No More Small Talk: How to avoid pointless questions this holiday season

If I had a pumpkin pie for every time a relative asks what grade I’m in, which sports I enjoy or the college I think I’ll end up at, I could open a bakery. I might as well walk around with a sign around my neck that says “I’m a senior, tennis is my go-to and I’m torn between TCU and the University of Miami.”

Thanksgiving kicks off the holiday season — but it also kicks off the season of having identical conversations with your uncle and second cousin. In order to combat the mundane chit-chat at the dinner table, here are some tips on how to move the conversation away from questions about your (I’m a freshman why are they asking this?) career aspirations to actually interesting topics. 

Anecdote it up

Everyone loves a story about how you accidentally hit your doubles partner twice  in the back when serving during the tennis season. Instead of saying “yeah I play tennis,” try throwing in a story that will make your grandma laugh — and leads to other talking points. Maybe your aunt played tennis in college and you can segway into that. One-liners won’t do anything to help your already-bored self. Walk into any family function armed with anecdotes and watch the usual small-talk evolve into something special. 

Shift the focus

Another tactic: shed some light on your sibling. Maybe the classes you’re taking aren’t interesting, but your sister is in biotech — bring that up and the next thing you know, your grandpa is more focused on their work with robots and you have the whole appetizer buffet to yourself. For only-child people, this isn’t your best strategy, but maybe bring up the new hand-shaking talent your dog has to shift the focus away from you. 

Ask THEM a question

It’s a common misconception that kids spend Thanksgiving sitting, eating and answering questions. Instead of you being put in the hot seat all dinner long, turn the tables and ask them a question. What are they up to? What’s the best movie they’ve seen in the past week? Do they have travel plans for winter break? This is a strong way to get to know your family even better and won’t leave you answering the same three questions.