I am in a similar situation. Growing up, it was always just my parents, brother, sister, and me. Both of my parents were only children, so I have never had any aunts, uncles, or cousins. All of my grandparents were dead by the time I was nine. My father died when I was 17.
As a teenager, I dated a boy for about five years. He was Polish and had a HUGE family. Holiday gatherings were so foreign to me. While I sort of enjoyed them, they overwhelmed me. SO many people; kids running around, people laughing and yelling- I always needed a nap when it was over.
I've been with my husband for 12 years, and his family has kind of become mine now. Christmas is a big deal in this family- lots of food and lots of presents (which at first was weird for me, but I've grown used to it over time).
I don't have much more to share and since you wanted to hear from folks with big families, I'll let others chime in now.
