Familes and the holidays

What happens when families don't get along during the holidays? When you have a particularly hateful family member the holidays can be very stressful. One way to deal with it is not go around them at all but when you have to there are ways a person can avoid a confrontation.

One way is to develop a strong armor. Not everyone can do this though. It is even worse when they make smart remarks and biting comments. One thing is to consider that they may be going through some difficult times or they are not happy in an area of their life. When people are insecure they usually pick on the one person that they know will not fight back. Not fighting back does not always mean that you are not a strong person. My mother is a prime example of someone not fighting back when someone in her family is being less than friendly. She has always been a peace-keeper but being one will only take you so far. What makes things worse is that the holidays are coming up and many people would like to see peace and harmony in their own families. That is not always the case and sometimes it is just best to let it go. Since we live in an imperfect world with imperfect people the best thing to do is to go along, minding your own business and doing what you have to do. This will irk those less than friendly family members because doing this action will give the air of confidence, happiness and serenity. I have been doing this for many years and believe me it works. Not only will you feel better but people will respect you (even if the hateful family member will not). You can not help what others do but you can certainly make it a good life for yourself. Maybe some day those bullying family members will learn by your actions.