Plan dinner interactions carefully

When I was 10 years old, we had a big family Thanksgiving in Texas with all eight siblings from my mother’s side. During the celebratory dinner, one of my cousins dangled his napkin over the dinner candles and was so surprised when it caught fire that he dropped it and in turn, lit the drapes on fire.

Fortunately, the drapes were put out before any major damage was done, but these kinds of things always seem to happen when family gets together. Comments can be just as inflammatory as my cousin’s napkin and make for a poor holiday.

There are, however, some steps that can be taken to prevent such calamities.

The easiest solution is to stay home for Thanksgiving. Just having you and your immediate family might not be such a bad thing; at least it removes most of that awkward extended family interaction.

While this might not be the most exciting idea ever, removing alcohol from the picture can solve a lot of problems. Not having one extra drink might be able to stop Uncle Stan from reminding Uncle Bob just how much more money he made last year.

Probably the most logical and effective way to prevent family drama is to strategize beforehand. Coming up with a list of things to talk about and things to stay away from with your family can actually work wonders for morale on the holidays.

So there it is. Here’s to hoping that these ideas can help your Thanksgiving with those cousins you don’t really know become a little more bearable.