Preston’s “Just The Tips” – Some basic advice to help get you through the holiday!
STAMFORD, CT - NOVEMBER 24: Central American immigrants and their families pray before Thanksgiving dinner on November 24, 2016 in Stamford, Connecticut. Family and friends, some of them U.S. citizens, others on work visas and some undocumented immigrants came together in an apartment to celebrate the American holiday with turkey and Latin American dishes. They expressed concern with the results of the U.S. Presidential election of president-elect Donald Trump, some saying their U.S.-born children fear the possibilty their parents will be deported after Trump's inauguration. (Photo by John Moore/Getty Images)
Politics? No. Religion? No. The President? Definitely no. Congress? Also no. Your local government? No. The guy you know who once thought about running for mayor? No.
What we’re saying here is: if you want your Thanksgiving holiday to go swimmingly, DO NOT TALK ABOUT POLITICS!!!
With that in mind, here are 35 Questions You Can Ask At Thanksgiving Dinner
- How did you first meet your significant other?
- What did you do for Thanksgiving when you were a kid?
- What’s your favorite place you’ve visited?
- How was your name chosen?
- What’s your favorite way to give back and help others?
- What did you want to be when you were growing up?
- Do you remember your first kiss?
- What’s the hardest part about being a parent?
- What’s your favorite thing about being a parent?
- If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
- What would you do if you won the lottery?
- When did you know you’d found “the one”?
- How did you choose your children’s names?
- Who was your favorite teacher and why?
- Do you think it’s easier or harder to be a parent now than when you were raising children?
- What were you like in high school?
- What’s your earliest memory?
- What does your ideal Saturday look like?
- What’s your biggest hope for your children?
- What do you wish you spent less time doing?
- Do you consider yourself an introvert or extrovert?
- What fictional place would you most want to visit?
- What do you remember getting for Christmas when you were younger?
- How would you like to see the world change in the next 10 years?
- Did your political views change when you had children? (we all decided this one was a little iffy)
- What subject do you wish you’d studied more in school?
- What’s an event in U.S. history you’ll never forget living through?
- What was your favorite band in high school?
- What’s your favorite drink and why?
- What do you remember most about your wedding day?
- Would you rather time travel 100 years into the past or into the future?
- Who did you look up to the most when you were a child and teen?
- If you could have a different name, what would you pick?
- What’s your favorite place you’ve lived?
- What’s your favorite family tradition?
These questions originally appeared in an article on The HuffingtonPost.
What’s that? You say you need etiquette tips, too? Preston’s “Just The Tips” has you covered!
- Pass the salt and pepper together. Always. Even if someone requests just the salt, you should pass along the salt AND the pepper, according to What’s Cooking America. In doing so, place the shakers directly on the table as opposed to handing your fellow diner the requested seasonings. On a related note, you should avoid seasoning your food prior to tasting it.
- The meal begins only when the host or hostess unfolds and places their napkin on their lap. Another one from What’s Cooking America: Do not sit down and immediately place your napkin on your lap. When the host or hostess does this, the meal has officially begun, and when they place their napkin on the table, the meal has ended. Upon finishing, place your napkin to the left of your plate.
- Cut only one piece of food at a time. While you may be very excited to grab your fork and knife and dig in, the Emily Post Institute indicates that it is appropriate to cut only one piece at a time before bringing it to your lips: In other words, don’t cut up an entire piece of turkey into separate bites before eating it. Cut your food “one bite at a time” — in small, manageable pieces, of course.
- Don’t switch the place cards. You might not love where you’ve been assigned to sit — but just deal with it. Remember that you’re a guest in someone else’s home, and your host or hostess has put a lot of work into the evening. Don’t just disregard their seating arrangements and sit wherever you want.
- Respect that the host trusts you in their home. It might be very tempting to see what’s behind that closed door, take a peak in that antique desk drawer, or go snooping through cabinets and closets, but this is, somewhat obviously, very disrespectful to your host or hostess. And if you happen to break something, don’t hide it. Quietly explain the situation to your host and offer to pay for a repair.
The article “5 little-known Thanksgiving etiquette rules you probably don’t follow” originally appeared on FoxNews.com.
And if you missed Preston’s advice on cooking AND carving a turkey, check out these helpful hints from The Connoisseur!
Nick McIlwain is a member of the Preston & Steve Show on WMMR and has been a part of the station for over 20 years. Nick’s passions include attending concerts, cheering for Philly sports and anything that has to do with the Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, The Rolling Stones, U2, Coldplay, and The Beatles. You can find Nick writing about his concert experiences.
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