Carry kindness, humor to family gatherings

Dear God, I bet it is very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are 4 people in my family, and I can never do it.

— Nan, age 9

If we could all stay as truthful as children, we’d have better holiday gatherings with our family.

We tell ourselves, "It will be different this year.” It seldom is. We tell ourselves we will not let them get to us — again! They usually do.

Your family may have a bully, who is hostile, angry and throws tantrums to get his or her way, or a griper, who finds fault with most everything.

Perhaps you have some nice people who agree to be on time, bring enough dessert for everyone and promise to leave the dog at home. Then they show up late ("the time just got away from me”), without enough dessert ("I can’t believe this isn’t enough!”) and with the dog ("the poor little thing looked so sad I just couldn’t leave her behind”).

Perhaps you have I-know-better types who establish themselves as the authority on everything, or stallers who put things off until someone else does them.

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