On the eve of a holiday that brings people together in various delicious and obligatory situations, I’ve been thinking about the difference between responding and reacting. Regardless of the degree to which our present company is beloved, the holidays can be a bit of an emotional mine field. Our expectations are proportional to the size of the turkey or number of chairs around the table. Out of our routine and off of our schedules, we can revert to toddlerhood quickly. We’re not sure what we need, but we know it doesn’t involve eating another random cranberry salad or playing a 4-hour game of Monopoly with a banker that should be under federal investigation.…