A contentious family matter rears its ugly head again on December 15th. Part of you can't help wondering if it's the holidays themselves that are to blame. There's something about the season that rubs loved ones the wrong way by inflaming old rivalries, triggering hurt feelings, and rekindling smoldering resentments. In a perfect universe, you'd try to get everyone to sit down and talk things out, but you know they'll only wind up hurling verbal snowballs at each other instead. It's hard to accept that relatives may want things to remain as is; it seems so counterproductive, but one person's dysfunction is another's nostalgia.