The one fear I know many people have during the holiday season is the idea of having guests over. They enter your home and whisper comments about the food, your home, and even your life choices. These rude remarks can ruin the holiday all because these people believe you should live your life how they want you too. So here are a few ways to prevent the comments and negativety from happening.

1. To prevent whispers about your home, put a sign on the front door that says, "Beware of ghosts" This way when ever they say a negative you can say, "I am shocked that Charlie has not been doing his chores." Then proceed to scold thin air.

2. If your elders are the type of people who think you should be married and with children by the age of 15, I am sorry. To fix this, laugh and say, "Did you know that 50% of marriages end in divorce? I am saving myself for someone special. I thought you would respect that." Then get up and leave the room dramatically. They will never ask again.

3. If your family members are people that critique your food there is an easy way to fix this. You tell them to make it next year if they do not like your version of it. Then proceed by talking about the starving children and remind them that they are not as lucky to have great food. People tend to shut up when this happens.

4.Politics and religion tend to be a huge debate around the holidays. There are always people on both sides of the fence with strong opinions and few in between. To prevent an uprising at the dining table post a sign below the ghost sign that has wavers attached to it. The wavers will state that politics and religion are not topics to be discussed. If people are not willing to sign them, then they do not enter. They can sit outside and enjoy the cold Minnesota air.

5.Last but not least, do you have members that bring food to meals that are strange and inedible? If so I suggest that you give them something easy to bring, like milk. For example, every holiday my aunt and uncle bring potato salad that has raisins and bacon bits in it. Most of us are positive that both the raisins and bacon bits are from the early 1990s. In other words they should be thrown out. I am not joking about this potato salad. I have had to fake eat it at 4th of July, Thanksgiving, and Christmas in the past. It is awful. Avoid this catastrophe and assign them milk.

Not all families have problem some people during the holidays, but encase yours does, I hope these five tips help you to survive the next few days. Good luck with you family, and have a fantastic holiday season!