How to Get Along with your In-Laws during the Holidays
We all love holidays because we get to have fun all day long. However, holidays come with an obligation to spend time with family. Obviously, if you are married or are in a serious relationship, yours partner’s family is also your family. This means that you need to spend just as much time with them as you are going to spend with your own family. You, however, need to decide as a couple which holiday you are going to spend with your family and which holiday you are going to spend you’re your partner’s family.
If you and your partner cannot agree on where you are going to spend the holidays, do not despair. You just need to learn how to barter and negotiate. Granted, Christmas Eve won’t be the same if you are away from home but it also won’t be much fun if you are away from your partner. You could always spend Christmas Eve with your family and Christmas Day with his or her family. Alternatively, if you do not want to spend the holidays travelling, spend thanksgiving with your family and Christmas with his or her family.
Even after deciding where to spend the holidays, being around in-laws is difficult for most people. However, here are some tips on how you can make the whole experience much easier.
- Make it a Short Visit
While you may not be able to come up with an excuse to completely avoid spending the holidays with your in-laws, you can at least come up with an excuse for why you need to leave early. The idea is to limit the amount of time that you spend with them. This way, just when you begin to get on each other’s nerves, you leave.
- Stay at a Nearby Hotel
It’s difficult to be on your best behavior all the time. Staying at a hotel lessens the pressure for everybody and provides you with a “time out” when you need one. Your in-laws are going to try and guilt you into staying at their home so make sure you discuss this with your partner in advance so that he or she can back you up.
- Spend Time with Other People
So your mother-in-law doesn’t like you? There must be someone in that family too hostile towards you. Why not spend more time with the family members than actually like you? Alternatively, if you have some friends in the area, spend time with them.
- Don’t Argue
Although sometimes it may seem like an in-law is spoiling for a fight, it’s best to be the bigger person and walk away. If you feel that your in-laws have crossed some sort of line, ask your partner to step in. If your significant other really loves you, he or she won’t mind defending you.
Whatever way you choose to deal with spending the holidays with your in-laws, remember that holidays are supposed to be fun. Try to have as much fun as possible. If you can’t do it for yourself, do it for your partner.
Ashley Nelson blogs about how to get along with in-laws because the sooner you learn how to get along with you in-laws, the sooner you can you’re your very own destination wedding with travel wedding favors and live happily ever after!
