{"id":3552,"date":"2025-11-25T09:00:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-25T14:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/?p=3552"},"modified":"2026-02-09T10:11:21","modified_gmt":"2026-02-09T15:11:21","slug":"cordia-thanksgiving-woes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.imaginarygardens.org\/index.php\/2025\/11\/25\/cordia-thanksgiving-woes\/","title":{"rendered":"Dear Cordia, an Imaginary Gardens Advice Column: No Place Like Home for the Holidays?"},"content":{"rendered":"
This entry is part 4 of 5 in the series Dear Cordia<\/a><\/div>\n
By Cordia Paxson<\/h5>\n\n\n\n


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I had a friend who would come home every holiday to a family full of haters who constantly bombarded her with questions like \u201cAre you still single?\u201d, \u201cWhen are you going to settle down?\u201d, and statements like \u201cYou know it’s a holiday when your sister shows up alone.\u201d Does this story sound familiar? Well, it\u2019s probably because it\u2019s the plot to Holidate<\/em>, a Netflix<\/em> movie released in 2020. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Hoildate | Netflix (Vocal Media)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

But seriously, if you feel yourself connecting to Sloane in Holidate <\/em>or <\/em>Kate in Four Christmases<\/em>, well, this is the article for you. Like many others, I have also struggled with graduating from the singles table and fighting off family members who refuse to be accepting of my life, especially during the holidays; it never seems like anything is good enough. I\u2019m too single, too career\/school focused, I\u2019m not career\/school focused enough, I don\u2019t have any kids yet, I have too many kids and need to relax more, the list goes on and on and on and on. It begs the question, how do you deal with people you love but are not deserving of your respect? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I did some fieldwork and collected the best responses, from courteous, comedic, to cheeky, for dealing with these galling kinfolk, so you can enjoy your holiday armed with the best comebacks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Repugnant Relationship Rulers <\/strong><\/h5>\n\n\n\n

This special breed of kin often disguises itself as relatives, like the aunt, uncle, grandparent, or cousin. Their favorite form of attack often comes in the form of questions about said relationship status. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Question:<\/strong> \u201cSo, are you seeing anyone yet?\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Answer:<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n