It’s that time of year again. It’s time for turkey, stuffing, crazy holiday sales and, of course, awkward family gatherings. At every family gathering, it seems there’s one person who manages to find a way to make everyone else feel uncomfortable despite the cheerful holiday mood. For those of you who have experienced this, here are a few tips.
Many times, family gatherings involve making food, eating food and washing the food down with some eggnog. Sometimes, certain family members consume a little too much eggnog and that can make for awkward conversation. In the event that you find yourself attempting to decode the slurred words of your intoxicated uncle, try to laugh along with their unintelligible jokes and encourage them to drink more water and less eggnog. It can also be easier to convince them to drink water instead if you get some for yourself too. If it doesn’t go well, excusing yourself from the situation works just as well.
Perhaps you may find yourself stuck in an intense conversation with a radically political family member rather than a drunk one. In this situation, the first solution would be to express your feelings of uncomfortableness and try to change the subject. That may work, but in the event that it doesn’t, find an excuse to leave the conversation or the room. Going to the bathroom is always a sure way to avoid unbearable political conversation during the holidays.
Often the most painful situation during family reunions is a conversation with an unintentionally offensive person. Sometimes people don’t think before they comment on how much weight you’ve gained over the past year or how they don’t like the new color of your hair. The best thing to do is keep in mind that most of the time people don’t mean to offend or hurt others on purpose and try to just laugh it off and change the topic of conversation to how they have been doing. If your family member is busy talking about their year, they won’t have time to accidentally insult you.
Spending time with your family during the holidays can be really enjoyable and can make good memories for the future. Although some experiences may be uncomfortable, it is hard to make it through the entire holiday season without at least one moment of awkward conversation between relatives. During these awkward moments, try to remember that nobody wants to have a bad experience and try to stay cordial. Also, it’s just as important to try to think of others’ feelings as much as it is to not allow them to bother you. Don’t allow yourself to become the difficult person at parties. With this in mind, have a great Thanksgiving vacation and happy holidays!
