Dear Jo: 11/10/2021

Dear Jo,

Here they come! The holidays, that is! Along with all that “holiday spirit” come the expectations, the inevitable weight gain, seeing family you might be better off keeping your distance from, etc. It’s not like I’m all HUMBUG or anything. I just have a love/hate relationship with this time of year. How can I make it?! Any ideas?

Signed,

Not a Grinch

Dear Grinch,

Well, there is no avoiding it; the holidays come whether we are ready or not. Although you say you are not a grinch, nor a humbug, your letter leads me to believe you actually are.

Pick a side and suffer the consequences. A GRINCH: it will drive you crazy to hear everyone talking and laughing their way through the festivities. A HUMBUG: it will grate on every nerve to see the lights, the food, the drinks, the crowds. I personally would put on my Santa hat and take a fake-it-till-you-make-it attitude! Good luck.

Signed,

Jo

Dear Jo,

When is enough, enough?! I have a young adult still living at home and I feel as if I am living in a nightmare. If I have to buy one more case of soda, bulk Bourbon weenies, popcorn, or ice cream, I may scream. That’s the expensive part. The worst is the constant influx of dirty laundry and the dirty dishes in the sink ALL THE TIME. When I return from work tired and hungry, I am met with a mess and an empty fridge. How can I encourage him to move out?

Signed,

Ready to Explode

Dear Ready,

What you better be ready for is a lifetime of misery if you cannot change YOUR behavior. Do not buy anymore snacks, nor favorite drinks, nor weenies! Do not cook or do his laundry. Do your own laundry and prepare to put up with the mess for a bit while Mr. Leisure figures out how to do a bit on his own. Tell him to get a job in 30 days or OUT. Rent begins in 60 days or OUT. It is either put up or, well, you know. Short of eating beans three times a day and gassing him out, I don’t see another way. You’ve got this.

Signed,

Jo