As the holiday season approaches, so doesn’t time with family and friends. From traveling abroad to crossing the street, there are things you can do for a drama free holiday. As an expat who’s spent nearly every holiday somewhere different for the last 20 years, I’ve seen or been through it all. In no particular order, here are aBroad purpose life lessons for a drama free holiday regardless of where you choose to spend it this year.
Keep A Plunger Nearby…
Because you know a clogged toilet is inevitable at some point during the holidays. If you don’t have a plunger, now is the time to buy one. Whether you are a guest in someone else’s house or hosting like the Griswold’s, I’ve witnessed both sides of what can go wrong here.
One of the most memorable Thanksgiving dinners I’ve ever been invited to involved a clogged toilet. It was far from a drama free holiday. As the turkey was served, the host came running out of the powder bathroom with wailing arms that the toilet was clogged. He wasn’t the perpetrator but was the first witness of what had become of the bathroom. It was one of those situations where “it” started running out and over the toilet rim and onto the floor….their really nice bamboo floors. 💩
My girlfriend, who was the wife and hostess, was literally sitting down to eat and we were all about to say grace. It honestly felt like we were part of an SNL skit. Husband is screaming and running up the stairs, then back down the stairs while she’s trying to find the plunger. And what happened next was the icing. The husband took their brand new pottery barn luxury bath towels and used them to mop up the toilet overflow on the floor. 😂
She was hysterical. We were all in hysterics by then. And the person that did it never really fessed up (there were at least 12 of us there), but we all know who did it. 😜
To this day, Thanksgiving will never be the same. 🦃
The lesson? Keep a plunger next to the toilet and if you need it, just use it. And if you ever find yourself in a similar situation above, please don’t use the brand new luxury bath towels to clean up.
Make Toilet Paper Accessible…
Yes, I’m still on toilets. Let’s be honest, aside from the kitchen, the bathroom is the next most popular spot. And if it plans on receiving a lot of traffic, it needs to be well equipped.
Have you ever been a guest in someone’s house and discover there is no toilet paper left? I always end up looking in cubbies or shelves wondering where the Charmin is hiding while thinking to myself, “No, no, no….did they run out?!?!?” It’s the only time I think it’s okay to look in someone else’s bathroom cabinets. Anything to avoid the drip. 🤣
And even though going on holiday in Europe means that public bathrooms, like those in Italy, typically have no seat cover or toilet paper, it’s something I will never get used to culturally. Not having it stocked at home while guests are visiting or vice versa is simply not ok. Right?
The lesson? Stock up on toilet paper and keep it within arms reach of the porcelain god. It’s simply more sanitary for everyone. Not to mention it might help avoid unwanted material from being used in lieu of toilet paper…refer to the above on what can go wrong with that.
Don’t Lose It When Something Gets Broken…
It’s going to happen. I don’t understand the law, nature, or science behind it but having guests undoubtedly implies something will get broken at some point during the stay. And that can go both ways because I’m sure that we’ve left someone’s house and our kids were involved in something and it broke but we were never informed.
Personally, we’ve had a very interesting mix of things break. Glasses are a gimme, but the really interesting ones are artwork off walls (boys playing football in the house), curtain rods (hide and seek), toys (imagine Toy Story), towel racks (I don’t want to think about this one), a window (sports) and even electronics (rough playing). I could go on but I’m starting to twitch a bit.
One holiday when it was our friends turn to host, their flat screen tv broke. The kids were playing Wii and let go of the controller by accident. It hit the tv and well, that was the end of that. The parents never lost their cool, which I thought was pretty amazing of them. I, on the other hand, have not been the best at keeping my cool.
There is one incident I can remember and to this day, I regret it. I had worked Thanksgiving and Black Friday (because you work 24×7 in digital commerce) and arrived home after a long day to a full house of guests. When I discovered our broken UppaBaby Vista stroller upon arrival, I made some assumptions that I shouldn’t have and lost my composure. I was not so cool. I apologized but still haven’t forgotten how ridiculous I reacted. No excuses for me losing my cool, but did I mention how tired I was??? 👎🏻
The lesson? Set rules up front but remember that accidents happen and it will happen. Trust me. Bite your tongue hard and get over it. It doesn’t matter where you are, UK or USA. The same breakage happens regardless. It’s like some weird test to see if you can pass a drama free holiday.
Refrain From Parenting Kids That Aren’t Yours…
There are a few exceptions to this rule.
- Explicit permission has been granted to parent them as if the kids are your own.
- Someone is about to get hurt or already is.
- The parents aren’t nearby to hear you. Ha, just kidding! I was just making sure you were still reading.
Even though you might have the very best intentions in mind, parenting someone else’s child isn’t worth the trouble or risk of causing a stir. It’s simply not worth it. What might not be acceptable in your household might be totally fine in another. Hold off on making decisions about that child without consulting the parent first.
I’ve been in this situation before where I thought I was being super helpful by sorting out an issue that was going on in the parents’ absence. My helpfulness turned into chaos and bitterness for a while. Really not fun and I learned my lesson the hard way. It was certainly not a drama-free holiday that year.
The lesson? Bite your tongue. Again. Stay out of it unless you’ve been instructed to keep over them like your own kids. Parenting other children is sort of like getting into a debate about politics. Don’t get started if you know it won’t end well. In fact, don’t get started at all. Just refrain.
Leave Fighting Or Arguing With Your Partner At Home…
Unless your husband uses your luxury bath towels to clean up a clogged toilet, or you and your partner are hilarious when you fight. Do you know anyone like that?
We have Oregon friends that were our neighbors and ultimately, became our best friends while living in the Northwest. We pretty much did everything together. Game night. Fight. Disagree about dinner plans. Fight. You name it. Fight.
But it was never that uncomfortable fighting. It was more entertaining than anything.
However, couples like that are rare. It’s a skill that my hubs and I certainly don’t have. And even if we did, it could get awkward, particularly in a new culture where humor is already different than the one we are used to. It can be hard to distinguish between a joke or seriousness when you’re just meeting new people for the first time or getting used to an entirely different culture. Better not risk trying it out over the holidays!
The lesson? Save the bickering for home and in private. It’s not worth the embarrassment for you and everyone within earshot of you.
So, there you have it. Five life lessons for a drama free holiday that can be summarized into two major themes: make sure the bathroom is stocked and bite your tongue. And if you find that you can’t manage either but sensing trouble, then head outside for a walk and fresh air. Now, that’s something we can all manage for a drama-free holiday. 😉🦃🎄
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