Getting together with family during the Holiday Season can be as wonderful as it is stressful. 
Here are just a few tips to help you get through the family reunion with loving memories (and without pulling your hair out!)
Tip #1 – ASK YOURSELF: How you might be an asset to the family Holiday dinner?
Tip #2 – MAP YOUR COURSE: Find the least caustic person. If your wonderful Aunt Yvonne is peeling potatoes, ensconce yourself with her and peel potatoes.
Tip #3 – HAVE AN ESCAPE PLAN: If Uncle Henry Walker the close talker gets you in his grips, listen for a respectable 10 to 15 minutes then make a graceful exit by saying "I've got to check on the pumpkin pies then make a bee- line for the kitchen.
Tip #4 – FIND YOUR INNER CHILD: Children are full of wonder and innocence so when they look up at you grinning, with their teeth all half grown in and ask you to join them in a game of football or hide and go seek- oblige them and yourself and regain a tiny slice of your childhood.
Tip #5 – LIMIT TIME WITH THE FAMILY "COOTER BROWN": Get to him early in the day before he's had too many cocktails so you can enjoy his real essence.
Tip #6 – DO YOUR PART: Come to the table with something topical and interesting to talk about that doesn't include gossip or your little Johnny being gifted.
As you watch the parade and listen to the game and anticipate the pumpkin pie, the bottom line-the real truth is:
All the characters are our special family and they make their own distinctive deposits into our hearts- they are the ones we cherish because they make the memories and storytelling colorful, funny, and unforgettable.
Happy Holidays!
PATRICIA ROSSI is the Nationally Syndicated Manners Correspondent for NBC’s “Daytime” where she hosts the popular Manners Minute segments. Patricia is a renowned etiquette consultant and author of “Everyday Etiquette Made Easy”.
Visit PatriciaRossi.com to browse manners clips, find her event appearances and workshops in the Tampa Bay area or to order your book! Contact Patricia directly at: 727-457-0070
