I sometimes like to read the Dear Prudence column (part of a lib site called Slate.com) because it makes me thankful for my boring life. Check out one of this week's entries:

Code:
http://www.slate.com/id/2235694/


Dear Prudie,
My boyfriend and I have been together for more than two years. This year I thought it would be wonderful to host Thanksgiving dinner and have both our immediate families meet. I invited both his parents and siblings and mine. His father decided to invite his own brother (my boyfriend's uncle), who I had not planned on having. My boyfriend's uncle is fond of guns and likes to carry at least one everywhere he goes. This makes me extremely uncomfortable, and I don't even want to have this dinner party anymore. I asked my boyfriend to speak to his uncle and let him know that weapons of any kind will not be allowed into our home, but I don't think this man will listen. He displays antisocial behavior, and truthfully, he scares me. I hate the fact that he will be in my home, possibly interacting with my family. I only accepted that he was coming out of respect to my boyfriend and his father, otherwise this is not the type of individual I would ever want to have any contact with. What can I do?

—Extremely Concerned

Dear Extremely,
It always adds excitement to a Thanksgiving meal when, if the turkey is dry, the chef wonders whether the bird, or she, might end up pumped full of lead. I understand that under normal circumstances you don't want anything to do with Uncle, but these aren't normal circumstances; this is Thanksgiving. I'm assuming your boyfriend's father felt guilty about leaving his misfit brother alone for the holiday. A difference between a normal dinner party and Thanksgiving is that the latter is about an expansive welcome. Unless a family member has been demonstrated to be dangerous, even an odd, antisocial one should be included. However, what turns a simply antisocial relative into a potentially homicidal one is a deadly weapon, and you are completely within your rights to insist you don't allow firearms in your home. Your boyfriend has to make clear to his father that the two of them are responsible for making certain that Uncle is unarmed and also monitoring that his behavior is in check—and that if he starts acting up, they will take him home early. But as long as you know Uncle's not packing, you should graciously allow him to pass the stuffing.

—Prudie
The horror!