — sleeping on a queen-sized air mattress in the living room, or on your childhood twin bed?” asked Colby. “I get that it’s awkward to be out in the open like that, but it’s also hard to get any rest with a huge poster of 13-year-old Justin Bieber staring down at us from the ceiling.”
Reaching yet another dead end, the loving pair opted to visit Jane’s family after agreeing that they’d rather see her father in his Scrooge-like nightshirt than the other dad in his way-too tighty whities in the middle of the night.
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Photo courtesy of millicent_bystander via CC BY 2.0
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