Feasts, snow and family: the holidays are the best time of the year. My favorite parts are gathering around, opening gifts and spending time with the family I love.
Well, mostly. We all have at least one relative that gets on our nerves. They can be annoying for any reason: too talkative, asking too many questions or treating you like you’re still a toddler. Remember that you only have to bear their presence a few times a year, so be kind and put on your happy face.
The best way to get through the holidays with these people is something that anyone can have with a little practice: patience. Patience is a hard quality to attain, but the holidays are the perfect time to practice. When someone goes off on one of their irrelevant tangents, practice smiling, nodding your head and listening. It seems easy, but when that relative starts talking, this trait will be put to the test. Also, these people are your family, so give them the respect that they deserve. If you have a nasty attitude, you may grow up to be that annoying and negative relative that no one wants to be around.
For the relative that pries into your personal life, try to ask a question about his or her life for every question that they ask you. Answer the questions correctly, but try to be as brief as possible. Nobody likes to talk to someone that they think is really boring.
If they get a little too personal or onto a touchy subject, say something like, “I don’t feel like talking about that right now.” That may come across as a little too mysterious, so make sure you change the subject to something you want to talk about. It will divert their attention from the topic, and maybe then they will ask questions that you feel more comfortable answering.
Finally, there is the family member that doesn’t seem to understand that you are not three years old anymore. This, in my opinion, rates a 10 on the annoyance scale. Pinching of the cheeks, baby talk and ordering you a Happy Meal with a toy at McDonald’s are all signs that they do not realize that you are now a teenager. One way you can let them know you have grown up would be saying something like, “Can you believe that it’s only three more months until I have my license?” or, “In six months, I will be moving into my dorm!” Breaking it to them gently is key, because they most likely only want the best for you, regardless of your age.
These are only three of the thousands of types of annoying relatives—the categories are endless. For ones I have not mentioned, my best advice is still patience: no one is perfect, and you probably weren’t always exactly a gem yourself either. If one of those categories describes your situation pretty well, this holiday is a perfect time to turn things around. Remember that the holidays are about family. Enjoy the time you have with them, annoying relatives or not.