Look, we understand that Thanksgiving day is meant for humbleness and thankfulness for all the blessings received from the past year, despite the struggles and challenges we faced along the way. But, if there’s one thing nobody’s looking forward to, then it’s the incessant questioning, interrogating, and general awkwardness in the atmosphere that tends to suffocate all of us once dinnertime rolls around and the spotlight lands on you.
Sure, there’s still the off chance of topics actually being fun and engaging, but we’re not going to hedge our dignity and risk of embarrassment on a probability factor that’s heavily favorable for the house and often results in a loss. So, to help prepare all our brothers and sisters for the faithful day, we’ll be going over some of the tips you’ll need to survive Thanksgiving dinner with a few scratches but no scars to your name.
#1 Brush Up On Your Choice Of Small Talk
Firstly, we recommend that you start strong and lead conversations because this gives you complete control over topics, experiences, and details that everyone will play along to. And nothing prepares you better than brushing up on your choice of small talk and thinking over which topics will give you the most versatile responses and some freedom for laughs. Of course, don’t expect this to be a foolproof plan, but it will keep you in the green for the majority of the night.
- Share Your Blunders And Fun Experiences: We’ve always despised family members who just drop bombshells as conversation starters, but since you’re in the captain’s seat, a great topic to calm the nerves is sharing your blunders for Thanksgiving day. For example, you could talk about how grocery trips were near impossible to do or maybe even the ride to mom’s house and something amusing you saw along the way. What matters is that you choose something lighthearted and friendly.
- Talk About The Past Year But Don’t Get Emotional: Given the circumstances and general situation of the world, you’ll most likely be questioned about how well you’re holding up and maybe some of the troubles you’ve encountered in the past year. Therefore, you might want to start practicing in front of the mirror to get a general idea of what they might ask about, from the challenges of working at home to the struggles of being stuck inside all day long. Just remember not to get too emotional because that makes it impossible for anyone else to follow up.
#2 Stay Active And Use Your Lifelines Wisely
In addition to small talk preparation, an excellent method you will need to practice is staying active and using your lifelines wisely as Thanksgiving dinner plays out. You see, there’s only a limited number of times for when you can use the bathroom safety card or wash the dishes getaway trick until it comes off as outright disinterest, so don’t use one right after the other and space them out for when you need them.
- Walk Away From Uncomfortable Situations: Sometimes, you just can’t avoid topics you don’t want to get into because that one relative can’t think of anything else to ask or talk about during dinner. And while you could answer them depending on if you’re comfortable with the question, we suggest that you just walk away from uncomfortable situations. Plus, if it’s something that you definitely want to hide, like that stunning diamond solitaire engagement ring you’re planning to buy, you need to break away from that line of questioning ASAP.
- Always Follow The Flow Of Conversation: Apart from steering clear of uncomfortable situations, it also helps to follow the flow of conversation and keep track of the topics being tossed around. In doing so, you can always find a way to squeeze yourself in and add some sort of comment or relevant story. The goal is to avoid being singled out because that puts a target above your head for some harder and awkward questions.
#3 Enjoy Yourself And Focus On The Food Now And Then
Last but not least, always remember that Thanksgiving day is all about being thankful, so don’t forget to enjoy yourself and the food that everyone brought for the potluck. There’s never a 100% guarantee that you come out of a Thanksgiving dinner unscathed, so you might as well have fun with what’s there to be happy about and take the good with the bad.
- But Please Don’t Spend The Entire Time Eating: Delicious and joyful dishes are necessary for a great Thanksgiving dinner, but no matter how good of a meal you’ve prepared for everyone else, please don’t spend the entire dinnertime just chowing down. This gives off the impression that you just came for the sole purpose of eating everyone’s share of the potluck, and while there’s nothing wrong with stuffing yourself on holiday, expect some cold glares coming your way.
Thanksgiving Dinners Don’t Have To Be Very Awkward, Just A Tad Bit.
Overall, there’s no reason for every Thanksgiving dinner to become an unwinnable battle that leaves you with countless scars once everything wraps up. So, take our advice and go over the salient points as many times you need because we’re going to survive this coming Thanksgiving day, no matter how hard it gets, together!
