Christmas is a time of year filled with emotions, anticipation, and family gatherings. While it's often associated with joy and reunions, it can also be a period where tensions and conflicts surface. In this post, we'll explore why these conflicts arise and how mediation can be an effective tool for resolving them, allowing for a more peaceful and harmonious holiday season.
Why do conflicts increase at Christmas?
- High expectations: Many people expect everything to go perfectly during the holidays, which can lead to pressure and frustration if things don't go as planned.
- Family reunions: Meetings with family members we don't see often can rekindle old disagreements or misunderstandings.
- Differences of opinion: Topics such as politics, religion or the organization of celebrations can be a source of discussion.
- Stress and tiredness: Preparations, shopping, and social commitments can lead to exhaustion, increasing irritability.
Absences and grief: The lack of loved ones or the recent loss of someone can make emotions more sensitive.
What are the most common conflicts?
Among the main conflicts at Christmas, we have the following:
- Family obligations, when it comes to coordinating how, when, who, where and what we are going to organize to get together at the most important mealtimes.
- The tradition of giving gifts can sometimes become a problem, since not all family members think alike about how to do it.
- Too many meetings. Sometimes, there are several meetings in a short period of time, which, considering factors such as personality, social skills, and time to rest, can fuel discord.
- Personal relationships: old grudges or resentments resurfacing during meetings, separated parents having to share a table, child custody and which days they spend with each parent…
- Etc.
Therefore, mediation emerges as one of the lifelines to cling to in a time when, in the social imagination, we tend to think that everything is fine and that it's not the time to be on bad terms with anyone. This is somewhat unrealistic given the family circumstances that arise throughout the rest of the year.
Therefore, through this we can redirect or prevent conflictive situations that may arise during this time, since:
- It is a more conducive environment for us to listen to each other.
- We are more willing to look after the well-being of children.
- There are many vital aspects that unite us with our loved ones, beyond those that differentiate us.
- It is a crucial tool for reflecting on the origins of disagreement and, thereby, promoting:
- A better division of holidays and vacations between separated parents.
- Optimization in the organization of meals and family gatherings.
- Preventing economic disputes related to gifts or the organization of events.
- Identify potential intergenerational tensions or tensions between different family members.
In short, Christmas can be a good time for reflection and gratitude among family members, which can foster moments of peace and reconciliation. Similarly, the stress of the holidays can bring unresolved conflicts to the surface, increasing the need to seek peaceful solutions. Therefore, while the festivities may intensify certain conflicts, they also create an environment conducive to peaceful resolution and reinforce the message of peace inherent in the season.
Would you like to dedicate yourself professionally to mediation or specialize in one of its branches? You've come to the right place. EIM We offer a wide variety of training courses to meet your most ambitious goals.
