Life’s hard. So is spending holidays with family. Here are some life pro tips to make it a little bit easier.

  1. Have an artificial tree but miss the smell of fresh pine? Light a pine-scented candle and put it under the tree. It will smell wonderful and look so cheery!
  1. Don’t you hate it when your cousin twice removed takes your wet clothes out of the washer and replaces it with theirs? Give them a gentle warning to not do this again during the month they are staying for the holidays by adding blue food dye to their detergent. Bonus points if you use organic and all-natural dye so it’s still okay for the environment!
  1. Want to give flowers to your love but don’t want to spend all that money on something that’s just going to die in a week? Buy them a puppy! It will still die, but hopefully it’ll last a little longer.
  1. Can’t stand your family members trying to genuinely connect with you on an emotional level? Take up weird hobbies like taxidermy, doll making, or even soccer so they’ll be so afraid of you talking about your hobbies that they will never talk to you again!
  1. Tired of your Great Aunt’s boring chip dip? Try replacing all of the avocados with wasabi! It has the same Holiday-green aesthetic, but gives it an extra kick of spice!
  1. Hate shoveling the driveway? Get a flamethrower! A minute under the sweet plumes of flame from the thrower and your shovel will be piping hot and shoveling will be infinitely easier!
  1. Dislike feeling chilly but are too cheap to turn up the heat? Instead, turn the oven up to 450⁰F and leave it open; all of the heat will circulate and warm up the house! It’s far more efficient and you won’t have to listen to Grandma whine about how “She’s so cold” and “Please let her inside, she’s so sorry she said that soccer is a stupid hobby to have.”
  1. Aren’t people just too cheery for the miserable time of the year that is the holiday season? Lighten up… their houses with a nearly-illegal amount of fireworks. Now fireworks are something everyone should be happy about!

I hope these tips make for a more bearable holiday season!

Morgan Schultz, Contributor