4 Cheerful Conversation Topics for Thanksgiving Dinner
Thanksgiving brings people together. Sometimes groups who haven’t seen each other all year and while it can be wonderful to spend time with family and friends you don’t see often, it can also be… challenging. People with very different lifestyles may not have much in common, or worse, they may have wildly differing worldviews that can create conversational landmines. So, what does a diverse collection of individuals discuss over dinner without running the risk of accidentally triggering a conflict? Well, if you have a bonafide contrarian in the group, any talk can go sideways. But that’s no reason to miss out on an opportunity to bond. So, if you want to have table chats that may help bring you closer, here are a few conversation ideas to get you started.
Holiday Plans
If the same group usually comes together for Christmas, Hannukah or whatever holiday is next on the agenda, Thanksgiving can be a great opportunity to pre-plan logistics. Who’s going where? What foods can be contributed? What do the kids (or adults!) want/need as gifts? If the grown-ups do a Secret Santa now can be a good time to pull names and start dropping hints about likes, dislikes, and must-haves.
The caveat here is that Holiday plans aren’t always “safe” if the same group won’t be coming together. Openly discussing plans that involve some, but not all, of the people in attendance, can lead to bruised feelings. So, if you know some members of the Thanksgiving tribe won't be present at upcoming Holiday celebrations, skip this topic altogether to keep everyone feeling included.
Gratitude
Ok, this can get super corny, but after all, Thanksgiving is about, well, giving thanks. Research has turned up a correlation between gratitude and happiness, which indicates grateful people are happier. So, turning the conversation to gratitude can keep the conversation light and uplift the spirit.
You don’t have to go around the table and ask everyone what they’re grateful for though because the process may put some people on the spot. Instead, start by offering up what or who you’re grateful for right now in your life and follow up by asking those who seem engaged about their sentiments. But keep it conversational, without making it an obligatory assignment. If gratitude is a little too on the nose for you, ask questions about what people are proud of, their favorite accomplishments in the last year, or what they’re looking forward to in the year ahead. Anything that cultivates a positive and hopeful tone will help keep the mood upbeat.
The Food
You’re all sharing the same feast so it makes perfect sense to talk about what’s on the table. Ingredients are the foundation for any dish so they also make a great jumping-off point. “The turkey is delicious, did you use a brine?” or “What seasonings are in this stuffing?” Are all fairly standard. You can also get into “What’s your favorite way to use Thanksgiving leftovers?”
If that’s a little too basic for you, try breaking out more random questions. Like “If you could only eat one Thanksgiving dish, for the rest of your life, what would it be?”, “If we could never eat turkey again, what main course would you want to have at Thanksgiving”. If you’re not afraid of a little friendly debate, then tread carefully into “What’s better, canned cranberry sauce or homemade?” or “What’s the best Thanksgiving pie?”. Just be prepared if things get a little heated between Team Apple and Team Pumpkin.
Traditions & Memories
Thanksgiving is the perfect time to get a little nostalgic. Take advantage of this gathering of generations to reflect on the past, present, and future. Bring up happy or funny memories from the past, “Remember the year that…” is a great way to kick off a round of reminiscence. You can also ask about favorite childhood memories or the earliest Thanksgiving people remember.
Another way to think about memories is to imagine the ones you’d like to make. A question like “What’s a tradition we should start?” may actually result in meaningful additions to future gatherings. You can also approach the topic hypothetically with questions like “If we all took a trip together, where would we go?” or “If we had a band or a TV show, what would it be called?” or “If we could invite a celebrity to Thanksgiving dinner, who would we ask?” These kinds of questions that keep everyone talking about the group as a unit can help deepen connections, generate discussion, and maybe even produce a few laughs.
You can also keep the conversation simple with chats about entertainment, Black Friday deals, weekend plans or just catching up. But if you want something a little more meaningful, these questions about plans, food, gratitude, memories, and traditions may be the perfect side dish to your meal.
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