How to convince parents getting you Get Together for Christmas?

Sims can teach time management -- you have a certain amount of time in a day, and during that time you have to fulfill your needs (eat/sleep/pee/shower), fulfill your responsibilities (work/study), build skills (either to help get a job promotion or just to learn something new) and maybe have a little fun. If you're not using money cheats it teaches money management as well. You might want your own treadmill instead of having to trek to the gym to work out, but you have to save up money to afford one.