7. Don’t fly off the handle
Your flight cancels, the airport shuts down, you miss your connection, your flight is overbooked, your luggage disappears — the chances of holiday misadventure are high. How you react will set the tone for your whole holiday. I once had a passenger get so mad that he had a stroke and spent Christmas in intensive care. So stop! Count to 10, put yourself in someone else’s shoes, laugh, have a drink — do whatever it takes to avoid an outburst or a scene.

8. Feel secure
It is very easy to ridicule the Transportation Security Administration. I know, because I do it all the time. Its agents poke into your bags, create long lines, enforce silly rules, are often inconsistent, but they are responsible for keeping your flight safe. They are doing their jobs as they have been trained to do, and they have to deal with thousands of upset passengers every day. Do you remember what passed for security before 9/11? I do, and believe me, I am very thankful for the new system.

9. Be politically incorrect
I am so tired of generic holiday greetings. Say “Merry Christmas,” “Happy Hanukah,” “Habari Gani” or whatever you believe in. Just say something heartfelt. And while you’re at it, wear a Santa hat or other festive attire. You will brighten the atmosphere instead of adding to the gloom in the gate area.

10. Just do it
Don’t put off traveling just because of the hassles involved. If you have someone to enjoy the holidays with, just do it. Last Thanksgiving, my favorite uncle invited me to a big turkey dinner but I declined, not wanting to deal with flying standby on the holidays. I took the extra holiday pay instead. My uncle passed away a few months ago, and now I would pay anything to have made it to that dinner.

I am often delayed at certain airports when I am working the holiday season. My favorite pastime in this situation is to bring out my portable music player. I cue my Christmas playlist of favorite holiday songs, then sit back and watch all the holiday travelers. Airports are full of strange and wonderful people, and with a little festive music playing in the background, it‘s like watching a reality-show version of “The Nutcracker.”

May your delays be minimal, your flights be safe and your holiday season full of cheer. Don’t ever forget why you are enduring the hassles of holiday air travel. It’s because someone on the other end is eagerly anticipating your arrival.

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