As the holiday season rolls around the corner, loved ones come to visit family members from all over. Having everyone under one roof for the holidays comes with the dreaded dinner table conversations. Everyone needs something other than the weather, the recent election or school to talk about with their loved ones. This article is your one-way ticket to avoiding the inevitable “umms” and “uhhs” of your upcoming holiday festivities.
Ground rules
This article in no way guarantees a flawlessly executed supper with your extended family but rather acts as a band-aid solution for potentially awkward situations. That being said, anything taken from this article is to be used with discretion.
#1: Childhood memories
One topic people love talking about more than politics is themselves. Encouraging an aunt or an uncle to share their favorite Thanksgiving tradition as a kid will win you major brownie points with a one-sided conversation requiring less participation on your end. There are many different ways to go about this approach. Rather than asking about Thanksgiving traditions, you could ask about their favorite board games as a kid or what their experience in life was when they were your age. This option has a lot of room for not only diversity but error as well.
To avoid a hurt grandmother or distraught aunt, it might be best that you steer clear of anything related to the term “good old days.” Staying away from the word old altogether when talking to any female over the age of thirty might be your safest bet. On the plus side, you get to hear a potentially interesting perspective on someone who you only see a few times a year.
#2: Food adventures
Being around so much food during festive times has the potential to spark culinary inquiries for extended family members. Why not ask about any family recipes you might’ve missed out on? If there happens to be a secret apple pie that has been passed down from generation to generation, suggesting to make it with Grandma wouldn’t be such a bad idea. This way, you are exposed to a new (and possibly tasty) experience, but also a chance to spend one-on-one time with a family member post-meal. The amount of memories held by a single dish will make relatives forget all about global warming or what you want to be when you grow up.
#3: What-ifs
While reminiscing about the past can be fun, so is asking about the future. What if anyone could sign up and go to space tomorrow? Would you go? Would your uncle? Aunt? Asking a family member about hypothetical fictitious situations is a different way to take the edge off of uncomfortable situations at the table. With lots of creative freedom, what-ifs could become a fun way for everyone at the table to find out things they never knew about each other.
Overall, the holidays can be a lot of fun but can take a turn when it comes to mealtime. Don’t forget that you can make anything interesting if you are curious enough.