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Holiday Season Survival

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The holidays mean lots of food, family, and, sometimes drama. We’ll talk holiday season survival.

Pre-dinner (jgoldmania/Flickr)
Pre-dinner (jgoldmania/Flickr)

Ah, the holidays! Greeting cards and crackling fires. Favorite meals, cozy evenings, old traditions, family coming from near and far. And wait, is that Aunt Polly yelling in the kitchen? Because of something Dad said? Is Richard drinking? Did Monica have to bring up that old story again? Did she have to bring her ex? Is Mom crying?

We love the holidays. They can and do bring cheer and love and precious time together. But we all know they can get crazy, too.

This hour, On Point: love and joy and heaven help us. Surviving and thriving in the family dramas of the holidays.
-Tom Ashbrook

Guests

Sue Shellenbarger, creator and senior writer for the Wall Street Journal's “Work and Family” column.

Ann Smith, marriage and family therapist and Executive Director of the Breakthrough Program at Caron Treatment Centers. She also blogs regularly for Psychology Today. Her blog is called Healthy Connections.

From Tom's Reading List

Wall Street Journal "Often, however, people who are poised in some situations become tense or argumentative in others. (Hint: Those times usually involve family.) And oddly, the same quibbles often emerge year after year. Based on feedback from experts and readers, here are some common sticky situations and tips on handling them."

Washington Post "There’s a conversation taking place on the Web forum DC Urban Moms and Dads over an interfaith family’s decision to raise their child Jewish and also baptize their baby in the Christian tradition. The father asked other parents if they knew of a priest who might perform the baptism."

Health.com "It's a myth that suicide is more common around the holidays (springtime is actually the peak). But holiday cheer isn't a given either."

This program aired on December 21, 2011.

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