Holidays can be both delightful and dreadful. We find delight in being around some friends and family, while dreading being around others. This causes a myriad of mixed emotions. How do we deal with this? Maybe the best way is to resolve to be a person of character no matter who we are with. I used to believe that I was being hypocritical if I acted in a way that was not true to my feelings. As I have gotten older (and hopefully wiser), I have learned it is better to act my way into a better way of feeling than to act on my feelings. Acting on feelings can cause irreparable damage to relationships.
I have concluded that people of character act right even when it takes everything within them to do so. Since I desire to be a person of character, I will push myself to act right in any situation I find myself. This is especially true during the holidays. It's hard, but worth it since it leaves us with no regrets.