How come the only thing my family tree ever grows is nuts?Wade Rouse attempts to answer that question in his blisteringly funny new memoir by looking at the yearly celebrations that unite us all and bring out the very best and worst in our nearest and dearest Family is truly the only gift that keeps on giving8212namely, the gifts of dysfunction and eccentricity8212and Wade Rouse8217s family has been especially charitable: His chatty yet loving mother dresses her son as a Ubangi tribesman, in blackface, for Halloween in the rural Ozarks his unconventional engineer of a father buries his children8217s Easter eggs his marvelously Martha Stewart8211esque partner believes Barbie is his baby his garagesale obsessed set of inlaws are convinced they can earn more than Warren Buffett by selling their broken lamps and Nehru jackets his mutt Marge speaks her own language and his oddball collection of relatives includes a tipsy Santa Claus with an affinity for showing off his jingle balls In the end, though, the Rouse House gifted Wade with love, laughter, understanding, superb comic timing, and a humbling appreciation for humiliation Whether Wade dates a mime on his birthday to overcome his phobia of clowns or outruns a chubchasing boss on Secretary8217s Day, he captures our holidays with his trademark selfdeprecating humor and acerbic wit He paints a funny, sad, poignant, and outlandish portrait of an an alltootypical family that will have you appreciating8212or bemoaning8212your own and shrieking in laughter Praise for It8217s All Relative8220[Filled with] sparkling humor Listen to Wade Rouse8212which you most assuredly should, especially if you value laughter and wisdom 82218212Chicago Tribune8220[Wade Rouse8217s] stories are not only laughinducing, but also truly revealing of what it means to be a family through all stages of life, and show that no matter how kooky his family might be, love is what brings them together and defines them 82218212St Louis Magazine 8220Filled with uproarious oneliners and enough soul to truly satisfy, readers are going to clamor for a seat at Rouse8217s holiday table I can8217t tell you how much I loved this book 82218212Jen Lancaster, New York Times bestselling author of My Fair Lazy