RVs: The Ethical Place to Store In-Laws Over the Holidays
Need a practical, humane solution to unpleasant in-laws this season?
Christmas is right around the corner, and you know what that means: your extended family might be too. For plenty of people, this can be just as stressful as it is exciting. No matter how close you are with your extended family, the general energy and bustle of the holiday season can produce a lot of friction—and that widens the margins for disagreements to turn into arguments. Of course, that's if you get along with your family. There are plenty of unfortunate souls out there who approach family reunions with all of the enthusiasm of a dentist visit, or police interrogation.
Nobody wants to spend Christmas awkwardly trying to avoid eye contact in the hallway or pretending not to see the other person at the dining table. Between the snow and decor, the holiday season can be one of the most beautiful times of the year, so it seems like a shame to spend so much of it awkwardly darting your eyes around to avoid provoking family members.
That's why we've got a solution: RVs as living quarters for the in-laws. Here's why:
It Keeps Them Close (But Not Too Close)
Even if the RV is just parked on your front driveway (or street), there will still be an effective moat of silence between you and your in-laws. This means they'll be able to come inside and mingle for meals and festivities, but it also tucks them comfortably out of sight, out of mind when they start to get exhausting. Plus, you'll be able to hear them coming, allowing you precious seconds to prepare.
It’s a Good Chance for Things to Go Wrong Before the Bigger Family Events
Given that RVs are self-contained, intimate spaces, they function as good Petri dishes for any potential arguments that have been stewing in your in-laws. In the event that there are any particularly volatile disagreements bubbling below the surface, then rooming the in-laws in an RV gives them plenty of time to explode before the big Christmas dinner.
Your In-Laws Can Learn Valuable Things (About Themselves)
Experienced RVers will talk about how RVing is an excellent chance to reflect, unwind, and get more in touch with nature. Few things encourage a person to look inward like spending some time out in the elements, attuning to the natural world around them. Granted, your in-laws will be literally inches away from civilization and they'll probably spend the entire time on their phones (as any of us would), but you can at least say you offered them an opportunity for some spiritual growth.
Maybe They’ll Learn Something Else Too
Look, if you're actually considering putting your in-laws in an RV, it's probably because they're pretty unpleasant people. While "isolate unpleasant people until they learn something" is kind of a weird takeaway to a line of thought like this, it might actually be a valuable learning experience. After all, sitting out in an RV in front of a (presumably) decorated house has an almost literary quality to it—all of the light and festivity are basically a reminder of the warmth they're missing out on by being exhausting people. Imagery like that can have a powerful effect, and hopefully, it'll serve as a good incentive for them to come out from the cold (metaphorically) so they can come out from the cold (literally).
Are you looking forward to seeing the in-laws? How do you plan to manage them? Sound off in the comments!
