Christmas is quickly approaching and you know what that means, spending lots of quality time with your family and closest friends. Spending all this time with family means the conversation topic everyone is dreading is bound to come up: the 2016 election. This controversy in our country is the elephant in the room at any family gathering and no one wants to address it.

The 2016 election has caused turmoil all across the United States as well as a nation divided. This divide is being brought to Christmas dinner as the holiday season is in full swing after the election. Your family is just days away from sitting around a large dinner table pretending everything's just dandy, even though you know that Aunt Becky didn’t vote or that each set of grandparents voted the opposite. With all this political tension, it’s hard to have an enjoyable holiday without someone saying, “Make America Great Again” and having mashed potatoes hit the ceiling. This is why I believe that we should leave the politics to the actual politicians and enjoy our holiday.

The three “f’s” of the holiday season are family, friends, and fun. We should be focusing on the positive aspects of the holidays. It's not every day that the whole family is gathered together in one place. Catch up, small talk, and reminisce about prior times. Politics will still be there when you arrive home. There is a lot of hate in the world right now and not just because of the election. Many places in the world are in disarray and could use a little extra love. The holiday season is the perfect time to fill the world with this compassion and kindness.

Now I’m not saying we should never talk about politics, but Christmas dinner or right before the ball is going to drop on New Year’s Eve is not the place or time. There is an appropriate and peaceful way to talk about politics, but with a room full of people who love to secretly judge and voice their opinions, your holiday could turn from “It’s A Wonderful Life” to World War III in sixty seconds. So my advice to you is simple, leave the political talk at the door and enjoy your time with family and your holiday, too.