“If you cannot get rid of the family skeleton, you may as well make it dance.”
― George Bernard Shaw, Immaturity
Families who laugh together, love together. One of the best parts of life is laughter with people we care about. We share a moment… a moment of intellectual and emotional delight together with a common understanding of a humorous event or story… and we bond in that sharing.
When you get together for family functions, make sure there is time for laughter. Make sure that the funny uncle is there (and not too drunk) and kids with crazy antics. These moments keep the family bond fresh and alive. Recording them would be nice, but the funniest moments are typically spontaneous and unplanned… which is part of their charm.
Some families are just too serious. Sure, there are crisis around the world at the moment… of course, at present, there are people who are hurting… indeed, serious situations exist across the globe, in our nation, and maybe even down the street… but to be blunt, there will always be those things. It is the nature of humanity and nature. This does not mean, however that we need be weighed down every second with the gravity of suffering. It is fine to take a break from seriousness and enjoy the silly side of life.
The heart needs levity. The soul needs periodic lighthearted frivolity to let it breathe deeply the fullness of life; and we all know that families are a rich source and fertile ground for funny. As long as the humor is not at one person’s expense (or too much expense), let your hair down this holiday season and let rip a belly laugh at the weirdness of your own family (you know your family has some weirdness… oh, you know you do).