8. Don't get involved in intrafamily disputes.
Aside from loyalty to your sweetie, you are Switzerland. You have no opinions about the election, the appropriateness of oysters in stuffing, the season finale of "The Shield," Sarah Palin, or the latke-hamentaschen debate. Not if any of those topics are the source of bitter internecine warfare, you don't. Smile, stay above the fray, and when urged to pick a side, make it clear that you have well-informed opinions--and a well-informed ability not to get sucked into others' longstanding family dramas, too.