You Know What Really Grinds My Gears? Now with 3x more gears...

[PepsiFree]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

All holidays are manufactured.



Presumably she has fond memories of the Easter traditions of her childhood, and wants to carry on with them. Which is pretty normal.

I don’t entirely understand why people don’t just talk to their loved ones to reveal what are likely very simple answers to very simple questions.

I know what occasions are important to my partner, and happily go along and help out with whatever helps them meet their expectation of the day. I don’t wonder why because if I’m unsure and feel curious about it I just ask. I also don’t book anything over those occasions and happily skip anything recurring that falls on them.

Understanding and embracing what’s important to your favourite people seems like the easiest thing in the world.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by troutman

My grandma, mom and aunt went full Martha Stewart around the holidays. I don’t think they enjoyed a minute of it, but did it all out of a perverse sense of duty. We just wanted to spend time with them, but they spent all week in the kitchen.

Counterpoint:

My wife and I host almost all of the holiday stuff for both sides of the family these days: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, some birthdays. It’s a lot of work, but we enjoy and take satisfaction in doing it.

Yesterday we had 8 family members over + our family of 4. We started food prep in the morning, carried on cleaning the house and getting stuff in the oven in the afternoon. Guests came at 4 and we socialized in the kitchen while I finished getting the meal together (did both ham and lamb to account for preferences). Guests left around 7:30, then another half hour or so cleaning up after everyone left.

It was a nice day. My wife and I had a couple drinks in the afternoon while prepping. The guests all had a good time: our elderly parents don’t get out a whole lot these days, so it’s nice for them; our generation talked about travel and vacations; our kids enjoy spending time with their cousin.

We’re maintaining the bonds of our family and making happy memories, while feasting and drinking. The work is well worth it.

[kevman]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

Yesterday was without a doubt the worst I have ever seen the TCH. It's common now to be backed up EB coming back to Calgary at the end of the day (and it was at a dead stop yesterday too for km at a time when we came home) but I have NEVER seen things backed up to a stop headed WB in the morning. No accidents, simply volume. Right from Calgary city limits to where we bailed out and too Hwy 68. Brutal.

We had a two hour drive to the park gates during Covid once. (Double what it normally takes from our house.) Unfortunately it's just a volume problem these days and stop and go traffic without cause seems to be the norm. A 3 hour drive home from Lake Louise is a common occurrence during the ski season when it should take 1:45.

I'm hoping the outdoor fad dies soon but in reality our population growth will ensure a weekend trip from Calgary feels more and more like the GTA cottage country rush.

Right now the best thing to do is drive off peak. Our drive to Louise on Saturday wasn't bad. We left the city around 10 and had no issues.

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Counterpoint:

My wife and I host almost all of the holiday stuff for both sides of the family these days: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, some birthdays. It’s a lot of work, but we enjoy and take satisfaction in doing it.

Yesterday we had 8 family members over + our family of 4. We started food prep in the morning, carried on cleaning the house and getting stuff in the oven in the afternoon. Guests came at 4 and we socialized in the kitchen while I finished getting the meal together (did both ham and lamb to account for preferences). Guests left around 7:30, then another half hour or so cleaning up after everyone left.

It was a nice day. My wife and I had a couple drinks in the afternoon while prepping. The guests all had a good time: our elderly parents don’t get out a whole lot these days, so it’s nice for them; our generation talked about travel and vacations; our kids enjoy spending time with their cousin.

We’re maintaining the bonds of our family and making happy memories, while feasting and drinking. The work is well worth it.

Yep I get this. There is a sense of duty to some of these holiday traditions, which I don't consider "perverse" to quote a previous poster. Duty, tradition, serving others, loyalty - these all create positive feelings in a lot of people. Even if it bring some stress along with it.

Maybe it appears like too much from the outside looking in, but these are core memories you reflect back on after hopefully a long life.

[Lubicon]

Originally Posted by CliffFletcher

Counterpoint:

My wife and I host almost all of the holiday stuff for both sides of the family these days: Christmas, Thanksgiving, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, some birthdays. It’s a lot of work, but we enjoy and take satisfaction in doing it.

Yesterday we had 8 family members over + our family of 4. We started food prep in the morning, carried on cleaning the house and getting stuff in the oven in the afternoon. Guests came at 4 and we socialized in the kitchen while I finished getting the meal together (did both ham and lamb to account for preferences). Guests left around 7:30, then another half hour or so cleaning up after everyone left.

It was a nice day. My wife and I had a couple drinks in the afternoon while prepping. The guests all had a good time: our elderly parents don’t get out a whole lot these days, so it’s nice for them; our generation talked about travel and vacations; our kids enjoy spending time with their cousin.

We’re maintaining the bonds of our family and making happy memories, while feasting and drinking. The work is well worth it.

