Relatives

Whew! The holidays are over. That season is my favorite part of the year, but I'm a bit worn out after all the concerts, plays, visitors, parties, and family gatherings.

We have an extended family; make that extremely extended.

Relatives include people like my uncle's sister-in-law and her great granddaughter, my second cousin's cousin, his nieces and nephews, and many others.

Unfortunately there don't seem to be words for all those relationships. As kids we simply called distant relatives our uncles, aunts, and cousins, but as adults we sometimes need to be more specific.

And why doesn't the English language have terminology for our children's in-laws? Someone once suggested I refer to my daughter's mother-in-law as my "me-in-law," but somehow that term doesn't seem to work for me.

I guess I'd better stick to my husband's suggestion. He refers to all of those distant relatives as "step-neighbors-in-law." Maybe you have some of those in your family, too.