Happy early Thanksgiving! You get to hang out with your family and friends, and you get to stuff your face with loads of incredible home-cooked food after being away at college on a meal plan for a few months. However, as much fun as food, family, and friends sounds, it can always take a turn for the worst at your family Thanksgiving party. Everyone will be asking the exact same questions about school, grades, relationships, internships, and future careers. So, to mentally prepare for the occasionally draining conversations this holiday brings, here are a few tips on how to survive Thanksgiving.
First of all, try not to go into the party thinking it’s going to be boring or a waste of time. Imagining the party in this negative light makes it harder to remain open to finding fun in the smaller moments. Before leaving to go to the party, try to distract your mind from wandering into the what-ifs, or any other negative thought regarding the event. I recognize that this is a lot easier said than done, however, I’ve found that when I have little to no expectations, things always end up being way more enjoyable because I didn’t expect to get anything from the event. Approaching your family Thanksgiving party with a negative mindset sets you up to be disappointed and longing to be anywhere else.
If you find yourself in one of those riveting small-talk conversations that revolve around school, jobs, your future, or relationships, give short answers to show that you’re not particularly interested in that specific conversation. Also, after you give your nice, quick reply, tag a question onto the end of your response so that your time talking is over for a little bit.
Stick with the few people you genuinely enjoy talking with. Having a party buddy around makes going to family events so much easier. You can catch up and easily use each other as excuses to leave certain conversations. Don’t feel bad about leaving conversations or a table that you’re sitting at because chances are no one else is going to dwell on your every move besides you. But on that note, try to wait for a slight lull or pause in the conversation to make your move to leave.
You can go get more food, say hi to other people, or even just go to the bathroom. Just be honest and tell the group you’re talking to whichever reason you pick and that you’ll talk again later. Even if the only time you’re back later is to say goodbye or just have a really brief conversation, you’re not lying, so don’t feel bad about it. Also, if that person really wanted to talk to you, they would try to get your attention much earlier than the ritual goodbyes. A lot of people at your party are probably feeling the same as you and just wanted to quickly catch up, so they will not care if you go around talking to other people at the party.
Speaking of breaks, take them! Having multiple conversations in such a short period of time can be mentally draining. Go to the bathroom, walk outside, or go to another room to mentally recharge. You can easily dip away for a few minutes while everyone else is talking. If you want, you can even have a mini break just to text your best friends in the safety of the bathroom to regain some sanity.
If you have a car or other method of transportation, leave when you want to leave. Quickly say goodbye and thank you to the host, and maybe a small goodbye to a couple other people, then slip out. You don’t owe an explanation to anybody. If they ask for one, just be honest and say you’ve had your party limit and that you’re tired and drained. They’ll understand.
Going home for Thanksgiving can be tough, but you do have a lot to be grateful for. You’re getting to finally see your family for the first time in months. Appreciate that. At the least, appreciate and take advantage of the free home-cooked feast you get. Soon enough you’ll be back to your hectic routine of seemingly endless classes, homework, projects, and tests. So, sit back and think about all the little things you’re happy about. Appreciate the few days you have with your family because they really just want to hear about everything that’s happened since you left and be in your company before you leave again.