I finally broached the subject of reducing attendance of family do's this festive season. From christmas to new year we can be in five 'get togethers' with the same faces. So two have been dropped. It's the same conversations all through the holiday if you meet to often. 
I said to my wife that I don't find it too easy to talk in person but it's worse if someone phones. 
I find people ring our house and speak to my wife not me, including my family. I dread phone calls being handed over to me as I'm unprepared. I have had people ring me up and then be silent. They thrust a phone call upon me and expect me to fill the silence. If I wanted to talk to them I would be doing the ringing. My wife says you should talk about the weather. This is the default topic for an Englishman. So I shall take note of the weather today so that when someone rings me I can say
" do you remember this one day in December when I it was particularly clement?"
And they shall it seems reply " fascinating do you have any more weather observations"
And I shall say" no, maybe you should just watch the weather, oh and by the way please stop ringing"