When you’re an adult with blinders on, you can often forget what it’s like for kids to develop relationships with strange, unfamiliar people. No kid is going to build a deep, lifelong bond with somebody they’ve only met once or twice out of familial obligation. It’s one thing to have a large family that sees each other only occasionally but has a lot of love for each other when they do. But making a kid hang out with family members that you, as their parents, would rather not see yourself will always have awkward and unhappy conclusions. Kids are not stupid, and they can tell when there are adult tensions that are present but unsaid. That’s why it’s best to protect them from nefarious uncles, reckless grandmas, and deadbeat parents who don’t care to talk to them on the non-Christmas 365 (2024 is a Leap Year) days of the year.