Are you pumped to gorge yourself on both food and entertainment this upcoming National Native Day of Mourning even as hundreds of thousands of Americans have lost their SNAP and food stamp benefits???!!! I sure am!!! I’m so glad you all found my last holiday article, in which I suggested some low-stress ways to keep conversations civil and nonpolitical, helpful. In fact, I hear that my tactics almost worked too well for many of you, accidentally causing a total hush as your entire family, overwhelmed with your wisdom, stopped speaking and silently meditated for the entirety of Thanksgiving dinner, striving for nirvana and completely ignoring both the big football game and Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. If this situation sounds familiar, read on for my tried-and-true tips to turn any awkward silence into happy and zero-conflict family time!

Tip #1: Selecting a Topic 

The most important tip, of course, is to make sure you understand the balance between casual, low-stakes conversation and something that your family could be offended by or take personally. That’s why I always start with a pleasant, objectively true comment like, “Isn’t it beautiful weather? It’s so crisp and autumny outside!” or “Wow, isn’t it great that the Supreme Court declined to revisit Obergefell v. Hodges, protecting same-sex couples’ right to marriage?” Since these comments are both friendly remarks about things we all agree about, they are perfect for starting a lively conversation without disturbing the Thanksgiving peace.

Tip #2: Setting the Mood 

After making sure your conversation starter is noncontroversial, you have to deliver it correctly. Even the most banal comment could be taken the wrong way if you seem agitated or mean when you say it. Here’s a pro tip: Thanksgiving is about thankfulness (and colonization), so you already have a built-in socially acceptable way to make comments! Simply start your sentence with “I’m so thankful for,” expressing your gratitude and joy to ensure you are not seen as disruptive or unpleasant. For example, if I grabbed a greasy serving fork, rolled my eyes back in my head, and screamed, “People wanted Charlie Kirk’s assassin to pay the highest possible penalty when they blamed a trans person, but as soon as they realized a cis, white, religious man was responsible, they switched over to thoughts and prayers for the murderer!” this could be seen as aggressive, even though I followed Tip #1 and made a noncontroversial and obvious point. Instead, I would format my comment thus: “I’m so thankful for increasing awareness of gun violence in America!” using a calm, happy voice and only gritting my teeth a little bit. Try it! 

Tip #3: Knowing Your Audience 

Always make sure you understand where everyone’s coming from before starting a conversation! Notice the little moments, and remember things your family has expressed in the past so that your comments always land the way you want. Let’s say the table is awkwardly quiet and I want to start a conversation. I look around the table and see, probably, a lot of white people. I think back to things I know about white people, like how we participated in the transatlantic slave trade, the Trail of Tears and other forms of colonization and racism, including neocolonialist practices that are still occurring today. Eureka! “Did you know that calling people ‘illegal’ for not having the correct papers under a system that makes it extremely difficult to gain these documents legally is, in fact, racist and discriminatory, devaluing immigrants as people even though America is supposed to be a nation of immigrants and a melting pot for all cultures?” I would then say. Be sure to incorporate Tip #2 — I’ve found that raising your eyebrows very high, smiling as widely as possible, and looking at everyone at the table in quick succession is the most pleasant way to deliver this point. After about 30 seconds of looking around and grinning, remember to express your gratitude by adding, “I’m thankful that you agree with me here and are working not to carry on the legacy of the horrible things the U.S. has done in the past.” Then, you should quickly jump up from the table and open the front door, welcoming in the 47,964 immigrants who committed only minor offenses, like traffic violations, held in ICE detention centers as of 2025. Education about a certain people group is, of course, best done by members of that people group, so personal contact with the minorities persecuted by President Trump’s fascist regime will be a valuable opportunity for your family to ask questions and learn.

But What if an Argument Starts Anyway? 

Once you know how to find a noncontroversial point, deliver it in a pleasant way, and understand your audience, you’ll be able to create a warm environment that fosters great conversations and promotes familial community. Unfortunately, there’s always one person who doesn’t know these tips, and might even try to start something on purpose — what a faux pas! If anyone at the table says something that is bad etiquette and doesn’t follow the above tips, whether it’s a topic that could be offensive, a downright unpleasant delivery, or a lack of effort to understand where people are coming from, you can fix it! Simply read accurate and scholarly sources about political topics, speak to a wide variety of people and make a genuine effort to understand their experiences, remember the speaker’s shared humanity as you prepare to encounter their misguided attitude and hire a death metal vocalist to loudly growl out the famous political protest song “Bella Ciao” any time the problematic family member begins speaking. This uplifting, anti-fascist experience should help even the grumpiest relative see the error of their ways, after which you can take the opportunity to share my three tips for successful holiday conversation. 

