Around Thanksgiving and Christmas families come together for joyous holiday celebrations. Usually these encounters are happy and merry, but as I've gotten older I have dreaded certain aspects of the Holidays. There are so many ways a holiday can go from merry, to not so very. Hopefully I can give some tips and tricks to make this experience better for everyone.
One topic that usually gets out of hand quickly is politics. Your extended family that you don't see very often might bring up their anti-gay marriage opinion, or they might say global warming isn't real, and maybe they might just say something that is outright offensive. One tried and true method to avoid an awkward Christmas dinner is the, "nod and smile technique." This is my go to because you don't even have to talk, and you barely have to listen. It is a lot easier to let them continue until they finish, rather than butting in and making their rant into an argument that could ruin the holidays.
Another horrendous engagement could be childhood stories. These can be painful and embarrassing for all, so changing the subject is crucial. The, "nod and smile," technique is not preferable here because you might let some false details go unchanged. I have found that bringing up a different story, and possibly one that is embarrassing for someone else is the best way to manage this situation. This works because it changes the subject quickly and it moves the embarrassment quickly. But you must be careful because this can lead to a whole chain of embarrassing stories and then nobody in your family really wants to look anyone in the eye anymore.
Maybe the worst situation is the, "so what are you ding after college/high school," question. As if the decision isn't stressful enough on it's own, now you suddenly have to explain some decisions you might not have even made or thought about yet. This can be tricky because telling your conservative family members that you are getting a liberal arts degree in something such as literature or theatre arts can be a tricky situation. So how do you handle this? take some time to research a "reasonable" career path and build a story behind it. you don't need to get all your ducks in a row, but enough to where they can believe your story.
If you can avoid embarrassment or an argument, the holidays can be enjoyable for everyone. Just remember some of these tips and apply them where necessary and you should scrape by. If all else fails, retreat. Just exit that conversation for a while until you find a way to divert their attention to a new topic, but don;t use the bathroom as an excuse too much because then you family might assume you have a medical problem, and you'll have to just go along with it or reveal your holiday diversion techniques.
