5 Tips for Handling Common Holiday Conflicts

In this special episode, Dr. Emily Taylor is joined by producer Mitchell Tousley to share tips for handling five common conflicts that happen around the holidays. Together, they discuss practical strategies for managing family expectations, balancing time between multiple families, navigating gift-giving differences, recognizing holiday labor, and respecting diverse beliefs and traditions.

Whether you’re struggling to split time between relatives, feeling overwhelmed by holiday preparations, or facing generational differences in how you celebrate, Dr. Taylor offers actionable tips to help you approach the holidays with confidence, compassion, and a little less stress.

In this episode you’ll learn how to: - Align your holiday time to your highest priorities - Identify the time vs. money differential in gift-giving conflict - Prioritize and delegate holiday labor - Maintain boundaries around work and family commitments during the holidays

Let us know how these strategies work in your own life! Email Dr. Emily at conflictcoach@byu.edu or connect with her on social media: @conflictcoachwithdremily

CHAPTERS 00:00 – Introduction: Setting the Stage for Holiday Conflict 00:26 – Balancing Time Between In-Laws 04:14 – Navigating Gift-Giving Expectations 10:49 – Recognizing and Sharing Holiday Labor 17:26 – Respecting Differences in Belief and Tradition 23:24 – Managing Work and Family Commitments 26:50 – Final Thoughts and Holiday Wishes

Watch video of this episode on the Conflict Coach YouTube Channel here: https://www.youtube.com/@ConflictCoachPodcast