Family- a holiday science experiment

With Thanksgiving coming up in 3 days...is everyone as excited as I am for the fun, awkward, slightly drunk holiday season?! I've decided now is the perfect opportunity for a little experiment- mainly because I have some non-traditional views on the idea of family. According to our gal Merriam-Webster, FAMILY is defined as "A group of individuals living under one roof and usually under one head." Now- I know I am not alone in disagreeing with that tight (like a pair of hipster skinny jeans) definition, and in fact many people believe otherwise. One of my favorite bloggers from gizmodo.com even describes the holidays as "a day full of siblings squabbling, dad getting drunk and insulting everyone over dinner, and the looniness of my mother after a sleepless night of present wrapping." I am constantly reminded that family is what you define it as; family is not as defined. I cherish many of my friends who I consider family because we force one another to see things about ourselves that we may not want to but know will only help us to improve in the future. All of that said- here is the experiment. I am spending Thanksgiving, like many of you, with extended family who I only see on the holidays. Due to the crazy busy schedules of life- I don't think my "family" and I know each other on the same personal level as my friends who I consider to be family. In an effort to change that, my mission is to see if I can find out AND remember 3 things that are important to them currently in their lives (over 3 mandatory glasses of wine of course). Afterwards, I will report back on whether or not my definition of FAMILY has changed (mind you- we are working with an aunt, uncle, 2 cousins, grandmother, dad, and brother here- I am excluding the family animals for my own sanity). As I promised my grandmother, I will be attending the turkey feast with an "open mind, kind heart, and sweetness on my lips" so here goes nothing! I may need to blog live from the dinner table in order to remember all these facts ;) but just think- is that something you would ever have to do with a good friend or someone your dating? Maybe my forced efforts will genuinely change our relationships? We shall see...I'll be back before the big day!
xoxo AA