Woman Embraces Holiday Spirit By Telling Strangers She Doesn’t Speak To Her Family

ANN ARBOR, MI—With a twinkle of seasonal cheer in her eyes as she informs well-wishers of her estrangement from her closest relatives, area 34-year-old Lisa Vandersmith embraces the spirit of the holidays by telling complete strangers she doesn’t speak to her family, sources reported Friday. “Oh, yes, I hope you have a wonderful Christmas too—though in my case, I really don’t celebrate much, because I had a falling out with my parents and siblings several years ago,” said Vandersmith, who, after someone she had never met wished her happy holidays, acknowledged the magical time of year by regaling the woman with yuletide tales of how she hasn’t been in contact with anyone in her family since they confronted her about her alcohol consumption one New Year’s Eve. “A lot of it is stuff that goes back to my childhood, and though I’ve worked through it in therapy, I’m not sure I’ll ever be in a place where I can have a meaningful connection with my mom and dad and sisters. It’s sad, but sometimes relationships just become toxic, and you have to cut people out of your life. Merry Christmas!” Later, Vandersmith expressed the true spirit of the season by telling a person she didn’t know about the year she got so upset she dragged her family’s Christmas tree into the front yard and lit it on fire as a way to punish her father.