5 Moments Every Dysfunctional Family Can Relate To in ‘Holiday Baggage’

Ah, the holidays. A time of relaxation and decompressing. That is until you learn that you’ll be spending the holidays with your family. Turns out that reuniting with your judgmental aunt or annoying cousins don’t always make for the best of times. For many of us with dysfunctional families, the holidays can be a pressure cooker for unresolved conflicts.

This holiday season, Reveel has the perfect film if you’d like some schadenfreude to go with your stress. Holiday Baggage reminds us that we’re not the only ones who enter that spirit of family dysfunction over the holidays. Here are five relatable family dysfunction moments from the film.

Holiday Baggage is about a pediatrician (Cheryl Ladd) who invites her estranged husband (Barry Bostwick) back home for the Holidays on the condition that he reconciles with their daughters. Watch it here!

My reaction when my dad introduces his new fiancee that is my age.

1. When Dad Introduces His New Fiancee Who is the Same Age as His Daughters, Things Get Awkward!

It’s ALWAYS awkward when your dad brings a new girlfriend to the family gathering. Add to the fact that the new flame is the same age as you and your siblings, and you have the recipe for uncomfortable conversations. Pete, from Holiday Baggage, reenters his estranged wife and daughter’s lives for the holidays with a new young fiancee that he plans to marry. To make things 10x worse, Pete has been MIA for years and has only returned to invite his daughters to his new wedding. Not a good look.

Oof. The truth hurts sometimes.

2. Passive Aggressive Jabs

What would a family reunion be without vague comments that feel like an attack? Passive aggressiveness can quickly get exhausting in general but especially during the holidays. In Holiday Baggage, Pete takes a lot of passive aggressive comments from his daughter Holly because she resents him for leaving.

New rule: No talking at the dinner table.

3. Awkward Family Dinners

If there is one thing that binds us all in our family dysfunction, it’s the awkward family dinners! Filled with stilted conversations and uncomfortable silences, family dinners can quickly become unbearable. I think I speak for many of us when I say please let me eat in peace. Holiday Baggage has an awkward family dinner scene that actually seems more pleasant than most.

This is getting intense. I’m going to need more wine.

4. Verbal Fights Otherwise Known As Primetime Entertainment

Sometimes that pressure cooker of conflict can reach its boiling point with a full-blown argument. These fights escalate things to a new level but can also be pretty entertaining if it’s not about you of course. Things reach a climax in Holiday Baggage when Pete and his daughter Holly get into a heated argument that ultimately leads to an emotional breakthrough.

No Jack, no they didn’t.

5. Secrets Can Come Out, Which Can Be Exciting

Let’s not forget about family secrets. They are one of the main causes of family dysfunction. The tea gets spilt in Holiday Baggage when a family friend reveals that Pete is getting married again but first has to actually get divorced from his first wife. Talk about messy!

Watch Holiday Baggage Right Now on Reveel