In Which I Display Momma Bear Qualities

Maybe I'm not understanding this because I'm not married. Or because my family would not make demands on me like my friends are experiencing. Or...maybe I'm just a bitch. Whatever.

I have several friends who are married (no, really! We still talk and laugh and everything!). And the thing is, several of *those* people are being dragged all over hell and back at the holidays by their families. Now here's the thing - I've met most of these people. I know that their families are by and large nice and loving and want only the best for their children. But OH MY GOD. The demands I see my friends go through! Waking up at 0-dark-thirty to fly on Christmas Eve and then drive, or drive to several states/cities in one day, or spend a major holiday *not with* their spouse in order to accommodate both families. Am I crazy for just absolutely knowing that I would long ago have told people that I was crossing my arms and stomping my feet and NOT MOVING AT ALL until they stopped acting like it was the end of the world if Thanksgiving was celebrated on Friday?

I don't mean to imply that I look down on my friends for doing what they choose to do. They all have their own balancing acts to create and they choose what matters, and I really do respect everything that they do. But oy. It really makes me appreciate the fact that for all the differences I may have with my family at times, I know that I would never be made to feel bad if I had to choose a place to be for a holiday.