Aunt Edna is the one who is difficult to get along with. Yet, she’s always there at Christmas so you can’t really avoid her. This year, find some good things about Aunt Edna.

• Ask about her year. Connect with your Aunt Edna by asking how her year was. Sure, she’ll probably still give you a cranky quick response at first, but if you wait a little bit longer, she just might open up and share a part of herself with you.
• Beg for her special recipe. What Aunt Edna doesn’t like to share her most prized recipes? Show special attention to the dish she brought for Christmas dinner, then ask if you can have a copy of her recipe. Even better, ask what the special ingredient is.
• Volunteer to do something nice for her. One of the reasons why your Aunt Edna is probably so grumpy all the time is that nobody wants to be around her. So she ends up having to do all her dirty work with no help. Offer to rake her yard or shovel the walk.
• Buy her something special. This year instead of passing Aunt Edna over, spend extra time picking out a special gift, just for her. She won’t see it coming, and she just might be so flabbergasted that she won’t be hateful to you anymore.

Making Christmas pleasant for everyone involved can be tricky when both parents are invited. However, it can be done with tact and grace and everyone can have a great time together. Here are some tips to help you figure it out.

• Don’t bring up the past. One of the worst things to do in many cases of divorced parents is bring up the past. If you know that is a particularly sore spot for your parents, try not to bring it up in conversation. Many divorced parents want to move forward, not talk about past mistakes.
• Focus on the present and future. Talk about or ask questions about the future. Do either of them have impending promotions or job changes? Talk about your children’s school projects or recent plays. Find a way to help them connect through family topics.
• Play games. Simple board or card games can help connect broken families. A fun game of SkipBo or Uno or a few games of Clue or Chinese checkers can bring everyone together at the table. Never underestimate the power of a simple game.

These are just a few simple ways to keep the mood peaceful and lighthearted during Christmas with your divorced parents. Add your own ideas to this list and have a pleasant Christmas with your family this year.

1. Drink lots of water. Just as with any diet, drinking more water is essential any time, but especially so during the holidays. Your body can become dehydrated without you even realizing it. Rather than pouring a glass of wine or sugar-filled drinks, opt for a bottle of cold water instead.
2. Have a pep talk with yourself. All too often, diets are thrown out the window during Christmas because you know how much food you’re going to be around. You think that you might as well forget about your diet because there’s no way you’ll be able to stay on it while you celebrate. You’re wrong. Half the battle of sticking to a diet is having a made up mind that you’re going to be successful this time. Remind yourself of this every time you reach for another potato chip or slice of pecan pie.
3. Exercise often. Getting exercise during Christmas is actually not nearly as impossible as you might think. Simple things make a big difference, like parking far when you shop and walking a ways to get to the store. Instead of riding the escalator in the mall, take the stairs.
4. Eat half as much. Cutting down on your portions can dramatically reduce your chances of falling off the diet wagon. Grab a small saucer instead of a full-sized plate. Get a cup of punch that is half-full, if you must drink punch, rather than full to the top. These tiny steps are doable by anyone and can make a huge difference.

Most who celebrate holidays with feast-filled gatherings neglect to increase exercise as well. This simple oversight can lead to adding a large amount of excess weight in a very short amount of time.

As we all know, celebrating the holidays is hardly accomplished without eating. This year you can make smarter decisions about what to put in your mouth, though.

Here is a list of twelve healthy foods you can snack on during the holidays that won’t put on the pounds.

1. Fresh vegetables with low-fat dip
2. Marinated, grilled chicken breast (boneless, skinless) fingers
3. Nuts & seeds
4. Whole-grain cereals
5. Low-fat mozzarella sticks
6. Salsa
7. Reduced-fat & whole-grain crackers
8. Fresh fruit kabobs
9. Kettle’s potato chips (just a handful or two)
10. Granola bars
11. Rice cake with peanut butter
12. Yogurt

Of course, family gatherings aren’t always filled with healthy foods. As such, you should remember to plan ahead for every social event. Volunteer to bring party foods along. This way you can be sure that there will be healthy foods available for you to snack on.

