With the holiday season just around the corner, its time to start prepping for shopping, cooking, and an overload of family time. Since we all know that each family tree has a bad apple or two, and maybe a couple nuts here and there, here are some tips to help you survive this holiday season with them!
1. Drink a lot of wine.
Some say alcohol makes a situation worse, however you might need to get drunk and not remember what happened. Bond with your family over a glass of red or get a little tipsy to make grandpas stories more bearable.
2. Eat a lot of food.
Eat so much at every family event that you eat yourself into a food coma, and sleep through the whole thing. Everyone deserves a good nap even if its at grandma’s house.
3. Remind yourself that you do not need to stay all day.
Keep your visits short and sweet. Family time may be good, but too much family time never ends well.
4. Forgive and Forget.
Forget any bad memories you may have had before, and forgive whoever was involved. They are your family, and they will be for the rest of you life whether you like it or not.
5. Be Prepared.
They are your family. They ask the same questions every year: How is your boyfriend? Why don’t you have a boyfriend? How is work? How is school going? It’s not IF they are going to ask you these questions, its WHEN. So don’t be annoyed when they ask, and be prepared to repeat yourself to everyone in the room.
6. Go along with it.
Whatever they want to do, just do it. Don’t be the party pooper who is the only one that doesn’t want to participate in family game night or attending a movie as a family. Don’t have high expectations and just go with the flow! Hey, if you’ve been drinking wine, pretty much anything is enjoyable.
7. Know which topics to avoid.
Religion, politics, and current events are all controversial and opinionated topics to avoid! Be sure not to bring up the Starbucks red cup, because you don’t want to offend anyone.
9. Relax!
It’s the holidays! Take the time you have off from school and work and enjoy doing whatever you want! Whether that’s sitting on the couch and watching Netflix for days at a time, reading a book, or catching up with friends or family you haven’t seen in years, do what makes YOU happy!
10. Remember that you are loved!
Even if your family drives you crazy sometimes, remember that they love you and want the best for you.
What’s the key to a successful Thanksgiving? A turKEY!