At some point, the idea of a family gathering became an exercise in horror and misery.

At some point, the idea of a family gathering became an exercise in horror and misery.

I think this has mostly to do with the forced removal of the fantasy barriers that in some sense became self-preserving. They made everything seem so much more pleasant, but not only were they false, they were really rather destructive so they had to go.

Reality sucks, y'all.