Thanksgiving is right around the corner and naturally there will always be those severely awkward conversations around the dinner table that should have never been brought up in the first place. While these situations can never be gotten rid of completely, I've come up with a list of things you should most definitely avoid this holiday season.
1. The Election
Yes, I know Trump won. And I definitely know there are numerous people who support him and are ferociously against him within my family, so it's bound to be similar with you. While it's good to caught up on politics and to know what's going on in our country, the Thanksgiving tale is not the place to get into a heated discussion over the different policies Trump and Hilary had.
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2. Religion
Next to politics, religion is probably one of the worst topics to bring up around pumpkin pie. It's only going to make people heated and upset, no matter how hard you try to have a civil discussion. Your world religion class may be really awesome, but your family may not want to hear about it. Instead enjoy your family's company.
3. Romantic Partners
Unless you know for a fact that whoever you're talking to is happily with someone, I'd advice not to bring up anyone's romantic history. They might've broken up with their long time partner, or might be searching for someone without any luck. So it's best to just not bring it up entirely.
Also since this falls falls under this category, don't bring up gay marriage/transgender issues. No one wants to know you stance on it and chances are someone is going to get offended somehow by this conversation so it's best to steer clear of it.
4. Foreign Affairs
This goes hand in hand with the election/politics, but bring up the issues around the world is only going to make people heated and upset. They don't want to be reminded of the evil things happening across the sea from them, as important as it may be to stay informed. This is one of the few days a year I'd strongly advice to just avoid that conversation completely.
5. Your Negative Opinions on the Food
Chances are, many of the people sitting near you slaved over the food you're eating all day, if not numerous days prepping and cooking. So while you're entitled to your opinion and by all means don't eat it, don't outwardly say how disgusting the food is to you or how awful you think it tastes. It's generally pretty rude and just doesn't need to be said.
Now this doesn't apply to everyone's family, so take this with a grain of salt. You know your family and what may or may not upset this one. This also doesn't include everything that could ever upset someone (obviously), but these are 5 things I could think of that in light of everything going on may touch a sore spot for most people. So gauge your conversation topics on the people around you, and remember to just enjoy the time you have with the family you have. Don't worry about getting in heated discussions or accidently offending someone over their cooking.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
