Growing up with divorced parents can be a blessing as well as a curse. My parents split when I was an infant, so going back and forth between their homes is truly the only thing I've ever really known. I primarily resided with my mom, half-sister, and my mom's long-term boyfriend, whom I refer to as my step-dad, and I went to my dad's house every other weekend.

Except for the holidays...

Now, I'm sure everyone has hectic holidays. When you have a maternal and a paternal side of the family to spend the holidays with you're constantly in and out of the car. This tends to be one of the hassles of family get-togethers.

However...

When you're in a family where your parents, and maybe even your parents' parents, are divorced your holiday chaos is magnified ten fold. Then when you add on your future spouse's parents being divorced...holy moly. That doesn't mean there aren't benefits though. Let me illustrate what I mean by that:

Benefits include:
1. The huge family - yes, there are those of us who absolutely relish in the fact that they get to spend time with all of those they love. This is magnified immensely when you have a divorced family because when you have a divorced family it means there's a likelihood that your parental may have married again. I personally have divorced parents, divorced paternal grandparents, and then my step mother's parents are also divorced. They're all remarried after their divorce. That's a lot of family!

2. With huge family comes...lots of presents! - I know, I know...that makes me sound materialistic, but hear me out. Lots of presents means that you not only receive a lot of presents, but you're also able to gift a much greater amount. There is nothing I love more, besides seeing all of my family, than gifting. Looking upon my sister's smiling face as she opened up her adult-sized Winnie the Pooh onesie this Christmas was enough to keep me going until the next holiday season.



3. Om nom nom - My "fat" self, and I say that not in a derogatory sense I promise, would be remorseful if I didn't mention all of the wonderful food I get to indulge in during the holiday season. Each family has different traditions when it comes to food for the holidays, and I absolutely love it. My maternal side of the family makes a succulent turkey with a homemade apple, sausage, and sage stuffing. My paternal side makes a juicy honey-glazed ham, that we slice and put out sandwich fixings for. Then you've got my fiance's family...they typically make an assortment of traditional homemade Mexican delicacies; my favorites being the tamales and empanadas.

Okay, I know I only listed 3 things that are awesome about the holidays with divorced families, but I personally feel those are the most prominent in my own life. Who else has divorced families and would like to share your favorite benefits to being a part of one during the holidays? Leave comments, please!