Your Big Family Holiday Isn’t More Special Than My Small Gathering

It’s that time of year, holiday time. Here in the Midwest, big families are king. And my small family of three is not.

While the trend of small families is pretty normal throughout the US, it is not in the cluster of states known as Ohio/Indiana/Illinois/Kentucky.

I have found this out the hard way, moving from NY to Ohio over 20 years ago. I knew I was marrying into a big family but didn’t realize the complexities that come along with that.

First, my in-laws think big families are superior. If there is a big event, everyone has the event where they have the biggest family/biggest property.

Couples or a smaller family are not considered “good enough”. One relative told me that she didn’t understand why a newlywed couple wanted to spend Christmas Eve alone.

I told her that they are a family, just like a family of six is a family.

Smaller families are going to be more on-trend as the years go by. Many couples are not having as many children.