Appreciate the advice (and wishing you the best of luck). My wife's family aren't dumb southerners (somehow from the suburbs of a super large city, so I'm not even sure how people who are raised in the suburbs of a super diverse place are somehow finding hilarity in talking about dumps, racism, and toxic bullshit). But I know what you mean. It does give me a different perspective because, while I think my family is a little more "normal," at least in terms of the topics of conversation, they're not easy to deal with in their intensity, and I'm sure that's equally as hard for my wife to deal with.

I think that's something to work on for us; I'd like to spend the holidays with us, which I know my wife would never go for, because she's insanely close with her family, and they don't live that far away.

Appreciate the advice, and sending well wishes for your day, too.