Ah, Passover…a time to gather with family and celebrate one of the best times in Jewish history. And though some may say that it can’t be a celebration if you have to give up bread for 8 days, I would disagree. If you have ever been to a Seder (the dinner held at the beginning of the 8-day holiday of Passover to tell the story of how the Jews were freed from slavery in Egypt), you know that Passover is definitely a celebration – of life, family, heritage, freedom, and most of all, food.
However, getting together with the whole of your family can be stressful – Passover or not, Jewish or not. Each family has a set of interesting characters to say the least, and mine is absolutely no different. My family is compiled of people TV shows could be (and probably are) written about, but I love them all dearly. As I sat around that Seder table on Friday night, I couldn’t help thinking how many different people I spend my time with. So for your viewing, laughing, and comparing pleasure, I compiled a list of the 8 people I spent the first few nights of Passover with.
1. The forever cooking host.
This year, my grandmother hosted Passover and she did all the cooking with a little help from all of us. All throughout dinner, she never took her apron off, always keeping her eye on a timer in the kitchen. As always, dinner was delicious, even though it probably kept my grandma from enjoying it for herself.
2. The already drunk one.
We all have this family member. The one who comes to everything already way drunker than they should be. Then, they proceed to keep drinking throughout the evening and helping along all the drama by bringing up everything we make a point to not talk about.
3. The baby obsessed one.
The question, “So, are you seeing anyone right now?” is always followed with, “but don’t you want kids now?” My sister hates this question because she’s graduated college and now all of our middle-aged to older relatives are constantly asking her about marriage and babies. All these relatives want is to hold a little baby and coo at it. And my sister is kind of like, “Um…I’m too busy?”
4. The ‘judgy’ couple.
This couple usually sits at the side of the table and silently judges the whole family’s drama, even though they’re just as crazy as the rest of us. They participate in the drama to the extent that everyone knows they’re there, and everyone certainly knows that they’re judging everyone else.
5. The one who just sits back and watches all the drama.
This one participates in conversations, but only says the most minimal things to keep the conversation going… “Oh, yes I’m in college and I go to class. Yes, I do have a job. What about you?” And then, they sit back and watch the whole night go down.
6. The sleeping grandpa.
Around 8 PM, when dinner is winding down, this grandpa starts to nod off on the table. He pretends to keep listening to the conversations going on around him, when really, he’s just getting some sleep in before dessert.
7. The married-in cousin who keeps poking at the family craziness.
Excuse me, sir, but we wear our craziness with pride. It’s a badge of honor. And you’d do well to remember that. We may all be crazy, and we may all be yelling at each other, but we love each other, and we don’t need you reminding us of our craziness at every turn of the evening.
8. The family friend scared out of their mind.
This poor friend…all we wanted was to include them in our family celebration, but little did they know, we’re all freaking crazy! This isn’t the last time we’ll hang out with them, but this is the last time they’ll go anywhere we invite them without asking if our family is going too.
Most families have all, if not most, of these characters at all family gatherings. They make life interesting to say the least. And the best of all, they give us amazing stories to tell all of our friends when we get home. However, Passover was fun. It is my favorite holiday, and I love being around my family. And look, we may all be crazy, but god, do I love my family.
Featured image via Antenna on Unsplash
