Overview
- Psychologist Stefanie Pausch advises skipping political debates during the holidays and setting a family agreement in advance, for example via a message in the group chat.
- If a discussion escalates, she recommends a clear stop signal and a neutral reset such as suggesting a walk, paired with listening, asking why, and acknowledging views without endorsing them.
- Pausch points to common triggers for festive disputes including unspoken expectations, old family roles resurfacing, and limited awareness of relatives’ current circumstances.
- Austria’s Rat auf Draht counsels concrete tactics such as planning the schedule, limiting sensitive topics, using humor, putting phones away, and interrupting heated arguments; anonymous help is available at 147 with online parent consultations via elternseite.at.
- Reader responses are divided, with some calling the focus on holiday conflict exaggerated and others viewing it as a sign of broader social fractures.