For many people, holidays mean more time with family. This can be an opportunity to enjoy building bonds and creating lasting memories. Sometimes it can also mean stress and even conflict. Despite the stress, there are ways to enjoy family time. Here are some tips to help get you started.

1. Set appropriate boundaries. It’s great to spend time with extended family, but it’s also important to build traditions and spend quality time with your own nuclear family. This means you may have to politely decline an invitation or two.

2. Remember your spouse is always your priority. Sometimes when conflict arises in extended family, it is natural to want to defend your parents or siblings but your loyalty should lie first with your spouse. Work together as a team on how to approach the issue if there is conflict, and resist the urge to become defensive.

3. Be mindful. The holidays are a busy time of year. It is easy to get caught up in the stress of it all. Take a few minutes each day to sit quietly and reflect on what the holidays mean to you and make sure you are spending your time on the things that are of most value.

4. Give meaningful gifts. If you don’t know in what way your spouse or family member prefers receiving love and affection, find out and then give gifts that are meaningful. If you know your spouse loves to spend time together, give her the gift of a special date night.

5. Be grateful. It can be easy to get discouraged that you can’t buy everything you’d like to or it may be depressing to see other seemingly perfect families who appear to have it all. Making an effort to be thankful for the positive things in your life will help you to feel happier and create a warm environment in your home.

6. Find ways to serve together. Reaching out to help those in need will help you feel united as a family. It will also most likely have a lasting impact on you and your children. Some of my fondest childhood Christmas memories were times we spent helping others.

There are many other ways you and your family can make an effort to enjoy the holidays together rather than feeling stressed or strained. Sit down together and discuss these suggestions and see what other ways you can take advantage of the season to build family connections and overcome family conflict and stress.