Family Holiday Guide To Surviving Intact

5 Awkward Scenarios To Look Forward To This Holiday

Think of the holidays as a time when good manners pay off: Tear open a package containing a brown macrame poinsettia and have the grace to say, "Thank you."

Often, however, people who are poised in some situations become tense or argumentative in others. (Hint: Those times usually involve family.) And oddly, the same quibbles often emerge year after year. Based on feedback from experts and readers, here are some common sticky situations and tips on handling them.

One-Way Ticket to a Guilt Trip

Ashley Harris of San Antonio, Texas, used to run a gauntlet of family gatherings, spending Christmas Eve at her father's house in Rockwell, Texas, then driving Christmas Day to one grandmother's house in Dallas and another grandmother's house in nearby Arlington, then making a two and a half hour drive to her mother's house for the evening.

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