That awkward moment when...

[bhskittykatt]

...you get a Christmas letter from family you have no idea you had. I don't even know what side of the family they are from, though from their friends list I'm guessing my mother's side. Apparently they're on my FB friends list, though they rarely post and so I didn't recognize the name. It's just really weird getting a letter detailing their lives and I'm just like, "Who the f**k are you, anyway?" (I have a really ginormous extended family who all live half a continent away and I never hear from them.)

I suppose I'm guilty of the same thing...I just get an address list from my mother (the genealogist of the family who knows everyone) and send a bunch of Christmas letters and cards each year, even if I don't know half of them. Just bam, one mass mailing to a bunch of strangers that I'm somehow related to. (I was hoping to get away with just cards this year, but since notable stuff actually happened for both Hubs and me and my grandparents are, like, really close to kicking the bucket, I suppose I need to just sit down and write a page of stuff, huh?)

[Food Lady]

I'm fb friends with my cousin's daughter because she found me. I still am not sure which one of my cousins is her dad, and I don't want to ask. I just know he's the kid of one particular uncle. I tried asking my dad, and he doesn't know, either. (He doesn't keep up with that brother of his.)

[Mishi]

We used to get those letters when I was a kid!

My granddad was the genealogist/historian for our branch of the family. So when he passed, I sent a notice to the other branch genealogists/historians that he'd given me the contact details for which felt a bit awkward, being as I'd never spoken or written to them before.

[Kanalah]

My grandmother used to write up a letter every year and send it out to all the family in several states.

The last one she wrote (before the alzheimer's got really bad) has 2 years ago. In it she mentioned everyone in the family and how awesome and wonderful they were - EXCEPT me, hubs and my two kids. It was like we didn't exist or had done something so horrible that we deserved to be written out of the family.

I asked her about and she said she "ran out of space" Uhm. It was a 1 and a half page typed letter. There was half a blank page. But yeah sure, whatever.

[bhskittykatt]

Apparently, the mystery letter came from my great-aunt (mother's father's sister) and family. I had to ask Mom who they were.

The only question that remains is, how did she get my mailing address? (I'm looking at Mom...)

[Jester]

I have been communicating here and there on Facebook with my former step-niece.

Bonus points to anyone who pinpoints what, exactly, our relationship is/was by THAT description!

[sms001]

with my former step-niece.

Ex-step father (or mother's (but am assuming your mom's now divorced husband from the way you've spoken of her here.)) grandkid.