With Halloween wrapped up, the holiday season is upon us (along with all its stresses)! Tune in today to hear how Kelly and Megan each handle their families over this season and their advice on what you can do to set holiday boundaries. From why this is Kelly's favorite time of year, to what Megan's solutions are to the supply-chain issues in the lead-up to gift-buying season, this episode has it all. Discover six great ways to set your boundaries with family in the least confrontational way possible, and when it's okay to walk away. We discuss the social norms across different generations, and how the younger generation is changing the status quo with body positivity and reciprocal respect. We dive into the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on mental health, and how both this and the current political situation have exacerbated inter-family divisiveness over the last two years. Hear about great DIY ideas from Pinterest and how these can subtly influence the interactions at holiday events, as well as why parent-child dynamics are so hard to change. If you want to know how to hug a porcupine, this is the episode for you!

Key Points From This Episode:

• How time flies for Kelly from Halloween to New Year’s.
• The little holiday traditions that mean the world to your kids. 
• How gifting and holidays evolve as kids grow older. 
• The impact of the pandemic on the supply-chain and why buying gifts earlier and local makes a difference. 
• An introduction to today’s topic: setting holiday boundaries with your family. 
• Why it’s so important that the younger generations are standing up for themselves and demanding two-way respect from their elders. 
• The topics or life events people might want to set boundaries around. 
• How to set expectations with your family members in advance of the event.
• The benefit of setting boundaries ahead of time: not dreading the triggering topic being brought up throughout the event. 
• When situations get sticky after the dinner and what to do to avoid this.
• How hosting the event can give you control over how to place people with conflicting views. 
• Hugging a porcupine: defusing that predictable negative comment by opening with a compliment. 
• Understanding the parent-child dynamic in your own family, and taking into account people’s tolerance for kids. 
• Giving yourself permission over a situation and owning the issue someone else always raises. 
• Adding fuel to the fire: tips on how to navigate alcohol consumption at holiday events. 
• Why it’s important to remember the psychological impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially as the holiday season exacerbates mental health issues. 
• Defusing a tense situation: distract and redirect and how you can train your ally. 
• Why it's okay to walk away, and when you should be choosing yourself over family. 
• How body positivity nowadays differs from the past, and how to bridge the generation gap.
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Tweetables:

“I think [the holiday season is] my favorite time of year, but I feel like I get too overwhelmed with everything we have to do, that I don't actually get to show up for it.” — Kelly Castillo [0:02:24]

“2020 was an incredibly divisive year for the world, for America, for families, whether it was politics, or people's reactions to the pandemic, there was a really big rift in some families that maintains to this day.” — Kelly Castillo [0:10:57]

“Just understand that when you have conflict, and you add alcohol to the mix, it escalates to the fire.” — Kelly Castillo [0:38:01]

“As a mom of a child in recovery, I will say that you never know what people are going through and struggling within their own lives.” — Kelly Castillo [0:38:58]

“Be prepared. Have a plan. Have an all