Ready for those Boring Holiday Events?

From holiday office parties to an all day affair with the in-laws, you know you will be bored at some of these so-called fun events. So what do you do?

1. Bring your own beverages.

If you are going to be somewhere that isn't going to serve your favorite drink, bring your own.

2. Pack an overnight bag and stay at a nearby hotel.

You might find that your spouse and children will want to spend more time at a relative's house than expected. Why try to make the long drive back home, when you can make plans to stay at a nearby hotel with your honey? Just be sure, that your partner informs his or her relatives in advance so that you won't feel obligated to stay with them when they say, "Don't pay for a hotel, stay with us!"

3. Take separate cars.

Maybe you still want to make that drive back home with or without your family. Why not arrive in separate cars so that you don't have to take the family back home with you before they are ready to leave. Besides, you can have the peace and quiet you want anyway.

4. Help the host.

When you are busy doing things during a holiday event, it makes the time go faster. So offer to help serve meals, clean dishes, take the trash out, decorate or whatever else needs to be done. This is also a great way to keep from conversing with those folks you simply don't like!

5. Join the children.

The people who usually have the most fun at family events are the children. So join in on the fun when they are playing gaming systems and board games. Who says you have to sit at the table and listen to the grumblings of the old folks?

As you think of incorporating these ideas and others to keep from becoming bored out of your mind at the next holiday event, just remember you are responsible for your own fun, so if the partner doesn't agree or doesn't want to meet you halfway, you can always stay home.

Nicholl McGuire is the author of Laboring to Love an Abusive Mate, Laboring to Love Myself and When Mothers Cry.