Thanksgiving brings about so many wonderful thoughts of the quintessential American holiday.  Good food, shared with a happy family, and filled with welcoming conversation.  Everyone gathers to break bread with our loved ones and pay homage for the many wonderful things in our lives.  Indeed, our hopes are for a Norman Rockwell drawing from the Saturday Evening Post.

However, Thanksgiving can be a time of stress and tension for some.   Somewhere in all families there is  a little bit of dysfunction.  Although no family is perfect, it is normal to want to be with those we love at Thanksgiving.  The great irony about those very people we love is we may not like them very much.  Those characteristics can lead to situations where family harmony breaks down and chaos arises.  Add in a touch of alcohol, distinct personality quirks, and/or opinionated discussion and the irritation becomes palatable.   

Although, you cannot control what other people are going to do at Thanksgiving, you can take steps to make the holiday a bit less stressful by considering how to address conflicts ahead of time.  The link below offers some tips for dealing with Thanksgiving strife.

http://psychcentral.com/lib/10-tips-for-surviving-thanksgiving-with-the-dysfunctional-family/?all=1