people are strange

i have often had difficulty understanding why we subject ourselves to holiday family gatherings. nobody wants to be there, there is always this huge undercurrent of hatred and anger involved... so why do we do it? why do we go through this huge effort of making a show of brotherly love just so we can go home and talk shit about everyone as soon as we leave? i guess people WANT to be more loving than they actually feel? i don't know. we live in fantasy worlds. it just seems so uncomfortable and unnecessary. why not just stay home and enjoy a cozy little meal instead of making a big production for people we can't wait until they leave?
yesterday, we stopped by some of scott's relatives just to show off the baby. we didn't want to go, but felt obligated and then when we got there we felt like we were imposing and causing a major inconvenience. the host (scott's uncle) and his daughter seemed to be downright rude to us. maybe they were offended that we only made a brief appearance, but we must follow the dictates of our tyrannical little baby, so what can we do? anyway, she also makes a good excuse for a quick getaway.