Holiday Etiquette 101
It's the most wonderful time of the year. The holiday season has arrived. The anticipation of family traditions, parties and fellow-shipping with friends draws near to our hearts. The thought of gathering together for those fabulous Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners makes us all start drooling. As we travel over the river and through the woods, there may be some anxiety and issues that start surfacing. For some of us, there will be some tense family moments. For example, we have grown to laugh at/with a senior member of my family who always brings up the subject of weight and "have we lost any?" and "are we getting enough exercise?" You know what I'm talking about!
Although we cannot control what family members say or how they act toward us, we can choose to act and respond by keeping our conversations as polite and positive as possible, using the scriptures as our guide. Colossians 4:6 says "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person." This should be our foundation for using good manners during those stressed holiday moments with family and friends.
If a public conversation becomes tense or embarrassing because a family member chooses to bring up controversial issues, one option would be to ask to have a private conversation with that person at a later time. It is not worth getting everyone upset and making it where no one wants to come back next year.
Have a very blessed holiday season.
It's the most wonderful time of the year. The holiday season has arrived. The anticipation of family traditions, parties and fellow-shipping with friends draws near to our hearts. The thought of gathering together for those fabulous Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners makes us all start drooling. As we travel over the river and through the woods, there may be some anxiety and issues that start surfacing. For some of us, there will be some tense family moments. For example, we have grown to laugh at/with a senior member of my family who always brings up the subject of weight and "have we lost any?" and "are we getting enough exercise?" You know what I'm talking about!
Although we cannot control what family members say or how they act toward us, we can choose to act and respond by keeping our conversations as polite and positive as possible, using the scriptures as our guide. Colossians 4:6 says "Let your speech always be with grace, as though seasoned with salt, so that you will know how you should respond to each person." This should be our foundation for using good manners during those stressed holiday moments with family and friends.
If a public conversation becomes tense or embarrassing because a family member chooses to bring up controversial issues, one option would be to ask to have a private conversation with that person at a later time. It is not worth getting everyone upset and making it where no one wants to come back next year.
- Try to avoid talking about controversial subjects unless you know that everyone around the table can contribute to the discussion in a mature and non threatening way.
- Avoid talking about yours or others' ailments or sicknesses. Those are very important matters but maybe not for the family meal.
- Avoid being publically critical and negative of other family members and friends even if you disapprove of their lifestyles, careers, spouses or girlfriends or boyfriends.
- To make your family dinner more meaningful, turn off the TV and cell phones. Do not bring your cell phone to the dinner table and make your children abide by this too!
Have a very blessed holiday season.
