Hi There ~ Michael D. has it right in a nutshell. I'm a girl, so I have a little more to say...
Someone once told me that if they weren't related to them, they would never have anything to do with their family members.
Maybe you can relate...I can relate as my family has actual crazy in it here & there, and truly vile, evil, mean people.

My deal is, I don't have the energy to give these life sucking people. I need it for me. I have had to take control of how things go, for my own sake.
For me that means, only meeting in public, lunch in a cafe for instance. I try not to get myself in a situation that they can take over and turn mean on me. Short bits of time together work better for me.
Family events are trickier, but I have learned that if there's a family gathering you have to do, bring a non-family member along. Most people will behave better with strangers than their own family. People are naturally on their 'best behavior', at least for a while.

I smile a lot more than I used to. I try to put myself in a peaceful place before any encounter, & I try to stay focused on that. I am a person of faith so that is where I take my thoughts; I tell myself to respond with grace, dignity, respect, even if it isn't shown to me. I take my time to respond. I breathe.
And most importantly I don't engage, no matter how they try to bait me into some unpleasant exchange. Negative only gets more negative back, so I just don't go there. This is a hard thing, but with practice, you get better at it and let me tell you, you will feel so good! Like you've accomplished something. And you have! Not letting stuff get to you is a great accomplishment.
You may not be able to control other people, but you can control how you react. We may (or may not) be better than them, but we sure as heck know how to Act better.