Christmas Tension?

Be honest, who’s been annoying you this Christmas?

You’re there, trying to get into the spirit of the season, and someone undoubtedly makes you seethe with irritation.

• Maybe it’s your nagging Aunt.
• Maybe it’s your aloof partner.
• Maybe it’s your demanding kids.
• Maybe it’s your intrusive boss.
• Maybe it’s your depressing neighbour.
• Maybe it’s your worrying sister.

There’s so much potential for some festive friction.

Throw alcohol into the mix and you’ve got yourself a recipe for some spicy situations.

Boozy Lions can become very direct and throw themselves into confrontation (which they thoroughly enjoy).

Put them face-to-boozy-face with a Hedgehog, who gets a little more sensitive with every glass of port, and they can feel like they’re being personally attacked.

(There’s a reason we keep alcohol out of staff meetings, you know?)

Before flying off the handle…

This is a time to reflect and acknowledge that we all bring different things to the table.

Everyone is different, and that’s okay.

(Even if it doesn’t feel like it at the time!).

So, when you’re about to bite your mother-in-law’s head off because she insists on making everyone watch the King’s speech…

Or because she can ‘give you a cranberry sauce recipe for next year, if you like?’ because yours was ‘a little bit sour’…

Or because she tries to do the laundry because you’re ‘clearly snowed under’…

Just remember this…

No one is intentionally difficult, we are intentionally different.

(And when in doubt – if you have Lion in your top three, like me – make sure to invite an Ostrich to the party. Those peacekeepers will make sure you and ol’ mother-in-law don’t play fisty cuffs!)

Wishing you a rocking New Year ahead.