In the United States, Thanksgiving is a big deal among many families as one of the biggest family gatherings of the year. Everyone comes together to spend time, celebrate, and catch each other up on the events of the last year. The only downside is that it can really cut into your phone chat time and cause some pent-up aggravation during the week.
The best way to get past this is to find time to make a sneaky call or have a secret phone date in a way that your family won’t interrupt or judge you. With some careful wording and careful arrangements, you can still get away with your personal time!
Before you even start the holiday season, think about sleeping arrangements. Will you be in a hotel, or will you have a bunch of family all visiting and staying in one house? Plan ahead and think about where and when you can slip away for an hour so that no one will miss you, and where cousins won’t walk in and cause an awkward situation.
To ensure this doesn’t happen, set an expectation, but make it vague. Let your family know you have an important phone call scheduled at a specific time, so you need to be undisturbed for that time frame. If they are the type of family that asks way too many questions, tell them you’re talking to a therapist or a girlfriend. Either situation would be awkward to interrupt, so you’re less likely to have unscheduled visitors.
Let your partner know that there are people around and you have to stay quiet, then work that into your conversation. For many people, the risk of getting caught adds to the excitement and pleasure, so it will be easy to get in the mood when you have your adrenaline pumping. Knowing that you’re doing something naughty while cousins are sneaking devilled eggs is a rush that will have you making a sticky mess in minutes!
Make sure you take clean-up supplies and have an excuse ready. Take some tissues with you, but make sure you blow your nose before you leave and lock yourself in the bedroom. Make sure you blow your nose, audibly, right before you leave the room, too, so you have an excuse for throwing tissues in the trash and washing your hands. If people think you have allergies, they won’t question you using the same supplies that allergy-sufferers use daily. You may have to play the long con, but it’s worth the release.
Lastly, find a location to hide that is not in anyone’s direct line of sight. Ideally, you’ll have a hotel room that you can make an excuse to go to, like you need to change your shirt, and you can have all the privacy you need. If not, try a back room with a door that locks or something similar where people won’t see the closed door and have a constant reminder that you’re in there. It’s essentially the “out of sight, out of mind” scenario, just a bit messier.
Just because your family is invading your home, it doesn’t mean you have to sacrifice all of your alone time or personal joys. Be creative and set the expectation that you won’t be available for an hour, and everything should play out nicely!
