3 simple tips to deepen family relationships on Christmas Day
However different it will look this year, people will gather for Christmas like times before.
Homes will be stocked with stockings and trees will be lit with lights. Mariah Carey will actually sing well on Spotify(oops, did I say that?) and Uncle Pete will hog da’ nog like he does every year. So to say, pandemic or not, some families will celebrate Christmas like they always had.
And you may think that meeting together with family always has to be the same way, yet something doesn’t feel right about that. Something needs to change.
While the world seems to go a million-miles-a-minute, you lack quality time with loved ones during the course of the year. But we all know that Christmas is typically open for ample time between loved ones, usually. That time allows us to reconnect and deepen our relationships with one another.
So why can it be hard to do so? It’s not like the dynamics of a relationship will change in a day, right?
The answer is probably not. Relationships take time to build, and if they are damaged, they certainly take time to heal.
With all the pressure that comes with showing up for Christmas, there is a piece of advice that I want to start with: Be authentic. When relationships become real relationships, they are because the people involved are authentic with each other.
The second piece of advice: Be authentic with purpose in mind. If something is of quality, that means it should not be wasted and quality time will not be wasted if you use it with purpose.
If you are looking to connect with the family in a better way than you have before, consider these tips:
- Decide who you need to talk to before you meet.
Everyone is important when it comes to family. However, sometimes we miss opportunities to connect with those we really need to connect with.
Since you will know who will be at the dinner(or breakfast for you early birds), take time to think about who you need to talk to and consider what you might say before Christmas Day. This will help you find the right words to speak before the pressure builds as you speak to that person.
2.Along with thinking about that person, think about some questions to ask them.
These days, hiring managers get crafty when it comes to interviews. For some, they look at what is NOT said by their prospect. And when I write said, I mean asked.
One way that they gauge the interviewee’s( is that a word?) interest in the position and company is the amount and quality of the questions that they ask. If they ask the right questions, they show an interest that is deep-seated, not shallow, and indicative of someone who really wants the job.
So, think about the right questions and then ask them. They may not understand why you are asking them but chances are, they will be honored that you want to know things about them that no one else is asking about.
Btw, they could think it to be weird that you are asking them questions, but the risk is worth the effort. This is where body language comes into play, but I’ll save that for another post.
3. Be prepared to listen.
Masterclass.com says that active listening is an important skill when it comes to good communication.
Understand that there needs to be the intention to sit with a person and attentively listen to whatever it is they need to say to you.
In my family relationships, our bonds have grown thicker because we had to take time to hear each other out, rather than be the first to speak our minds.
There’s more to those tips than that, but this will have to do for now.
This is my very first post on Medium. I love the art of communication and I have witnessed bonds being made and bonds being healed between people because of effective communication. So thank you for reading and I hope that you and your family will have a very, Merry Christmas!!
Before I forget, I also love tea and want to tell you that Twining’s serves up a great Green Tea that soothes my soul every time I have it. You got to try it!