The holiday season is here, which means spending time with family members whom we may not see all the time. Because of the political environment in our country right now, these time of togetherness can result in more rifts than ever before.

Therefore, when we gather with family over the holidays, how do we stay out of arguments?

If the group is one in which we feel comfortable doing so, we can initiate a discussion ahead of time about how to handle challenging conversations and disagreements. We can invite family and friends to suggest ground rules, such as:

• We keep foremost in our minds and hearts that we love each other, no matter what.

• Everyone is entitled to have an opinion, and it’s okay for our opinions to differ.

• We respect each other for holding opinions (even if different from ours).

• No one makes anyone else wrong.

• If tempers rise, we take time out to breathe and regain composure.

• As we allow Love to reign supreme, we allow others to be who they are.

We can add to these whatever guidelines fit our family situation.

If the family is not into discussing stuff like this, then I recommend thinking through for yourself how you will handle your reaction if someone pushes your defensive buttons. It might be something as simple as saying, “Thank you for sharing your opinion.”

Period.