During Christmas, you spend a lot of time with your family. Chances are that tensions or arguments will arise. Here's how to prevent them.
Preventing friction
You probably know the drill. The whole family gets together for Christmas and it should and must be cozy. After all, you want to have a good time together and make memories. Discussions and arguments are not part of this. Fortunately, there are some things you can do yourself to lower the chances of a conflict. The first step is self-compassion. By this, we don't mean that you have to think of yourself as great, but rather that you acknowledge both your positive and negative traits. You know a little bit about how you are. Self-compassion also involves living in the moment and trying to balance your personal needs with the needs of those around you.
Put off discussions for a while
The second step is not to start avoiding conflicts at your own expense. Of course, you shouldn't provoke arguments either, but try to see how you can make the other person feel comfortable without getting snowed under yourself. This is very difficult, but find a way to strengthen the relationship between you and the other person. Notice the things the other person does to make it a cozy Christmas.
If you do notice that certain actions or views of the other person are bothering you, it's time for step 3. It is not helpful to start a discussion during a busy Christmas dinner, but you can decide to come back to it at a later time. You can assume that the majority of guests are not feeling quite themselves and are a bit tenser during Christmas. Therefore, postpone a difficult conversation for a few weeks. By then, everyone will probably have cooled down by now.