Holidays are the time for lights, sweaters, cheer and dealing with your family. If you left home for college, it’s always weird going back home and seeing your family for the first time in months. Dynamics have changed while you were at school and sometimes we come home with a different perspective on things like politics, religion and social issues than your family. Surviving the holidays also means surviving your family, so I’m breaking out my family holiday survival guide.
- Don’t bring up politics
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This is vital, especially if your family tends to get into the political conversation and they turn it into a chaotic and heated debate. It’s also the most important rule if you have differing views from your family, which is common and hard to avoid.
- Don’t take the bait
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Sometimes someone else will bring up politics because they genuinely want to have a mature conversation, but with your family, it’s most likely to bait you. They want you to start arguing with them about Trump or Newsom because they want a reason to argue. If something that can quickly turn into an argument is mentioned, keep your damn mouth shut.
- Stay sober
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I’m not saying you can’t have a glass of wine with your Thanksgiving dinner, but don’t let yourself get tipsy or drunk. The first reason being that this is your family, and your petty cousin will gladly take a video of you embarrassing yourself and play it at your wedding. The second reason to stay sober is that it’s a lot easier to follow the rest of the rules.
- Learn to dodge
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There are always dreaded questions at any family function, i.e. “how’s your dating life,” “how are your grades,” and “you can really see those freshmen 15.” Instead of telling your grandma you’re going to die alone after failing out of college and gaining 100 pounds, ask them what they’ve been up to since you were gone. If you change the conversation it will be a lot easier to avoid those awkward answers.
Family can be tricky and for some reason, their crazy comes out during the holidays. So just stick to this list, enjoy a glass of wine or two and take this time to relax before finals.