How To Impress Your (Potential) Father-In-Law

My only credential is that I am the first born and only daughter of a very loving man.

- KELLY LEWI

I DON’T ALWAYS enjoy the festive season. Although the decorations and joyful spirit are heartwarming, the stress and heightened tensions are not. There’s also the pressure of going home and meeting relatives whose existence I discovered just a week ago. Fortunately (or unfortunately), I return home a lone warrior, so that is one load off my back.

The same cannot be said for most of my friends, though.

In this season, I usually assume some sort of advisor role. Possibly because I am equally hard to impress (as stated by my editor-in-chief a few issues back), they seek my advice on how to introduce their partners to their family. Ultimately, first impressions are everything. In times like this, I wonder if their partners are equally as stressed and anxious. People can be unpredictable, but walking into a house full of strangers that are dear to your beloved is beyond unsettling.

Every move, facial expression, joke, and banter exchanged is scrutinised as long as it is perceived as such and not as a sarcastic jab. The feeling is like walking a tightrope without a safety net. As soon as you fall, you plummet.