| Surviving the Holiday with Your Family EAP EAP Hotline Documents |
Even in families with the strongest of relationships the holidays can be a stressful time. Just the thought of gathering, only to
say good-bye again is enough to push some families into emotional turmoil. If you struggle with the holidays, here are some tips
for helping you to enjoy a smoother holiday season.
1. Tolerate the differences- whether it be differences in sleep habits, eating habits, or lifestyles, now is not the
time to draw your line in the sand. Try to go along as best you can for the time being and don’t rock the
boat. Your time together is short, enjoy it.
2. Accept gifts with grace- now is not the time to let family members know you hate fruitcakes, or you prefer
not to wear clothes with advertising on them. Accept gifts with a gracious “thank you”, and then do what
you prefer with the gifts at a later date.
3. Have a secret Password- when your immediate family, spouse, children, etc are visiting have a key word or
phrase that lets them know you all need to visit about something privately. This may be anything from a topic
you don’t want talked about, to the need to update or inform then about something. Agree in advance how
you will handle ‘hot topics”.
4. Allow the Blood Relative to be the Spokesperson- It is always best to let the son or daughter, or blood kin
handle sensitive topics at family functions. This tends to create fewer problems in the long run, and for the
most part families receive information better from their own relatives.
5. Don’t be an entertainment critic- Sharing your preferences in movies, books and television programs
usually ends up creating hard feelings. Most of the time people are watching or reading what they already
like, and stating your opinion may only irritate them.
6. Politics, religion and child rearing- These are all very touchy subjects that should again be left for the blood
relative to talk about. Unless you see your relatives on a regular basis there is no reason to try to change their
opinions on these topics or to invite the opportunity for them to changes yours.
Remember that the holidays are stressful on everyone. Typically, there are a lot of people meeting for a very short period of
time who are as uncomfortable with the holidays as you are. Try to enjoy the time you have together and work to make it the
memory everyone will remember you by. While the holidays can be a joyous time, they can also be a time of extreme stress.
Try to make the most of your holiday, and remember it is the last one you will have until next year.
For Further Information:
say good-bye again is enough to push some families into emotional turmoil. If you struggle with the holidays, here are some tips
for helping you to enjoy a smoother holiday season.
1. Tolerate the differences- whether it be differences in sleep habits, eating habits, or lifestyles, now is not the
time to draw your line in the sand. Try to go along as best you can for the time being and don’t rock the
boat. Your time together is short, enjoy it.
2. Accept gifts with grace- now is not the time to let family members know you hate fruitcakes, or you prefer
not to wear clothes with advertising on them. Accept gifts with a gracious “thank you”, and then do what
you prefer with the gifts at a later date.
3. Have a secret Password- when your immediate family, spouse, children, etc are visiting have a key word or
phrase that lets them know you all need to visit about something privately. This may be anything from a topic
you don’t want talked about, to the need to update or inform then about something. Agree in advance how
you will handle ‘hot topics”.
4. Allow the Blood Relative to be the Spokesperson- It is always best to let the son or daughter, or blood kin
handle sensitive topics at family functions. This tends to create fewer problems in the long run, and for the
most part families receive information better from their own relatives.
5. Don’t be an entertainment critic- Sharing your preferences in movies, books and television programs
usually ends up creating hard feelings. Most of the time people are watching or reading what they already
like, and stating your opinion may only irritate them.
6. Politics, religion and child rearing- These are all very touchy subjects that should again be left for the blood
relative to talk about. Unless you see your relatives on a regular basis there is no reason to try to change their
opinions on these topics or to invite the opportunity for them to changes yours.
Remember that the holidays are stressful on everyone. Typically, there are a lot of people meeting for a very short period of
time who are as uncomfortable with the holidays as you are. Try to enjoy the time you have together and work to make it the
memory everyone will remember you by. While the holidays can be a joyous time, they can also be a time of extreme stress.
Try to make the most of your holiday, and remember it is the last one you will have until next year.
For Further Information:
| Family Service Inc. (605)336-1974 800-589-1974 fsisd@msn.com |