A few safe things to talk about on Thanksgiving are TV shows, showbiz news, football, and the weather. Boring, yes, but safe. Here are five NOT-so-safe topics that you might want to avoid:
1. Trump. If you do talk politics, be respectful. Don't take the same tone with your relatives as you would with a random idiot on Facebook. And if you know their views are the polar opposite of yours, you might want to just avoid it altogether.
2. Family gossip. Just do it while you're eating. If you want to complain to someone about how your cousin still owes you that $500 you lent him, do it later. Not in front of the whole family.
3. Anything about religion that might be controversial. Like if your whole family is religious, but you decided you're an atheist now.
4. Your weight. Joking about how out of shape you are can make other people self-conscious about their OWN weight. People are GOING to overeat on Thanksgiving, so don't make them feel extra-guilty about it.
5. Too many good things that happened to you this year. Go ahead and mention a few . . . it is THANKS-giving after all. Just don't spend the whole meal bragging about how great your life is. If someone else is having a rough year, they might resent you for it.