This to me is one of the upsides about not having family near us. Neither my wife or I have parents/siblings in Calgary so holidays are entirely up to us as to how to spend them. For us it meant staying home and creating our own traditions which our kids have really liked and look forward to each year now (as adults).

[Strange Brew]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

This to me is one of the upsides about not having family near us. Neither my wife or I have parents/siblings in Calgary so holidays are entirely up to us as to how to spend them. For us it meant staying home and creating our own traditions which our kids have really liked and look forward to each year now (as adults).

I get this but every family is different too. We really impressed upon the importance of extended family for our kids, especially as family members age. As a result, it's sometimes been a pain in the ass and we haven't always done exactly what we wanted to do. But we make sacrifices to travel and be with grandparents over holidays and other times of the year.

But I also understand how that doesn't work for every family too.

[CliffFletcher]

Originally Posted by Strange Brew

I get this but every family is different too. We really impressed upon the importance of extended family for our kids, especially as family members age. As a result, it's sometimes been a pain in the ass and we haven't always done exactly what we wanted to do. But we make sacrifices to travel and be with grandparents over holidays and other times of the year.

Yep. People expect tradition in the holidays meals, and the older generation in our families is pretty unadventurous in their tastes. Which is frustrating for a family that likes more diverse food. So we’ve started to push the envelope, or at least make a couple options (ie the ham and lamb yesterday). But maintaining the extended family bonds is important. And we’ve gotten a lot back - grandparents saved us thousands in child care over when the kids were little, my sister is helping the kids with job leads, etc.

[GGG]

Originally Posted by Lubicon

This to me is one of the upsides about not having family near us. Neither my wife or I have parents/siblings in Calgary so holidays are entirely up to us as to how to spend them. For us it meant staying home and creating our own traditions which our kids have really liked and look forward to each year now (as adults).

The irony being you created traditions which your kids are now beholden to taking away the very freedom to create new traditions that you enjoyed.

[IamNotKenKing]

Subject change, but the overuse of "lol" is driving me crazy.
So many posts in the main forum use it and it is completely unnecessary.

[Fuzz]

Originally Posted by IamNotKenKing

Subject change, but the overuse of "lol" is driving me crazy.
So many posts in the main forum use it and it is completely unnecessary.

lol?

[Locke]

Originally Posted by IamNotKenKing

Subject change, but the overuse of "lol" is driving me crazy.
So many posts in the main forum use it and it is completely unnecessary.

ROFL? And...Happy New Year!

[fotze2]

Originally Posted by Shazam

Yeah I was going to tap out of working DT if it was still there today. 9 Ave has been a mess since Nov.

and its back again today. Made the mistake of thinking its good now. Nope. Traffic for miles again at 6:45 am. Right two lanes blocked off. Guess its back to 12th for another month.

[Geraldsh]

Originally Posted by IamNotKenKing

Subject change, but the overuse of "lol" is driving me crazy.
So many posts in the main forum use it and it is completely unnecessary.

When my sister learned how to text she thought lol meant “lots of love” and added it to every post. Her grandchildren, and great grandchildren, got clued in and lol’d right back at her.

[Shazam]

Originally Posted by fotze2

and its back again today. Made the mistake of thinking its good now. Nope. Traffic for miles again at 6:45 am. Right two lanes blocked off. Guess its back to 12th for another month.

Yup. That's it for me. Guess I'm living at work now.

[TheIronMaiden]

Originally Posted by IamNotKenKing

Subject change, but the overuse of "lol" is driving me crazy.
So many posts in the main forum use it and it is completely unnecessary.

These days it's used as a kind of facial expression to say, I am not being serious I am just joking around. Not I am literally laughing out loud.

[Wormius]

Originally Posted by IamNotKenKing

Subject change, but the overuse of "lol" is driving me crazy.
So many posts in the main forum use it and it is completely unnecessary.

I agree. I cringe when I see it. Kind of dismissive / troll thing to tack onto the end of a post.

[Erick Estrada]

Originally Posted by Wormius

I agree. I cringe when I see it. Kind of dismissive / troll thing to tack onto the end of a post.

Not a lot different than the laughing emoji as used to mock posters on Facebook and forums with it enabled. I'm in a Ford Bronco forum and the rampant use of the laughing emoji is so lame.

[Coach]

I've thought of carrying a little sign that says "LOL", so I can hold it up to someone's face when they say something idiotic.

Like a middle finger.

[Titan2]

Originally Posted by Coach

I've thought of carrying a little sign that says "LOL", so I can hold it up to someone's face when they say something idiotic.

Like a middle finger.

Or a democrat at Trump's speech

[DoubleF]

Originally Posted by Locke

ROFL? And...Happy New Year!

Now that I think of it, it's been a while since I've seen someone use ROFLCOPTER!