Ah, yeah, I have an awkward side of the family too. Now that I'm old enough to do my own thing for Christmas, I just spend it with the people I am comfortable with, I do kind of miss hiding in the downstairs room with a plate of biscuits and mashed potatoes, though. Reading my grandmother's Readers Digests if I forgot to bring my own book.
Bringing books is a good battle plan if you have to encounter awkward relatives; I hope you have some good ones.