Family gatherings can be difficult. Here’s what I’m doing about it

Family is a beatiful gift — but it is also a flawed one. Gemma Hunt shares how she is learning to show up honestly, leaning into grace and trusting God with tricky family dynamics

So many of us are blessed to be placed in a family. We may have relatives that live within walking distance or a short drive away. We may have family that live a few hours away and we don’t see them that often. It may be that our loved ones live further afield in different countries and continents, but still, they are our family.

Thanks to modern technology, we can hear and see each other through video calls. Most of remember the video call family gatherings of 2020 (fancy a quiz, anyone?!). But meeting up face to face, the REAL FaceTime, is the best way to fully embrace and engage with one another.

When gatherings get awkward

Of course, family gatherings aren’t always the most enjoyable settings. Some struggle with family dynamics, invasion of personal space, and a bombardment of questions and noise, for which the living room can occasionally be a festering place. I sit on the fence when it comes to family gatherings.

On the one hand, I love seeing my nearest and dearest and cherish the memories we make together. But often, I struggle to be my authentic self with some people as I am so often perceived as being the ‘entertainer’ and ‘life and soul of the party’, which, when I’m having one of those days where I’m just not feeling it, that expectation feels like a huge pressure to perform.