How to get Through Christmas with Difficult People

Not all is merry and bright when it comes to gathering for the holidays. We can all relate to those family members or friends, whom we dread seeing, even once a year. Whether it’s the emotionally unstable friend, judgmental parents, unsupervised toddler, or bigoted elderly relatives; they just make the holidays ho ho horrible.

If you’re not sure how you’re going to make it through one more awkward family dinner. Just wait, there’s hope. Here are a few tips and tricks to get you through this holiday season with your (hard to) loved ones.

Count to three

We know it’s the oldest trick in the book, but there is something to be said about counting to three (or five, or ten. You know who you are). Counting to three before you respond takes the ‘act’ out of react. We’ve been there. We’re all human. 90% of the time we just want to say the first thing on our minds. But if we want to keep the holidays happy, count to three to let your reactions settle, and respond with polite intention instead.

Let it go

The holidays mean that one cousin you always disagree with, is bound to be there, and of course, sit right next to you. But don’t the holidays also symbolize peace- forgiveness, joy, and family? So even if it’s just for the day, the evening, the dinner, choose to let whatever it is you argued about last time, go. Chances are, you may have even gone into the holidays assuming something would go wrong, so letting negative feelings go. It’s for the good of the family.

Give respect, get respect

When they say “be the bigger person”, you don’t always realize how much it takes to BE the bigger person. That being said, for as challenging as it may be to ignore the bigoted comments of your great great uncle, if you disrespect him, then you’re equal. Hold yourself accountable this holiday. Be the most respectful to even the most difficult people in your life, and you’ll see how they have no other choice but to respect you back. This will make your holidays a lot more tolerable.

There’s always rum

If the above mentioned tips don’t work, there’s always rum. Did you know rum can actually be considered a relaxing drink? Not only does it have health benefits such as strengthening bones and promoting heart health, but it also acts as a sleep aid, aka can thoroughly relax you through the holidays. There’s rum punch, cranberry rum cocktail, raspberry rum mule, but our favorite is hot buttered rum. This drink is sure to warm you up from the inside out and make those difficult people much more tolerable. To make the best hot buttered rum you need:

• 1/2 stick butter
• 1 c Brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinammon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• pinch of salt
• 1 shot dark rum
• Boiling water

Now we know your holidays just got a little more satisfying.