Christmas Time is NOT Family Time

I've always found it silly that during the holidays, parents who still have children living with them tend to pay ridiculous amounts of attention to them. Maybe it's just because without work and other things to keep them busy their parental instincts kick in or maybe it's because they feel guilty about not spending enough time with their children during the rest of the year. Either way, SPEND MORE TIME WITH YOUR KIDS OUTSIDE THE HOLIDAYS. The increased amounts of love, care and nagging that we young'uns receive during the holidays is enough to drive anyone crazy. It's pretty obvious for children in this day and age when their parents suddenly begin to give them obnoxious amounts of attention. This extra love is even more obvious on the big days: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Eve. In families that seldom come together for dinner, it must be pretty awkward for everyone when they all must sit down together, eat and attempt to have a conversation. In a family like mine, where we do eat together every night, trying to add a feeling of uniqueness and togetherness to a big holiday meal on Thanksgiving or Christmas Eve is like trying to teach Bill Gates how to use a computer. It's fairly redundant since Bill Gates practically invented the modern computer and since my family already sits down together every night for dinner and have conversation. I love my family and they don't need to try to make what would have been a great meal even better.
I guess what I'm trying to say is, families that don't spend much time together in the regular year should spend more time together instead of overcompensating during the holidays. A little bit of time with your kids everyday instead of hours on end during the holidays will go a long way in keeping your kids (and you) sane. Happy Holidays!