The dogs are barking, the woman’s screaming and the man’s swearing … it’s the kind of scene you see in a park and think: I’m glad that has nothing to do with me ...

A roundup of the most-read Carolyn Hax columns of 2025 includes a woman’s birthday obsession, a flight-tracking in-law and a petty inheritance decision. Tensions can run high during the holidays.

There was no sense in carrying this enterprise forward any longer. It should have been dumped over a decade ago.