It is possible to maintain healthy eating habits during the holidays. You have to be proactive in doing this for yourself, though.

So how in the world do you decide where to spend Christmas? There is more than one way to deal with this problem. Finding the way that works best for you is something that could, unfortunately, take a few years to figure out.

Visit everyone

Some families choose to pack up the family vehicle and hit the road during Christmas week. They visit one family after another, accepting all invitations they receive. Of course, by the time they return home, toys and gifts have filled every nook and cranny. Not to mention bellies are too full from an entire day of eating on the run.

Draw a straw

Other families choose the draw a straw method. In this case, one spot is chosen for the family to spend Christmas. They spend Christmas with one family and enjoy the entire day there, without all the hassles of shuffling the whole family from one place to another all day. In this case, families usually choose to pick one family this year, then alternate it with another destination the next year. This way everybody is happy.

Just stay home

There are some who despise traveling for Christmas. Many families with younger children prefer to stay at home and enjoy Christmas as a family with their children. Although not very many families do this today, it is a possibility to try if you can’t decide where to spend Christmas this year.

• Go caroling. Not very many people go caroling anymore. Gather a group of family and friends and walk through your neighborhood and sing Christmas carols. Your children will absolutely love it!
• Have a hay ride. Next to caroling, hay rides are becoming scarce as well. Why not hitch up the trailer, throw on some bundles of hay, and have fun riding through town caroling.
• Read a favorite Christmas story together. Children love books. Even more so, they love for their parents to read to them. Choose a favorite Christmas book, settle down by the fireplace or Christmas tree and read the book together as a family.
• Watch Christmas movies together. Not all children enjoy reading, so if yours doesn’t, then choose a nice holiday movie to watch together instead. Pop some corn, make some hot chocolate and snuggle together to watch a movie.
• Cook Christmas dinner together. All kids love hanging out and helping in the kitchen. Plan an entire dinner around the family cooking together.

Spending time with your children is important. During the holidays, these special memories you are creating will stay with them for a lifetime. Make every moment count and make treasured memories this holiday season.

Are you included in this grumpy list? If so, keep reading. I have some tips for tolerating those few miserable hours that you’ll have to spend with people you dislike.

• Set a time limit. It is difficult to spend time with people you don’t like. In fact, this is usually how many family disagreements start. Put together a few family members who don’t like each other, mix in some bad conversation, and you’ve got the makings of a full-on family feud. Rather than feeding that fire with more fuel, set a time limit on conversation. Make nice then excuse yourself if you can’t be civil.
• Put on your best actress/actor face. Imagine yourself an actor. You’re starring in the leading role of a hot new film. The setting: Family Christmas dinner. The cast: Obnoxious family members you hate. The plot: Turning things around this Christmas. Okay, so maybe that’s a stretch. Do your best to put on a poker face anyway.
• Make small talk. Differences of opinions usually lie at the heart of family bickering. Instead of falling prey to yet another family argument, make small talk. If the conversation seems to start turning towards a topic that is known to be the sore spot of a family member, steer it back towards more small talk.

The holiday know-it-all always has an answer for everything. She usually talks over others and interrupts others, rather than waiting her turn to speak. She has an opinion about everything and expresses it quite loudly, whether everyone wants to hear it or not.

If you have suffered through years of miserable family gatherings because of a holiday know-it-all, here are some tips to help you deal with it better this year:

• Ignore him. You’re probably thinking, ‘Easier said than done!’ You can ignore him though. Rather than meeting his statements with a rebuttal, simply smile and say nothing.
• Walk away. Some confrontations by know-it-alls are best dealt with by just walking away from them. Don’t storm off in anger, but walk away with your head held high and leave her wondering.
• Patronize him. If you want to get a really good laugh out of the situation, patronize the know-it-all. Sit beside him every chance you get and ask big questions. Hang onto every word he says. Pretend like he’s the best thing in the world. There’s usually nothing the know-it-all hates more than being patronized. Chances are you’ll run him off without too much effort.

Regardless of how you choose to handle your holiday know-it-all, just remember to never attempt to engage in an all-out war of words. Hold your ground and maintain integrity at all times.