Happy Thanksgiving! Turkey, stuffing, pie, and a super filled belly await. While Thanksgiving can and should be a barrel of nostalgic laughs, one wrong dinner topic and things can take a sudden left turn. The light happy mood of moments past is replaced with contention and awkwardness. Here are a few topics we all do not want to discuss at dinner.
Relationship Status
There's always a next step when it comes to relationships. When you're single the questions involve asking if you're seeing anyone. Once you're in a relationship the question is when you're getting married. Depending on the type of person you are, you may get a brief break when you get engaged (if you like talking wedding details). The fun resumes when you are married and people ask about your plans to have children. It won't stop after you have kids because then you get peppered with questions about when you are having more. So basically, it's great if this topic just doesn't come up if possible.
Career Goals
You're sitting there feeling okay about where you are career wise and then someone asks about what your career goals are. If you are on very direct path education wise (doctor, nurse, lawyer, etc.) the question is easier to answer. If you are in a corporate position where careers are more of a maze than a straight line, this is much more difficult to respond to. Nothing makes you feel more aimless in life than not having a perfect comeback to this question. Two seconds ago you were a semi-responsible human who had gotten a hang of this adulting thing, now you feel frivolous.
Pro Tip: Maybe have an answer for this question ready. Of all things, it is most likely to come up.
Family Issues
No family is perfect and there are always relationships that are strained. While addressing these issues are extremely important, the worst time to do it is at Thanksgiving dinner. It is unlikely that that this would manifest as a knock down drag out fight. It is more likely going to come out in passive aggressive remarks which is significantly more awkward.
Politics/Social Issues
Eek, this current political climate is a cluster. The majority of my family has the similar beliefs, but it is still a rabbit hole that is impossible to climb out of. People get animated and passionate when talking about what they believe in. It's great in theory, but even when everyone's views mostly align - slight disagreements are inevitable. Then things get tense. So do you part, leave politics and social issues for another day.
Donald Trump
Yes POTUS gets his own category. Whether you love or hate him, I guarantee you have an opinion. Once you start talking about him it becomes hard to change the topic. I mean he tweets all day. There is literally always fresh material. Seriously though, Thanksgiving can turn in Trumpsgiving in the blink of an eye if you let it.
I personally have a huge problem where I always seem to bring him up. My whole family does (with the exception of my sister). It is so bad that she made a rule that any time he comes up during Thanksgiving, the person who mentioned him has to drink. So I will either be very quiet or very drunk this year. Cheers!
What are YOUR taboo Thanksgiving topics?