A Situation From a Reader Just Like You! 

I did also want to address a quick reader question. Unfortunately, after reading my first Thanksgiving article, someone let me know that every year they have to share a Thanksgiving table with — the essence of medical malpractice and ableism itself? What a sticky situation! My advice is to just read RFK Jr. a peer-reviewed article about honestly any scientific topic. This will probably take him out; if not, I think a flamethrower is what you’re supposed to use for zombies.

Now that you know how to start productive conversations over the Thanksgiving holiday, you should be totally prepared for the big day! I hope my tips help you celebrate without having to worry about awkward silences or those annoying moments when your family somehow starts saying things that they clearly can’t actually believe. Happy Tofurkey Day, and enjoy the benefits of capitalist exploitation that you greedily benefit from with no concern or empathy for the less fortunate!!! God bless America!!

Photo by Vitaly Gariev via Uplash.

It’s going to be quite a Thanksgiving this year, considering the current political landscape! If, like me, you really just want to eat some good home-cooked food with family and friends, here are some helpful tips for staying on top of arguments and keeping your Thanksgiving from getting too controversial.

Is your beloved family member going on a rant about how the Harris-Walz campaign was actually a coverup for the fact that climate change was deepfaked to make the moon landing more plausible? Consider approaching the matter with tactical evasion by roaring, “WOW. THIS PUMPKIN PIE IS DELICIOUS!” and glaring directly into their eyes while stabbing Nana’s award-winning hand-kneaded flaky pie crust hard enough to tear through the paper plate. If the subject is not dropped, you may consider forcefully serving your relative a helping of food, refusing to set down the serving knife. You should follow this up by gesturing at the food and repeatedly asking, “Isn’t Aunt Gertrude’s bean casserole just the highlight of your year?” As a physiological need, food is at the base of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and by fulfilling your relative’s basic desire for sustenance, you can de-escalate any political tension and make them feel loved and comforted.

Are you listening in disbelief to your ancient uncle’s Ted Talk about “post-birth abortion” and how “the left is grooming our kids to become vegan illegal immigrants who use our tax dollars to get sex reassignment surgeries?” I highly recommend vaulting onto the table and rubbing soggy stuffing into his hair while berserkly screaming gibberish. Everyone needs a little attention sometimes; this will gain his respect, help him feel warm and cuddly inside and steer the conversation to more constructive pathways.

Have you been dreading someone bringing up “mass deportation” or “illegal criminals,” but feel that the dinner conversation is quickly veering in a somewhat xenophobic direction? A great way to keep this situation under control is by slithering under the table and gently tickling people’s knees. “They’re coming for your jobses, precious!” you can tell them in your best Gollum voice from below their femurs. This is a great motto that your family will assuredly find meaningful.

Is your feeble grandmother using her last dregs of energy to aggressively declare that “more guns in schools would prevent mass shootings?” I recommend knocking over your chair and pitchily playing “Pumped Up Kicks” on the bagpipes while dancing an energetic Highland Fling. Generally, this will defuse the argument and leave your dear grandparent pacified and chuckling gently. I, at least, have personally found this tactic helpful.

Are all your male friends and relatives discussing “trans rights and men in women’s sports” while tugging on their impressive beards, no doubt sponsored by Black Rifle Coffee Co.? A tried-and-true method of keeping the conversation reasonable is to loudly cough every time anyone says anything you find especially unconstructive. If people throw you annoyed looks, it often helps to roll your eyes and say, “So sorry, I’m allergic to DUMB!” Men are naturally sensitive to people with allergies and intolerances and will generally do their best to kindly accommodate your biological peculiarities. Chivalry isn’t dead but sometimes you have to give it a little hint.

Helpful tip! Carry a large red button that says “NUKES” on it. This way, if anyone mentions current military conflicts during your idyllic and peaceful holiday meal, you can pull it out and slap it repeatedly while smiling widely and making explosion sounds. This is a great way to subtly signal that you prefer not to discuss these issues at the dinner table. If you catch someone giving you an odd look, be sure to mention that your nuke button is 100% prisoner-of-war made and therefore completely free!

