hurt or offended by some family member not being there really need to chill out.
Here's how family gatherings should go:
1. Announce the date and time.
2. Some people show up, others don't
3. Whoever shows up eats the food and spends the rest of the time visiting and/or playing with the others who showed up
4. When it's over, everyone goes home and continues on with there lives.
If someone wasn't there, they missed out on the food and the interaction. Why can't it end there? Why does there have to be so much drama like on top of that?