When it comes to holiday stress, we all need to give ourselves permission to say "no." We don't have to attend every party, sign up for every event, or join in every activity. We've also got to set boundaries with the people in our lives and well and not feel the need to apologize for doing so.
If we trust the source of the criticism, we're more likely to take it well. Most of the time, what we're up against isn't someone else's opinion but our own, reactive defensiveness. Slowing down that reaction and hearing before feeling can make us better at processing criticism.