Consider these situations and ideas:

		Listen to yourself Take a brief moment to assess your current state of mind. Are you hungry? Tired? Worried? Physically uncomfortable? In a hurry? If the answer to any of these is "yes," consider how you will accommodate for the less-than-ideal conditions.
		Listen to others Tune into your customers, work mates, friends and family members. Perhaps they are feeling some holiday stress as well and may express their concerns with more frequency or intensity. Use active listening to reduce possible conflict. Simple Signals: "Tell me more." Mirroring: "You seem anxious." Paraphrasing: "So you're saying..."
		Verbal self-defense When you feel annoyed by someone's words, such as "You're having another piece of pie?" Or "You people who drive those gas guzzling SUVs think you own the road," you don't have to get defensive. Try deflecting the comment by calmly repeating the offending word as a question or ask a deflecting question. "Piece of pie? What do you mean?" "Own the road? What makes you say that?"