The holiday season is fast approaching and for some, along with the stress of classes and which dress to wear for that upcoming holiday party, comes the stress of personal relationships. I was having dinner with a friend when she brought up an intriguing topic; apparently her boyfriend and her best friend couldn’t be in the same room with one another, let alone at the same holiday dinner table.
On any other day of the year, it’s a no-brainer – if oil and water don’t mix, just don’t mix them. But during the jovial holiday season, boyfriend/best friend drama will not do. I think we can all agree that it’s cold enough outside; let’s not have it be below 30 at the dinner table as well. So what is there to do? When we’re faced with these sticky situations, there seem to be very few options. Let’s face it, emphasizing their common interests like their shared love for the Lakers will hardly make them BFF’s. So, we at Her Campus brainstormed a list of possibilities to help make this holiday season as peaceful as possible, from blackmail to guilt trips to flat out lying.  But why taint the purity that is the holiday season with dirty manipulation and scheming?
Those of you who have dealt with stubborn people are probably asking the question: is there any other way? Well, after some research in the field, it appears that yes, there is. I took the liberty of asking a few members of both sexes what their take on the situation was. The female side said, “Tell them to suck it up. If they both cared enough, they’d at least be respectful in the same room.” The male side said, “You’re going to have to be real. If either one of them is that much of a douche to ignore what’s important to you, then sort out your priorities and bounce. Adult like.” So, the female side thinks they need to suck it up, and the male side thinks you need to leave them if they can’t. Who knows, maybe once they’re in the same room you can effectively play that Lakers card of yours.
But what if one, or both, of them give you an ultimatum i.e. “if he/she’s there, then I won’t be”? If avoiding each other is more important to them than seeing you, then your problems are much worse than the issue of who to invite to dinner. Hey, if Dan Humphrey and Blair Waldorf can find common ground, anyone can. But, if you find that they don’t care for you as much as you do for them, then there’s no room in your Holiday season for people who will only ruin it.  In the words of my wise friend, “bounce. Adult like.”