No matter what holiday you're celebrating, there comes a time when the family gathering runs out of steam. While you may be tempted to head out to a movie or -- if you're me -- continue to graze until there's no food left in the house, there's an alternative: Play!

For many people the holidays are a joyous time; for others they are a dreaded part of the year. One factor that can make it tough is spending time with difficult relatives. Here are strategies for keeping family dinners pleasant.

The pressures to hit the mall, keep up with the Joneses and complete our to-do list amplifies this time of year, making it harder for that gentle oxytocin to flow. How do we create a season of peace?

Many people suffer what I coin FGA -- Family Gathering Anxiety. Basically, this refers to those who experience strong feelings of anxiety before and often during a family gathering.

The actual Thursday comes, and Uncle Theophilis is right back there, but so is every last other body in the entire family, and some who used to be but show up no matter the divorce.

Last week, we baked a cake together. The cake was called Community and the ingredients were all the layers of relationships we have in our lives: ours...

If you know you are anticipating a meal laced with digs and putdowns, subtle and overt, either political, personal, or a combo practice changing the subject.