It's the most wonderful time of the year - in theory, anyway.
Hotelier and author Noel Cunningham says no family in Ireland is without its qualms when it comes to the Christmas row.
He told The Hard Shoulder people shouldn't be overly concerned - but there are ways to prevent confrontation.
"I'm sure there isn't a family in the country that doesn't have some little skirmish with their own [family] or with some guests at some stage over the Christmas period.
"That's a fact - don't get overly concerned, but try to avoid it".
He says there are a number of things people can do to avoid a bust-up.
"If you know, for example, that someone's a pain in the rear end - and that they're going to be troublesome, and that they're going to have a few drinks and get cantankerous and cranky to the point that people don't enjoy the day - then don't invite.
"They threaten every year 'I'm never having that person again' but yet they go back because they start getting on a guilt trip.
"Don't feel one bit bad because you want to have a lovely, pleasant enjoyable luncheon or dinner - whatever you do on Christmas Day.
"And this year, more than ever, we want peace, tranquility and fun".
'Invite people from outside the family'
Noel says even if the troublesome person is in your immediate family, there are things you can do.
"You can make sure that you invite a few people from outside of the family circle.
"That's always a great deterrent because children, teenagers and sometimes cantankerous very close family behave themselves very well when there's a stranger in their midst.
"At the end of the day, if it's one of your own family, you can actually take them aside and say 'Look we're having a lovely lunch tomorrow - if you don't want to tow the line and enjoy it... just go and eat in your room'.
"With family you can lay down the law a bit; it's with the visitors or the aunts or uncles that you don't see very often.
"What you do there is you put them beside a family member who will keep them under control.
"And of course a big part of the secret is [to] go easy on the drink."
A mother and daughter quarrel at Christmas time. Picture by: Iakov Filimonov / Alamy Stock PhotoHe says soup and bread at around 1.00pm can be "great blotting paper - because sometimes people are fasting from early morning."
And he suggests some things cannot be unsaid.
"Funny enough, when there's a few drinks in [us]: isn't it amazing in Ireland, if we have an old feud or something that has been rattling around in the cupboards of the family history, they all come to the fore when we've had that one drink too many.
"There are more fallings out of that nature - and the sad thing about that is you can never actually pull it back".
Noel's final words: "Most importantly is to go into it with a very distinct focus of having a lovely, enjoyable day - and to enjoy every moment - and the odd little bust-up is part of that as well."
