With Thanksgiving Break on the horizon, many Hamilton students cannot wait to get home to their families, pets, and food — none of which require leaving the warmth of their dorms to obtain. But for some of us, going home to visit relatives might mean the possibility of discussing politics with our entire extended family, which everyone knows will never end well. Of course, dialogue about our country’s political state and how we can better it should more often than not be encouraged, but Thanksgiving dinner may not be the best time to strike up that topic of conversation. If you would like to avoid any politically charged confrontation with your family this holiday season, here are some helpful tips to move the dinner conversation elsewhere.

First, subtly start asking where people plan on sitting about half an hour before dinner starts. Strategic seating is your best friend in this situation. If you see two inflammatory family members gravitating towards each other, try to steer them towards a more moderate cousin. Unless you are from one of those families that insists on a kids table, try to disperse the children as widely as possible; they diffuse tension surprisingly well.

You should have some other topics of conversation prepared. It might be worth scrolling through Facebook before sitting down to dinner; then, you will know you can ask about your aunt’s recent promotion, or your cousin’s ballet recital that your other aunt basically livestreamed, or your grandparents’ trip to Niagara Falls. You will seem like a caring family member who keeps up with everyone’s activities and this will probably buy you at least a solid fifteen minutes.

Compliment whoever cooked for the hundredth time. It is a genuinely kind gesture, given that this person probably worked hard for most of the day to feed your whole family. Besides, everyone else at the table, not wanting to seem rude, will most likely stop talking to also comment on how amazing mashed potatoes are. From here, you can take the conversation in several different directions such as, Are sweet potatoes even good?

Definitely bring up Black Friday. This will at least distract the shoppers at the table. Debate the best time to hit the mall and the stores with the best deals.

Suggest bringing back that game your family would play when you were little (every family did this at least once — don’t lie). This is the typical conversation where you go around the table and everyone says what they are thankful for. Yes, it is cheesy, but it can end up being cute, funny, and even enjoyable.

Remember that whether you agree with your family’s political views or not, Thanksgiving is about getting to go home and be with them, so make sure not to let any stray argument that may arise overshadow that.

Finally, if absolutely all else fails, you can always bite the bullet and steer the conversation towards your relationship status. Odds are, your family will get there eventually anyway, and your nosier relatives will most likely be more interested in your life than anyone else’s. I have used this trick before, and while it may seem like a hail Mary, it works like a charm.