Woman Implements Strict Thanksgiving ‘Family Code of Conduct’

A woman on Reddit is completely “baffled by” the rules her sister has implemented for Thanksgiving dinner this year.

“I have hosted Thanksgiving for my family every year since I moved into my house five years ago. It’s always a little messy and chaotic, but that’s part of the charm, right?” she began.

However, her younger sister “decided she wanted to ‘help bring some order’ to the gathering.”

“At first, I thought she just meant coordinating who would bring what dishes or helping with cleanup. Instead, she showed up at my house last week with printed copies of what she called a ‘Family Code of Conduct,’” the woman continued, adding her sister “insisted” every family member read and sign the contracts in order to attend dinner.

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According to the woman, the contract included “a rule against ‘overlapping conversations’ at the dinner table, with suggestions for taking turns like ‘a respectful debate club,'” as well as “a ‘ban on political or controversial topics,’ with her as the final arbiter of what was too heated.”

In addition, the contract included a “smart casual” dress code as “holiday photos should reflect well on the family,” as well as assigned seats based on “optimal personality compatibility.”

“When I laughed and said, ‘You can’t be serious,’ she accused me of ‘not taking her efforts to improve family dynamics seriously.’ I told her I wasn’t going to enforce a code of conduct at my house and that if she wanted to micromanage Thanksgiving, she could host it herself,” the woman shared.

After her sister refused to back down and her brother told her he won’t attend if he has to follow the code of contract, she canceled Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, her mom has urged her to concede.

“I’m torn. Was I wrong for standing my ground, or should I have let her run the day to keep the peace?” she concluded her post.

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Users sided with the woman in the comments.

“Just host your brother. Tell everyone else that if they’re happy about a code of conduct they’re free to attend your sister’s house. However, you will not be hosting,” one person wrote.

“It doesn’t sound like sis wants to actually have the responsibility of hosting, she just wants the power trip of having control over the guests,” another chimed in.

“Your mom can go tolerate your sister for just on day. Your house, your rules,” someone else commented.