Chill out, change your religion, and buy sweets
And overcome to win Christmas
view and think, ‘ Well next time it might be better’ - and it might be. But if it’s not, you need to think about what tools you have at your disposal to manage the situation.”
If tempers do flare, Professor Gillon’s advice is to quietly retreat from the situation, taking time to reassess and remain calm.
“Think about what you do and what you contribute to conflict, and work with your own style to prevent things escalating,” he explained.
“I you feel you get very angry when you argue with people, try to develop ways of removing yourself from the situation – take a timeout.
“If you ever feel you’re getting upset of angry, go and sit in the car for five minutes.
“When everyone smoked that was the easy excuse to get yourself out of a bad situation! And it really worked because you can step away and de-escalate.
“Removing yourself from the situation really helps.” If military or mediation tactics don’t lead to a silent night, it might be time to adopt Swiss neutrality.
Jo Brand’s new book, Born Lippy: How to Do Female, tackles Christmas as she points out why we might all enjoy the season far more if we cared a little less. Luckily, the chapter on surviving family get togethers includes her tips for a peaceful Yuletide. “The family Christmas can be imbued with a gravity and importance it doesn’t really deserve, and if only people chilled out a bit it would be so much more fun. Instead everyone has to enjoy themselves, and smile as if their lives depended on it,” she writes. “Avoiding conflict is easy if you convert to another religion or become a conscientious objector to Christianity. Changing your religion, however, doesn’t rule out the issue of avoiding a family Christmas. “It just means you will have get-togethers with your family at different times of the year. If there is a tendency for rows to arise, spend a shorter time at whichever relative’s house it is, or resolve not to rise to the bait of your dad’s annual speech on Go out for a walk – that’ll unite the family. We all hate a walk, there’s hardly anything open so you can’t even buy any sweets, even though you’ve just had 14,000 calories for lunch. “Failing that, pretend to be asleep.”