DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My wife and I have polar opposite views on food. She was raised in Texas by two parents who themselves grew up in farming families. She ate what was available and she was fine with that. Even now she only cooks and prefers to eat the most basic and ‒ I think ‒ uninteresting foods.

Although I didn’t become a foodie until I was in my 30s, I love trying and cooking all sorts of different foods. As anyone who knows me will tell you, I’ll try just about anything.

This year for Christmas week a large family group is renting a house outside Savannah and having a combined family reunion/holiday celebration. It is to be a family gathering with ages ranging from seven to 84.

Each family unit has been assigned a meal to prepare for everyone. My wife and I drew Christmas Eve.

Ever since getting our assignment we have been at odds over what to prepare. My wife wants to do a traditional, simple meal of ham or turkey and the fixin’s like she grew up with. I want to go all out and prepare a réveillon, a traditional French Christmas Eve meal. I experienced one when I was staying in New Orleans for Christmas when I was in college and have never forgotten it.

I believe it’s the sort of menu with something for everyone and that it would be a meal our families would never forget.

Do you think there’s anything wrong with pushing the palates of people, especially during a festive meal, or is my wife and her safe menu the better way to go? --- MAKE IT SPECIAL

DEAR MAKE IT SPECIAL: As you’re both fairly confident your respectively proposed Christmas Eve meals would be generally enjoyed, why not combine forces and each cook to your strengths, especially as you seem to have chosen a menu that may be well-suited to a joint venture.

I had to look up what a réveillon entails, and from what I read roasted meat is one of the main components. That being the case, perhaps your wife could roast the meat while you tackle some of the other, less everyday elements of the dinner, each of you doing what you’re most comfortable with.

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: My husband’s oldest brother became a Jehovah’s Witness when he was in his mid-twenties. He was raised a Methodist, and almost everyone else in the family, including us, still keeps to that tradition.

When we get together with his family, which is rarely, our kids are fascinated how their cousins don’t observe Halloween or Christmas or even birthdays. And in return, their cousins ask them questions (usually when their parents can’t hear them) about what we do at our house, especially for Christmas.

This year I wanted to have our kids, ages 8 and 12, give their cousins some little something in the spirit of Christmas. They ask every year why they give and get gifts from all their other cousins. They told me they really want to include my brother-in-law’s kids, even though they know they won’t get anything in return.

My husband said he isn’t sure this is a good idea, but I think it is. Do you think it’s a good or a bad idea? --- IN THE CHRISTMAS SPIRIT

DEAR IN THE christmas spirit: Even though it’s nice your children want to include their cousins in their celebration of Christmas, I think it’s also important to respect your brother-in-law’s family’s beliefs and practices and refrain from giving the young cousins Christmas gifts.

If your children are open to the idea, they can donate what they would have given to their cousins to an organization that collects items to be distributed to children in need during the holidays such as a local church or Toys For Tots.

DEAR SOMEONE ELSE’S MOM: I don’t really care about my roommate hooking up with whoever she wants. But I do hate the fact that almost every weekend I wake up at least one of the mornings to a complete stranger hanging out in the kitchen going through the cabinets looking for food or hogging our one bathroom

It grosses me out that these people I don’t know ‒ and neither does my roommate, really ‒ are using our bathroom, my stuff, and taking away time from me in the kitchen and bathroom.

I always have to keep my bedroom door locked and learned the hard way to not leave anything of mine out in the living room or kitchen because I had stuff disappear after one of her “guests” left.

It gets even weirder when my boyfriend comes to stay with me for the weekend. He finds the whole thing as creepy as I do, and he told my roommate he feels like I am unsafe with the strangers being around.

Other than this one thing, I get along with my roommate really well. She’s a nice girl, but she does not seem to think anything is wrong with having all these people in our home.

I still have another full semester to get through on this lease after the winter break. I don’t think I will renew for next year with her as my roommate, but what do I do for the rest of the time I am stuck in this situation? --- TOO MANY “GUESTS”

DEAR TOO MANY “GUESTS”: I understand your unease. It sounds like you’ve taken precautions to keep your possessions reasonably safe, but I too would be uncomfortable having a steady stream of strangers passing through my home.

You mentioned that your boyfriend has spoken to her, but you need to be the one to have a very serious conversation with your roommate about your entirely reasonable concerns. You pay your share of the rent and are entitled to feel both safe and comfortable in your apartment.

Perhaps you and your roommate could establish some ground rules regarding visitors. For instance, if it’s a weekend your boyfriend’s in town, she would refrain from bringing in her own overnight guests; and should any of those guests use something belonging to you, your roommate becomes responsible for replacing it.