Is your pale, high school dropout aunt making some less-than-accurate points about “Critical Race Theory in schools” and “perverting children?” A great idea for placating the situation here is to scurry off, return with an oversized baseball bat and gently bonk her over the head. Generally, the reason many women come up with opinions they don’t completely understand is because they have used Clinton-era, safety-recalled hairspray, which contains certain brain-altering toxins like cocaine and asbestos. By using your oversized baseball bat to ruin her hairdo, you will break her out of her daze. She will thank you over and over, of course, and the rest of Thanksgiving should go by with nothing but joy and happiness.

Has your chronically twitchy mother read something about “the jab” on her flat-earth Facebook group? Pull out a full-sized, hand-crafted, steel-bladed Spanish rapier and suggest a free, on-the-spot essential oil injection activity to help your family and friends experience more natural astral vibrations. I’ve often learned that in order to reroute the conversation, but still keep it from being all about yourself, it’s a great idea to sacrificially and genuinely offer something to the other person. Generosity never fails to warm hearts. Even your most stoic relative may have a tear in their eye once you’ve finished your DIY medical malpractice.

My last pro tip: if anyone brings religion into politics at all, have two pieces of bread on hand. This way, you can slap the bread onto either side of their face and scream at them that disregarding the separation of church and state, according to federal law, makes them an idiot sandwich. Everyone loves sandwiches, so this will be a sugar-coated approach to calming them down and helping them realize their mistake, leading to a more constructive interaction.

Of course, no matter your political opinions, it’s not acceptable to incite violence, even on friends and family. Sometimes you just have to let people have their own opinions and refrain from feeling that you always have to prove yourself right or convince everyone around you of your beliefs. Avoiding engagement entirely can really help your mental health stay steady, even if it means you have to listen to opinions you don’t agree with. If you want your political opinions to matter, there are ways to do that – the International Center on Nonviolent Conflict recommends marches, boycotts, walkouts, petitions, strikes and statements among others – but arguing during the holiday break is likely not going to change anything. 

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday. To me, it is a combination of the best parts of Christmas reduced into a less commercialized and distracting holiday. The most important parts of every major holiday seem to center around family, friends and food, and Thanksgiving exhibits these at the most undiluted level. At Thanksgiving, the common tradition is to gather with family and friends around a lush fall harvest meal and give thanks for all of the blessings in our lives. 

Thanksgiving means something different to everyone and includes unique traditions, celebrations and food. For me, every year I look forward to the traditional Thanksgiving food that we normally do not partake in during the rest of the year. Cooking and baking are some of my favorite things to do, and while growing up I learned to cook by helping my mom and dad. Throughout my life I have witnessed and learned how the sharing of food can be an act of kindness, love and healing, especially around the holidays.

If you are looking for some suggestions for your Thanksgiving menu this year, here are some of my favorites and the recipes that I like to use:

Appetizer:

Baked Brie
One of my absolute favorite appetizers to share during the holidays is baked brie. Brie is a soft cheese with a really rich flavor that pairs well with a variety of flavor combinations. This dish is usually baked so that the brie melts and can be easily scooped up with crackers and shared amongst a group. One of my favorite things to pair with brie is a tart or sweet fruit jam flavor like cranberry or raspberry that matches well with the rest of your holiday meal. Some recipes even wrap the brie with a puff pastry that adds another layer to the dish. Baked brie is an easy dish to prepare and can be easily customized to include your favorite flavors and toppings. Here is an example of a fun holiday baked brie recipe that I have tried before:
https://www.halfbakedharvest.com/pastry-wrapped-cranberry-baked-brie/

Main Dish:

Honey Ham
This may be a slightly controversial opinion for Thanksgiving traditionalists, but I prefer a nice baked honey ham over the traditional roast turkey for my main Thanksgiving dish. Hams are an easy option that are not as difficult to get right compared to the roast turkey. Most of these hams come pre-smoked, fully cooked and spiral sliced so all that you have to do is add whatever flavors you like and heat it back up in the oven before serving. My favorite way to cook ham is to add a honey and brown sugar glaze to the top before putting it in the oven or the smoker so it carmelizes over the top for a delicious addition to the juicy ham. Some hams even come with prepackaged glazes and instructions that you can follow but here is another simple and delicious recipe as well:
https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/trisha-yearwood/baked-ham-with-brown-sugar-honey-glaze-3361933

Side Dishes:

