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A Holiday for Mom
Taming Your Inner Brat for a Joyful Season By Pauline Wallin, Ph.D.
Make it a point to do one random act of kindness each day. This will disarm your inner brat and put you in a better mood for hours.
When you attend social gatherings, don't dwell on yourself or on what people are thinking of you. Focus on others and find something interesting about them, even if it's only a novel tie that they're wearing. You will be less self-conscious, and your inner brat will fade into the background.
If you're watching your weight in the face of seasonal treats and beverages, remember you can probably have a few of these treats without doing major damage to your diet. In fact, it's better not to deprive yourself. A strictly deprived inner brat is more likely to resort to serious tactics to make you give in.
Accept gifts graciously. If it's the wrong size or color or if you really don't like it, tough. Try not to read too much into the motives of the person giving you the gift. For example, don't assume that because the person got you the "wrong" gift, that he or she doesn't really care about you. One can't measure the quality of a relationship by the cost or nature of a Christmas present.