You know the one who has this idea in their head about what will make the "perfect" Christmas and then they just expect others to fit into that ideal.
Mums or the host envision a wonderful dinner with all the family around eating, laughing and loving. Often while secretly fearing gathering such strong and different characters together in one room and having to keep all of them happy.
Everyone has a different idea about their Christmas day and sharing your day is not for the faint hearted.
I will hold my hand up to being very selective about whom I share that day with, four of them are furry and the other I gave birth too (so there is a slight obligation there LOL)
Past experience has taught me that its rarely the host that is the main problem, its often one of the guests who direct things towards their ideal Christmas. So used to being in charge they have no clue how not to take charge, often over shadowing the true host at every turn.
The meal may be planned and ticking along nicely but the director decides maybe a little garlic needs to be added LOL or maybe it would be better if the host sat down and let the director take over from here LMAO all the while they are clueless to the boundaries they have crossed and the discomfort they have created in others. For as long as their focus is on their ideal they will continue to step all over the ideals others have about the perfect Christmas.
The host, the person who planned, invited, shopped, prepared and paid for the privilege of being the host is usurped by the director. Who because they got their way will think it a marvellous Christmas but those who ended up feeling like bit part players in their Christmas movie will tell a different story.
So how do you deal with a director? you remind them that they are a guest the second they try to over "help".
You ask them to allow you the pleasure of being the host in your own home. Tell them that you know they only want to help and if you need help you will ask, but could they please start acting like the guest they were invited to be.
Its not easy, that's why my Christmas dinners are so small and intimate LOL My family is peppered with directors all vying for the host spot no matter who's home they are in.
Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and the bottle to stand up to the directors should they try to direct your Christmas