For a lot of people, Christmas is not “the most wonderful time of the year.” If you’ve lost a loved one, or are estranged from some of your family, Christmas can present a painful dilemma: Should you put yourself through family gatherings when they’re likely to be painful? How do you decide?

Then we handle a listener question from Lexi, who lost her brother to a drug overdose and is trying to decide whether to go to her in-laws for a family gathering, even though she had heard them make disparaging comments about her brother at his wake.

We'd like to hear from you about your experiences that might be similar to Lexi's. Have you lost someone just before Christmas? Or have you been hurt by a family member to the extent that you're not sure if you can be at a gathering with them unless you work it out first? Let us know. Go to https://ctin7.com, and scroll down to the “Submit a Question” button, and tell us your story. We might want to interview you for a future episode.

You can find out more about Dr. Chalmer’s new book, It’s Not About Communication! Why Everything You Know About Couples Therapy is Wrong, at https://ctin7.com/books.

Like this podcast? Review us, like us, follow us, and do all those other kinds of wonderful things to us! It helps people find the show. Visit us at https://ctin7.com.

Music: Besamim (Spices) by Bruce Chalmer, performed by Fyre and Lightning Consort