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"A few holiday-season rules from Lake Bell, the writer, director, and star of the comedy everybody&amp;amp;#8217;s been talking about: In a World.... (It won her a Sundance Film Festival award. Respect.) The only thing I liked about Christmas as a kid was the gifts; otherwise it just seemed like a stressful time. But as an adult I welcome the holidays, and I&amp;amp;#8217;ve got theories on how to survive the endurance test known as December. DO embrace the dysfunction. Actually my dad took me aside once, as he often does, to gently condemn my use of the word dysfunction in reference to our family of three divorces, two half-sisters, four stepbrothers, and one showgirl-slash-adopted grandma with a flair for dirty jokes. But it isn&amp;amp;#8217;t necessarily a bad word. It has its pros: We &amp;amp;#8220;dysfunctioners&amp;amp;#8221; get upwards of five Christmases. That&amp;amp;#8217;s five excuses to eat someone&amp;amp;#8217;s famous candied yams! I say: Revel in the characters now; go to therapy January 3. It helps. DON&amp;amp;#8217;T forget that Mom sometimes does know best. My mother, Robin Bell, is the master of balancing the finite line between classic and creative when it comes to fashion. Mom has no qualms about unleashing the pinking sheers on a vintage Givenchy dress if it means she&amp;amp;#8217;ll wear it more once it&amp;amp;#8217;s sleeveless. Her outfit choices (on the holidays or any day, really) remind me that true style comes from bold choices without teetering into the costume absurd. DO help your better half navigate the family. As a newlywed, I&amp;amp;#8217;m prepped for the &amp;amp;#8220;How&amp;amp;#8217;s married life?&amp;amp;#8221; question, which is tough because the real answer is very personal and the fake answer is useless. I will say that forever uniting with someone requires you to exercise muscles of unwavering support, so my husband [tattoo artist Scott Campbell] will patiently field my relatives&amp;amp;#8217; tattoo questions: &amp;amp;#8220;How many do you have?&amp;amp;#8221; &amp;amp;#8220;Does it hurt?&amp;amp;#8221; And to reward his patience, I&amp;amp;#8217;ll do the answering: &amp;amp;#8220;A lot&amp;amp;#8221; and &amp;amp;#8220;Yes.&amp;amp;#8221; (And, can I rant for a sec? The word marriage holds so much baggage that I suggest using it as little as possible. While marriage is historically associated with dire obligation and clipped wings, I&amp;amp;#8217;ve found that it actually liberates you to take on adventure and achieve your dreams. I like to call my husband &amp;amp;#8220;my person.&amp;amp;#8221; Find your &amp;amp;#8220;person&amp;amp;#8221; and you can do anything! Even messy Christmases.) DON&amp;amp;#8217;T be afraid to turn off technology. My most luxurious indulgence during the holidays (besides cheating on every healthy food I live by daily&amp;amp;#8212;even kale gets to take five!) is putting technology on pause. Once the cold sweats of iPhone withdrawal subside and I accept that I don&amp;amp;#8217;t need to read 12 scripts a day, I can focus on real nail-biters. Like: Who among my husband, brother, and me will build the best fire at my mom&amp;amp;#8217;s house? DON&amp;amp;#8217;T feel friend guilt. Over the holidays I try not to beat myself up if I don&amp;amp;#8217;t connect with every old friend who shakes out of the bushes. I&amp;amp;#8217;m an avid believer in attempting to reinvigorate old acquaintances, but it&amp;amp;#8217;s not necessary to force it. Having a history isn&amp;amp;#8217;t always enough. If we all didn&amp;amp;#8217;t evolve, life would be stagnant. The finest lesson I&amp;amp;#8217;ve learned with age is that all I need is a small team of comrades who inspire me, try not to judge me, and remind me when I&amp;amp;#8217;m judging myself. So this year, if I see old cronies, I&amp;amp;#8217;ll embrace them with love and nostalgia. If not, no worries. I reserve any guilt for empty carbs. For more from our December issue, pick up a copy of Glamour on newsstands starting November 5, or download the digital edition now at glamour.com/app."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.glamour.com/entertainment/2013/11/lake-bell-shares-her-tips-for-surviving-the-holidays>