For some reason, our society values socializing with people who purportedly love us, especially at the holidays. But sometimes the people we love — or moreover, the people they love — can be the absolute worst. And sometimes, the best way to deal with such people (in-laws;...
Every holiday season, there’s an endless stream of unsolicited advice about how to play nice with family you’d otherwise pretend didn’t exist. And while some of it is useful — especially this — I prefer to look to the stars on how best to navigate the Christmas dinner...
You spent last Christmas lodging with family, gobbling their ham and guzzling their beer, so it makes sense that you felt compelled to return the favor this year. Now, these relatives — whether your own or ones you acquired upon marriage — are nice and all, but...
Holiday season, apart from probably being the only time you’ll drink copious amounts of spiked eggnog, is inevitably the time you’ll be forced to hang out with family members you’ve spent the majority of your life trying to avoid. Maybe it’s the uncle who assumes the role...
The holidays are here, and that means anyone who has a new partner should expect to meet their future in-laws for the first time and hopefully live to tell the tale. Preparing for such a delicate occasion can be daunting, no doubt, and even more so when...
As someone raised in the South by poor rural farm women, I can’t remember a single situation where I wasn’t warned in advance not to embarrass the heck out of my elders by being an unkempt, ill-mannered garbage child. Every Christmas growing up, my mother forced us...
Having to crash with in-laws (or anyone else) over the holidays can put just about anyone on edge. Besides them being at least some kind of crazy, the nagging feeling that you could be overstaying your welcome, draining their fridge or just plain getting in the way...
It’s the holidays, a season for food, parades and sitting on the couch with your pants unbuttoned as you take an early evening nap before you head out to the store and buy a bajillion Christmas gifts. All in all, it’s a pretty magical time — unless...
When you have a long-time partner, bringing them as your guest to the office holiday party is an obvious move. But as a single person, your plus-one situation becomes much more of a consideration. Do you go alone? Do you bring your best friend? What about hopping...
Get your best sweater-dress-shirt combination ready, because Office Holiday Party Season is upon us. It’s time to meet the guys named Mark your significant other spends all day Slacking. I know, I know, the only way to get through an event like this is to drink gin-and-tonics...
There’s a lot to look forward to at the end of the year: Quality time with friends and family (if you’re into that sort of thing); the promise of gifts (like a new pair of socks); and of course, an extra 10-to-15 pounds of winter weight to...
Ah, the annual company-wide holiday party, where any semblance of professionalism between your colleagues goes out the window and that one person from finance, without exception, drunkenly professes their undying love for their coworker before crying and passing out on the bathroom floor. Sounds… uncomfortable. But is...