The most difficult part of the year’s end is that obligatory holiday party, so here are five sticky situations and how to navigate through them with ease.

1. You just received a horrible gift.Did your Secret Santa put Justin Bieber’s Purpose in your stocking, but you’re not a “Belieber”?

The Fix: Bad taste does not equal a bad heart. Squelch that convulsing in your throat and act like a queen (Queen Elizabeth). Take the gift in your hand and spend a few moments looking at it front and back (One Mississippi…Two Mississippi…) and make at least one positive comment, like, “His new hairstyle really suits him!” Then put it in your gift pile and give the giver a warm eye-to-eye “thank you.” Redistribute later.

2. You can’t take anymore off-color jokes.Anti-gay humor coming your way? Someone make fun of your accent, past relationships or profession? All are in bad taste and yet favorite fodder of the fiendish at holiday fêtes.

The Fix: No response is the best response for any fun poked at yourself or others, because nothing stops a comedian faster than silence. Now find someone else to play with.

3. You’re running late to a party or dealing with late guests yourself.Lateness is a sign of disrespect to the host. After all, most holiday parties have specific start times because of meals, gift exchanges and other activities.

The Fix for Guests: If you get caught in a jam, notify the host pronto. Then, rather than getting angry, put on some good music and get happy. No one likes a grumpy arrival. Humble apologies and a good wine go a long way toward redemption.

The Fix for Hosts: This is not the time to punish or teach your late guest a lesson. Welcome him warmly, catch him up on what’s happening and get him some food or a drink. (But I won’t fault you for pouring the cheap vodka.)

4. You’re dealing with ‘food pushers.’These are the people who monitor your eating and insist you go through the buffet line to sample whatever happens to be dying on the table. No matter how polite they think they are by feeding you, it is their faux pas for not allowing you to choose what goes in your mouth.

The Fix: Receive the food in question. Hold it in your hand and comment to your pusher, “It looks delicious.” If the pusher follows up or notes you haven’t touched it, simply say, “Thank you, it’s delicious” and talk to someone else. Repeat as necessary.

5. Your Boss’s drunk spouse is hitting on you.What do you do when everything that could go wrong at the holiday party does?

The Fix: Your only choice is to excuse yourself to the restroom and leave the party without notice. A smart guest always prepares to leave a party at the moment of his arrival. Take some advice from TV slacker Jim Halpert of The Office (played by John Krasinski), who offers up three tips: (1) “Have a picture taken.” Take a selfie with the party host and send it to him. (2) “Say some peculiar non-sequitur that people remember.” (3) “Note something unique; a talking point for later.” A flattering detail about the house, host or hors d’oeuvres is always a safe bet. As soon as you have all three, you can leave.

Call it etiquette, political savvy or plain old self-preservation. Around the holidays, the key is really about helping those around you—even the rude ones—feel better. And that is possibly the most meaningful gift you can give to anyone.