I am Possessive of...

Dear Ms. Meniscus,

My parents insist on arriving--unannounced--very early for Christmas dinner....at lunch time! Previously I have been caught off guard. Since then, I have asked them to supply me with the time they intend to arrive. I get no response. I have e-mailed them three times, but still got no response. I just need to know so that I can get properly prepared. Any suggestions? Asking them outright doesn't seem to sink in!!

-Dinner Does Not Mean Lunch

Dear Dinner Does Not Mean Lunch,

Perhaps email is not the best way to contact your parents about this egregious behavior. They have to know that it is your home, and as such, you are under no obligation to host guests unannounced and uninvited. That said, you must take a stand. If they insist on ignoring your wishes and coming early every year after you've repeatedly entreated them to come at a specific hour, let them wait outside your home until that hour arrives. Even if the amount of time they are waiting in the presumably cold weather is excessive, remember that you're in charge, and if you don't want Christmas pudding being eaten until 6:30 pm, then lay down the law. You can always pack a picnic basket for them to peruse while they are waiting for the grand festivities to begin.

Dear Ms. Meniscus,

My fiancee Andy and I have been engaged for three years now.

Everytime we set a date for our wedding, one of his "disturbing" relatives (she's like a cousin of some sort) calls and tells us that we should not get married on the day we want, because of some stupid reason. So, my fiancee (who is a college grad, mind you) believes the cousin & decides to switch the date. It really irks me, because she isn't even invited to our wedding, yet she thinks she is, so she has to tell us what to do and when to do it. How do I keep said cousin out of my fiancee's mindset and our wedding set? I really don't want to lose my fiancee, but if his cousin keeps acting the way she does, I might have to call it quits.

-My Wedding is Not Hers

Dear My Wedding is Not Hers,

Ms. Meniscus firmly believes that honesty is the best policy, as well as the simplest. Have you tried speaking directly and tactfully to your fiance about this matter? Simply inform him that it is important to you to set a wedding date that the two of you are able to attend, whereas the uninvited cousin's opinion of should not matter in the least. It sounds as if the jilted cousin bears some sort of resentment towards you and enjoys inventing reasons for you not to get married when you wish. If your fiance is going to listen to every Tom, Dick, and Harry's opinion on when he should tie the knot, perhaps he needs some lessons in individuality and personal strength. If speaking to him kindly and reasonably does not merit the desired response, you can always call it off. You need a real man!

Dear Ms. Meniscus,

My boyfriend and I had been dating for 11 months, when suddenly out of nowhere, he tells me that he doesn't want to be with me anymore. He even gave me a ring to symbolize our love for each other. Now, he wants the ring back (probably to give to some other girl). What should I do? Should I give the ring back or should I go to a pawn shop & pawn it?

-My Ring Not His

Dear My Ring Not His,

Though it was very kind and considerate of your boyfriend to dump you on the street out of the clear blue sky, and though it's even kinder and more considerate of him to ask for *your* ring back, well, dear, it just isn't appropriate. He gave you the ring, so now it is yours, regardless of its value. The only circumstance in which Ms. Meniscus would feel it *possibly* appropriate to return the ring is if it is a family jewel. If it is his great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandmother's 42 carat diamond ring that has been in the family for over four hundred years and eleven generations, then Ms. Meniscus can understand its inherent worth. But if it is a ring that he purchased and simply wants returned in order to proffer some floosey, then by all means, keep the ring or pawn it.

Have a question for Ms. Meniscus? Submit it below. She looks forward to hearing from you!