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Why Family Arguments Spike at Christmas (and How to Contain Them)
Your family can make you feel (and act) like the wounded 9-year-old you hoped you’d left behind.
Deck the halls: the family’s hitting town for the holiday season.
It’s supposed to be FUN. But is it really? Does financial stress, too much alcohol, frazzled adults, hyped up kids and spiky family dynamics really equal fun?
Perhaps yours is one of those families that feasts and plays together in perfect harmony? But for many it’s about holding their breath until the inevitable Christmas row breaks out.
Just as domestic violence increases over the festive season, studies also show a spike in general family conflict. As families are forced together, historical hierarchies, old wounds, resentments and rivalries bubble to the surface.
You may be a healthy, successful person in your own life but, back in the family fold at Christmas, you may quickly feel (and act) like the wounded 9- year-old you hoped you’d left behind.
Throw in end-of-year exhaustion, financial stress, excess food and wine, and too much “togetherness” and it’s a Christmas cocktail no-one wants to drink.
“Family quarrels are bitter things. They…