My family holidays are a real mixed bag. My mom has already informed me she will be drinking heavily to get make it through. She’s only half kidding.My parents separated awhile back. It’s not like War of the Roses or anything. They still celebrate the holidays together, but there is no physical place to call home. My grandparents, who are rather elderly, have taken to hosting holidays at their place. Despite the change in location, my mom continues to take on everything, while my dad stands around and picks his nose. In that sense they still seem married. My brothers and I plan on helping my mom more than ever this year. She deserves a day without worry or guilt.I just learned that my aunt, who suffers from mental illness, has decided to make an appearance at dinner for the first time in years. We never know what she will look like or how she will act. We love my aunt dearly. She is always welcomed. We may not understand everything she is going through, but she is one of us. My grandpa will likely get grumpy if dinner doesn’t start at 2:30pm. He might also regale us with stories of his younger years, and declare how this year might be his last Thanksgiving. Although he’s been calling every big event this year, possibly his last big event, we will continue to eat dinner when it is light outside and listen to his stories without question.It is the first Thanksgiving without my paternal grandma around. She won’t be there to feed the dogs too much stuffing or call one of her grandchildren by the wrong name. This makes us sad. She will always be loved, remembered, and missed. These are the realities of my family. We are not perfect. We’ve all made mistakes. But we accept and love each other. We always find a way to come together. Having family means you shouldn’t spend the holidays alone. My name is Carly. My family is dysfunctional, and I’m cool with that. Now my husband’s family…whew, talk about a bunch of weirdos. ;)HAPPY THANKSGIVING!