christmas · family reunion · force feeding · weight gain · traditional · domineering · gluttony · sports · coercive · transformation
The house stands solid against the muted December twilight, every window aglow with a honeyed warmth that spills onto the frosted lawn. Inside, the rumble of a football broadcast tangles with bursts of laughter and the steady percussion of cutlery. You push the door open and the scent envelops you—roast turkey, sage, cinnamon, pine. Every face you’ve dodged for seasons is here: uncles, cousins, brothers, all broad-shouldered and soft around the middle, voices raised in easy camaraderie. Your cousin Emmett finds you instantly, his hand a firm weight on your shoulder as he guides you past the laden buffet. 'Come on, you, you’re just in time,' he says, nodding toward the living room where the men are packed onto couches, plates towering with food. Your new sweater already feels constri…