Tis the season where our entire family is together.

Everyone.

Grandmas and Grandpas, Aunts that try to kiss you on the lips, Crazy Cousins that honestly freak you out with how odd they are, Uncles that say “hi” and then do not speak for the rest of the holiday, In-laws that know exactly how to get under your skin, Spouses that refuse to save you from their parents because they are receiving the same treatment from your parents, Relatives that come from Timbuktu that you cannot for the life of you remember who they are related to and how they relate to you, Siblings that you have not seen in weeks because they have been away at school or they live somewhere else so all you want to do is catch up, but nothing has changed and you are instantly 8 years old again and you need to tell your mommy that they pulled your hair.

Family is amazing, and fortunately I have been granted a pretty large, entertaining one. But please, do not get me wrong, we have our moments of yelling, eye-rolling, hair pulling, and awkward silences. It happens, many will try and blame it on the holiday season, and in some aspects I agree, but this is the most wonderful time of the year and it has done nothing wrong to you.

However, this time of year makes people believe that they have to be extra nice to each other and that is where the awkwardness and arguing comes in. If you have to act super nice to your family, you are going to start to notice little things that they do that irritate you sooooo much, and since you are trying to be nice, you will try and ignore these little things. But unfortunately, repressing these annoyances is just going to lead to an inevitable blow up.

So some tips for this holiday season are:

1. Do not try to be extra nice, be yourself.

2. Keep your rude comments to yourself.

3. Pass the peas with a smile.

4. Take the kisses with a smile and wipe them off in the bathroom, but don’t make it obvious.

5. Listen to the Crazy Cousins and nod along to their stories while you play the Bee Movie in your head.

6. Bring your Uncle a slice of pie and hug him before you leave.

7. Talk to your grandparents, save your parents from their wrath.

8. Try your hardest not to retreat to your 8 year old self, but let’s face it… it's going to happen.

The holidays will be over before you know it, so try and cherish the time you spend with your family as much as you can. Some of these people you only see once a year so suck it up and do it with a smile.