Cornbread Stuffing/Dressing
Stuffing is traditionally stuffed inside of the roasted turkey, but I prefer stuffing in its dressing form, which means that it is prepared and cooked in a separate dish that can then be served alongside the turkey or the rest of your meal. There are all kinds of variations that you can give to the basic spices and dried bread base of the stuffing/dressing to make it with your own favorite flavors for a unique taste. My favorite way to prepare dressing is with a combination of cornbread, french bread and ciabatta as the base. I then like to add celery and onions for some texture and aromatic flavors along with the traditional spices of thyme, rosemary and parsley. If I want to add some extra dimension to the dish, I also like adding some cooked ground Italian sausage or diced granny smith apples for some extra flavors. The recipe that I usually follow for the basic cornbread stuffing/dressing is linked below, but don’t be afraid to experiment with unique recipes and flavors!
https://www.thepioneerwoman.com/food-cooking/recipes/a11893/thanksgiving-dressing-recipe/

Dinner Rolls
One of the most popular dishes at my family’s Thanksgiving are the dinner rolls that my cousins, sister and I always beg my mom to bake for us (as you can tell from this list, we really like bread). Rolls are the perfect addition to any meal to help tie in all of the other rich and decadent dishes that are being served. Warm, flaky and buttery all combined into a small little package, you can always find room to eat at least three in one sitting (although you probably should not). People sometimes find making and baking bread a daunting task, but it does not have to be a difficult process to get a delicious result. Our favorite recipe comes straight from the Pillsbury Hot Roll Mix that you can buy for just a few dollars at the grocery store and only needs water, eggs and butter to complete. If you still have reservations about your bread baking skills, there are always good pre-made options in the bakery section of your local grocery store, but here is my favorite easy recipe in case you want to challenge yourself this year:
https://www.pillsburybaking.com/recipes/buttery-hot-rolls

Honorable mentions for other side dishes include: mashed potatoes, sweet potato casserole (best with marshmallows and cranberries on top), green bean casserole, roasted carrots, cranberry sauce and homemade gravy.

Dessert:

Pie
Now, getting to everyone’s favorite part of any meal: dessert. Despite stuffing ourselves with ham, turkey and all of the delicious sides, there is always room in our stomachs left for a sweet piece of pie for dessert. Pumpkin pie is a classic choice that you can’t go wrong with, especially with a dollop of whipped cream on top. The recipe I prefer uses canned pumpkin puree, evaporated milk, eggs and baking spices to make a traditional pumpkin pie. Apple pie is another top choice for me and tastes even better when it is fresh out of the oven with some whipped cream or vanilla ice cream melting on top. I prefer using fresh Granny Smith apples that are peeled and sliced for the filling, but if you want a simpler solution you can find premade filling at the grocery store as well. The great thing about pie is that you can get premade pie crust from the grocery store that makes the baking process much faster and easier, but still tastes delicious. Here are some of my favorite recipes for these pies:
https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/23439/perfect-pumpkin-pie/
https://www.bhg.com/recipe/apple-pie/

These examples are all fairly traditional Thanksgiving foods, but do not be afraid to experiment with different recipes. Most importantly, cook whatever you feel like expresses your thanks for the season and the people you are sharing the meal with.

Every family has their own Thanksgiving traditions. Some try something new every year, but my family’s tradition has been the same for as long as I can remember. 

My mom, two younger sisters and I have always had Thanksgiving dinner with my grandma, who we moved in with a few years ago. Each year, we spend the day cooking and prepping for dinner. First, we begin roasting the turkey in the oven, then work on the many side dishes. This task takes up most of the day, but afterwards we can enjoy the food. My main cooking responsibilities are usually making the green bean casserole and cranberry sauce and helping with the pumpkin pie.

When dinner time finally arrives, we eat an array of foods such as turkey, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, candied sweet potatoes, stuffing, corn, green beans, homemade rolls and pumpkin pie. Sometimes dinner also includes ham, green bean casserole or macaroni and cheese. We have these foods each year, but on occasion, my mom will find a new recipe to try out like a side dish or dessert. 

The foods I most look forward to are the turkey with cranberry sauce, candied sweet potatoes and green bean casserole. My younger sisters tend to enjoy sweeter foods like pumpkin pie the most. We all also really enjoy the homemade rolls and macaroni and cheese. 

My favorite part of this yearly Thanksgiving tradition is the extra time I get to dedicate to my family. Cooking with my mom throughout the day brings back memories of helping my grandma cook when I was younger. Most of the time, I am too busy with school and work to have a nice sit-down meal with my family, so Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to spend the day together cooking, enjoying a homemade meal and watching a holiday movie. 

I am so grateful to have a family that is so close to one another, and I look forward to spending Thanksgiving with them this year – and every year!