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Dear Annie: Is My Brother’s Practice of ‘Radical Honesty’ Just His Excuse to Be Rude, Bully Me at the Holidays?

A reader struggles with a brother’s harsh honesty during holidays, seeking advice on maintaining peace without sacrificing personal feelings amid family tensions.

  • Last year, the letter writer said Christmas at their parents' house feels like a performance review as their older brother embraces `radical honesty` during holiday gatherings.
  • Last year, while decorating the tree, the brother called handmade ornaments `like a Pinterest fail` and told the writer to `sit out the creative parts`, claiming he was being truthful.
  • Calmly cut him off with `I'm not interested in feedback right now` and tell family you came to enjoy Christmas, not be in his line of fire, per Dear Annie advice column.
  • Balancing peace and personal limits, the writer doesn't want to blow up Christmas but refuses another holiday swallowing feelings while he unloads, as parental pleas to tolerate his `working on himself` stance leave the writer feeling sacrificed.
  • The column warns that the brother's approach is rudeness dressed up as virtue and underscores that honesty used as a licence to wound differs from honesty given for a purpose, urging family members to set boundaries to protect the guest's experience.
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Dear Annie: My brother’s ‘radical honesty’ is ruining Christmas

Dear Annie: Christmas at my parents’ house used to feel magical, but lately it feels like I’m walking into a performance review. My older brother’s new hobby is “radical honesty,” and apparently, the holidays are his favorite time to practice. Last year, as we decorated the tree, he announced that my handmade ornaments looked “like a Pinterest fail” and suggested I “sit out the creative parts” of Christmas.

·Springfield, United States
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Tribune Chronicle broke the news in Warren, United States on Thursday, December 11, 2025.
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