Thanksgiving is just around the corner. While we are undoubtedly excited to see family we don’t often get the chance to see, the combination of personalities and ideals in one place between close people can often turn into some tense and uncomfortable discussions for everyone involved. This could involve political disagreements, or it could involve bringing up family drama at an inopportune time. There are ways to avoid this however, if you are worried. Here are some safer topics to steer the discussion to on your Thanksgiving dinner.
Food
The one thing that almost everyone is passionate about (especially during Thanksgiving) is the food. The food is not only fun to eat but also can be a great opportunity to ask about family recipes and exchange culinary ideas due to the abundance of amazing food that will be available.
Sports
One of Thanksgiving’s greatest traditions is to gather around the TV and watch the Lions and Cowboys play NFL football. Use this event as an excuse to talk about the game or just sports in general, as almost every family is sure to have some die-hard sports fans in it. Although sports rivalries can get intense as well if your family is split on what teams they root for, it usually can be fashioned into just lighthearted smack talk and nothing serious.
Travel
- Asking family about recent travel or upcoming travel plans on Thanksgiving is a great idea because it provides us a topic to bond with family over in a way that will not highlight any tension or political differences. Everyone is passionate to talk
about places they want to visit, and honestly, everyone will also be interested
to hear about travel as well.
Nostalgia and Previous Thanksgivings
Another sure-fire way to bond with your family members is to recall good moments that you may have had with them. Even if you have some family tension and disagreements, a slant towards any good memories you have had with them will help put the conflict you may have with them on the backburner and start a conversation of positive memories.