While your family is prepping for Thanksgiving, prepare yourself for a good time by bringing these fun conversation topics to your dinner table…
- Politics
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Why not bring up the state of our country, or perhaps everyone could go around and say what party they are registered under? I find it to be particularly fun and exciting to rally up your newly political cousin, who may or may not be a Marxist, against your elderly uncle who loves to share Trump memes on Facebook. It’s like Super Smash Bros right in front of your eyes!
- Religion
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Ah, an oldie but a goodie. This one always goes over well in my household, especially when the atheist side of my family and the Catholic side sit down together for dinner. Who will say grace? Who will bow their head? Who will start eating first? The excitement!
- The Future
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The unavoidable and highly annoying question that every college student dreads: “So what’s your major? What do you plan on doing with this degree of yours?” Almost every student has heard this time and time again and coming from a psychology and art history major, this is music to my ears. If you really want to have a fun time, ask your younger relatives what their plans are. They surely won’t expect such a question from someone as young and broke as yourself, which adds an interesting twist to the night.
- Relationship Status
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Usually, this is addressed toward the younger relatives or the thirty-somethings that have yet to introduce someone to the family. To all the singles out there, perhaps try picking on the couples for once. Maybe ask your sibling’s significant other how long they expect their relationship to last, or even question your aunt and uncle, who have been fighting for the last ten years if they plan on ending the marriage anytime soon. While being brutally honest may come off as harsh and rude, it could also be very helpful.
- Activities on social media
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In most families, there is an unspoken truce between siblings and cousins that whatever happens on social media, stays on social media. If you are looking to add a bit of spice to a bland meal, mention the boy problems you saw on your cousin’s finsta or perhaps what was in the red cup you saw on your little sibling’s snapchat. Who ever said curiosity killed the cat anyways?
- Economy
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This is usually a conversation I don’t get involved in during family dinner; the kid’s table was free of such adult topics. But now that I am an adult, why not get this conversation started with the best stocks to invest in, when to start adding to one’s 401k or whether or not we should increase the minimum wage. It’s sure to give all the young adults at the table an existential crisis and excite any older relatives who live to give financial advice.
- Family Drama
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If your family is anything like mine, I usually get the scoop on the family drama during my weekly calls home: who’s cheating on who, who’s in rehab and who hasn’t paid their taxes in a few years. Try bringing this topic right to the top of the list of fun ice breakers. When there is an odd lull in the conversation, sprinkle in some salacious details about some relative’s crazy weekend in Vegas or maybe just a fun fact about tax fraud.
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I’m wishing you all a relaxing and enjoyable Thanksgiving. But if neither occurs, at least you’ll have a good story for your next party. If any of these fun and innocent conversation topics seem to backfire on you, perhaps take the advice my father has always given me at family events: when in doubt, drink.