When Holidays Are Hell...!: A Guide to Surviving Family Gatherings

This is a very informative and practical book for all kinds of problem family situations. If you have been sexually abused by a family member and have to see your perpetrator at a family gathering (whom the rest of the family still thinks is wonderful and you are a liar) this book can especially be helpful.

I discovered this book as I prepared for the holidays of 1999. It was very entertaining and helpful as I started to mentally prepare for the task ahead of me. Going home for the holidays. I now realize that you do not have to make the migratory trip, something that had never occured to me before. I prepared as directed with my favorite music, herbal teas, lots of cookies, and an ample supply of St. John's Wort in my bags. Armed with the knowlege that everyone is wishing in his or her heart for the picture perfect holiday and also feeling the letdown helped me to not feel such a level of animosity as in the past when things were taken out on me as problems arose. The author had a good grasp of the variety of negative situations that are encountered at the gathering of families for any holiday, and looked at each from the viewpoint of both parents and the children. I reccomend this book to anyone who feels more than a twinge of fear at the advent of the holiday season.