Family members often have different expectations for the holidays. For some, getting together with the rextended family is most important. For others, the holidays are all about exchanging gifts. Or traveling to someplace relaxing. Or heading out to see the light displays -- or staying home to watch football on TV.
Families who talk about their expectations before the holidays are more likely to enjoy the season.
This chart should facilitate the discussion, making it easy to figure out who expects what.
Circulate it among every family member old enough to read and write. Ask everyone to rate each activity using the following scale: 1 for "very important;" 2 for "not so important;" and 3 for "unimportant."
Allow each person only two 1s, and do you best to accommodate all of them. After that, see which 2s will fit in your schedule. Forget about the 3s.
This article comes from the October/November 2006 issue of ADDitude.
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