From the Christmas Eve inter-sibling skirmish to reverting to your teenage self and scrapping over the TV remote on Christmas Day, the annual festivities all too often put family relationships on edge.
So, when the weather outside is frightful, how do you keep home life delightful and stop the Christmas spirit turning sour?
1. Ease the Christmas crush
Going home for Christmas is great - but when you get there, will you be sleeping in your old teenage bedroom - maybe along with your partner and kids?
"Even if we're busy at work or at home, we have time alone don't we?" says Relate counsellor Dee Holmes.
But at Christmas people are often "forced too much into each other's space".
"If you've got a houseful of relatives, there's always something to be done or someone who wants to talk to you.
"Children are used to having time when their parents ignore them, in front of the telly... and suddenly: 'Aunty Freda's here, let's play a game...'"
So appreciate that your nearest and dearest need some space and that having a happy family Christmas doesn't mean you all want to be together 24/7.
Instead of expecting everyone to join in every moment of Christmas Day, maybe agree some key times, like opening presents and Christmas lunch, but otherwise be flexible, she suggests.
2. Don't be a kitchen martyr
Let's face it, Christmas catering is really hard work.
And even if you prepare as much as you can in advance, timing a roast to perfection is a fine art - and if it goes wrong, can result in overcooked veg, cold turkey - and a large helping of stress.
So if you're the designated cook, don't be afraid to ask for help, says Dee.
"Make sure there's a bit of a rota about people all helping and everyone mucking in."
It's important everyone has some downtime - including the cook, she says.
And if cooking at home is just too much of a stress point, Kim Moore, a mental-health expert at Birmingham City University, advocates considering going out to eat.
3. Whose Christmas?
"There's the child-centred Christmas and there's the adult-centred Christmas - and sometimes, in a family environment, they clash," says Dee.
Danger points abound where different generations are forced into close proximity, she warns - from sleepy teens woken before it gets light by their over-excited younger cousins or people without children annoyed if they have to open all the presents before breakfast, to the adults who are drunk before it gets dark and argue heatedly about politics.
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"Another big thing is how people revert to their traditional roles in the family when they all get back together," Dee says.
"So you know you live the rest of the year being a successful professional person or you're doing your own thing and as soon as you get home, you're the youngest one or the naughty one."
This sort of stereotyping is a big cause of Christmas rows, says Dee, who urges family members to cultivate tolerance, empathy and "a bit of sensitivity to other people's expectations".
4. A Christmas truce
Agreeing ground rules on subjects to avoid over Christmas can be a really good idea, says senior mental-health nursing lecturer Kim.
In addition it's wise to try to resolve in advance any outstanding issues between family members which could lead to rows on the day, she advises.
"Try just to be respectful of the other people," adds Dee. "And if you want to have an argument with someone, is today really the day?
"If someone said something that annoys you, maybe you say, 'I'm just going to ignore that for now.'"
5. The remote and other technology