6. Alcohol
Copious amounts of alcohol are strongly encouraged to help get through the holidays without a homicide. I've found that one hallmark of the holidays is everyone being on edge, with nerves hovering around a 7 on the Freak Out Meter. The smallest thing could knock that up to a 10 and then you have a scene like last night's when my mother screamed at me in the middle of Oakland airport. Why? Because I made the fatal mistake of mentioning I was hungry while passing a Jamba Juice on our walk to baggage claim and I didn't want one. Did I mention I'm almost 27? Anyway, that really sent her into orbit and my point is, alcohol can relieve some of that tension. It's also useful in making your situation more pleasant and helps facilitate establishing some common ground with relatives and conversation a little less awk.
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