Placed between Halloween and Christmas, we are now enjoying America’s biggest occasion for arguments, Thanksgiving! A day which by definition should spark many arguments. Thanksgiving, after all, is on different days in different countries with even America and Canada not celebrating on the same day. Debates on why we celebrate, who celebrated it first, and how should we celebrate seem to be endless.
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Nobody is quite sure whether Thanksgiving is a religious festival, a harvest break, or a Henry The VII holiday. With over 51 million Americans traveling and some huge NFL showdowns, Thanksgiving could also be considered a transport or sports holiday.
The big question is what you should speak about at your Thanksgiving meal to avoid drama?
Team HearMeOut has a few tips to help you steer away from arguments on Thanksgiving and avoid World War 3:
1) Firstly, do not talk about Donald Trump. Whether you voted for him or not, Trump is the most dangerous word you can mention at your Thanksgiving table.
2) If you must talk about the President, you can talk about his pardoning the turkeys this year as part of the White House’s annual light-hearted forgiveness tradition.
3) You should also try and avoid discussions about the NFL. Sports discussions can lead to disharmony in front of the turkey.
4) Don’t argue about what to argue about. Believe it or not, the argument about what the argument should be is a hot topic this year. ESPN has done the hard work for you in providing this guide of what we should be arguing about.
5) Instead of arguing, you should focus on the spirit of Thanksgiving. Things that you are grateful for and forgiveness. Too often, we end up using our voice to confront people while expecting other people to use their voices in a friendly way towards us. Thanksgiving is a chance for us to be the voice we want to hear.
There is a plan B, and that is for you to talk about shopping. Black Friday is the perfect distraction for any table struggling with drama. You need to speak about free giveaways, which stores are open on Thanksgiving, sales at Macy’s and you are good to go.
As an absolute last resort of using your voice to divert danger, you can talk about the C word, ‘Christmas’. We are only one month away from Christmas, which promises us more shopping, more TV and if we are lucky a lot less arguing. (but only mention Christmas if you think it will add more harmony and won’t provide more issues to argue over). Good luck and let the festivities begin!
Don’t forget to record a post about how you successfully avoided drama at your Thanksgiving table!