How to Survive Family Holidays: The hilarious Sunday Times bestseller from the stars of Travels with my Father

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Self-care isn’t just the other 364 days of the year; it’s something we can (and should) try to incorporate throughout our lives. These self-care tips mental wellness experts swear by are a great place to get started.

I saved the best for last. Find a funny holiday movie about family dysfunction and feel better about your own mess. Here are some great choices–what favorites did I miss? You think this will be a good solution to the problem – a companion to retreat to when your family gets too much – but there is no greater test of a friendship. I hope my child has some truly hilarious stories from our travels when he's older. You know the ones, those embarrassing, nothing-could-possibly-go-any-more-wrong stories. But, somehow, things often do go wrong. And even when they go swimmingly, even the best plans can still turn into a comedy of errors somewhere along the way. A regular team member on eight series of Sky One's A League Of Their Own, he has appeared three times on the Royal Variety Performance, including becoming the youngest ever host in 2015 and has also hosted the prestigious Brit Awards for the last three years. Unless you’re That Family Member who has to have things their way (or they just won’t come), the fact of the matter is, you’re going to have to make some compromises. Whether that’s playing Monopoly (again), switching out the good cheese for a vegetarian-friendly substitute, or sitting at the kids end of the table, chances are you’re going to end up doing something you’d rather not – and that’s not necessarily a bad thing.I have never felt a fear like the fear I experienced having to tell my father that I couldn’t find my passport at the airport on the return leg of one trip. The party was completed by the grandparents – me and my husband Gavin: Nana and Grumpy – and it was our treat. I made just two rules: no arguments and no swearing. Remember that you’re not alone: it may look like others are having a great time, but many are coping with difficulties of their own. What you see is not always the whole story.” 8. Get out Muttered comments under your breath and sarcastic replies are never a fun feature of family get-togethers, yet still, we find ourselves making comments in group chats or in-person that, honestly? If we treated our friends like that (or vice-versa), we wouldn’t be putting up with that kind of behaviour.

Don’t get me wrong – I love my family, and I’ve even grown to love my partner’s family (something that past-me never would have thought I’d say), but I know that getting us all together over a single dinner table is like waiting for fireworks to go off. With half the table being die-hard Conservatives, the other half consists of a weird mixture of Green Party and Labour, it’s more than an elephant in the room when we’re all together. Not to mention the older generation badgering the younger about ‘when can I expect grandbabies?’ while the rest of us resist the urge to ask in return when we can expect to ship them off to a home, and... you can imagine, things can become pretty tense, pretty fast.We have tomorrow morning and the speed with which they are making this ‘Strawberry’, we’ll be missing it!” With more and more of us choosing to go it alone or having friend-based celebrations, it’s worth reminding yourself that family ‘fun’ isn’t your only option over the holidays. It’s time to put yourself first, and question if the environment is right for you. 21. Practice gratitude, not guilt If you have teens in tow, the social-media prowess of Mykonos will earn you some serious credits in the holiday bank. While Bill & Coo’s Coast Suites hotel is adults only, this property, just a 15-minute walk from the Old Town, welcomes families, with amenities such as babysitting, cots and highchairs available. Three new one-bedroom villas in a chic white and earthy palette that feels at one with the beach just beyond, can be booked together to sleep six, or under-12s can take a sofa bed. With their own infinity pools and huge outdoor (and indoor) seating areas, they are ideal for group socialising. Private chefs are available, while the hotel is home to one of the best restaurants on the island, Gastronomy Project, which reinvents Greek classics as fine dining (a children’s menu is also served). Elsewhere you'll find a bijou underground spa and a central infinity pool with stellar view for sundowners. Which of those groups do you love? Which ones are challenging for you? Which group allows you to be the most real version of yourself? Belonging Matters

The first piece of advice I would give you when preparing for a family holiday is this: it is of paramount importance to have a period of exile from your family in the lead-up to a holiday.I know I’m incredibly fortunate to have this group of women in my life, especially because we’ve been able to navigate these changes with relatively little disruption in how we interact with each other. Children are welcome pretty much everywhere in Italy, so you don’t necessarily need a designated family hotel. Don Totu is more about wholesome time together than kids’ clubs, with everything from film screenings under the stars to cooking classes with an opera-singing chef on offer. The supremely stylish 18th-century palazzo has a big pool, gelato is available on tap, and its zero-mile dining concept offers gloriously fresh breakfasts and antipasti lunches. Whitewashed walls, exposed natural pietra leccese stone and star-vaulted ceilings mix with local ornaments and ceramics. There are just six rooms, but the hotel can be hired in its entirety for larger groups. I wonder what on earth they call the other thong? Still, you won’t see me dead in either type! Holiday games - Not My Parents Eventually father calmed down and I pointed out to him that the real baller move would be to wait until they gave him the astronomical bill and when they asked him to sign his name just put ‘Man’. Within minutes of arriving at Stansted, I’d broken both (thanks, delayed flight), but soon enough we were on our way, and clattering en masse through the doorway of our villa – six bedrooms, the village sprawling below, and a bottle of champagne in the fridge. Collective “wows” filled the air. The villa had everything we wanted – some achievement where my tribe is concerned.

But here’s the good news: it doesn’t have to be that way! Here are 7 tips to survive dysfunctional family gatherings: 1. Set realistic expectations.Stop saying shoe bomber, for God’s sake!” By this point everyone else in the queue is staring at us. Some of them are taking photographs. “So now my freedom of speech is being taken away, along with my brogues..”