Set These Boundaries Before Your Thanksgiving Guests Arrive

There’s no way to guarantee your Thanksgiving gathering is 100% conflict-free, but setting some boundaries with your guests before the big dinner can at least minimize conflicts and awkward moments. Here are some examples of topics to discuss and agree on before getting together for the holidays.

make a meal plan

Food is an important part of most holidays, so when the main activity of the day is preparing and eating, it makes sense that things can get hot. And food-related tensions can run high on Thanksgiving, not to mention the literal case of too many cooks in the kitchen.

If this is an annual issue at your get-together, agree on a plan ahead of time. In addition to designating who will make each dish (to avoid duplicate offense), organize cooking and heating schedules so people don’t compete for kitchen space and oven time. increase.

As a bonus, you can also set boundaries when it comes to commenting on or outright criticizing other people’s food and cooking methods. to keep those opinions to myself.

match the timing

Hosting a holiday gathering is more than just inviting people to your home for Thanksgiving. Pre- and post-event preparation and cleaning is also required. Therefore, the host and guest must agree not only on arrival time, but also on departure time.

This allows hosts to prevent people from feeling like they have to be kicked out, and allows socially anxious guests to spend some kind of time rather than face a gathering that can last an indeterminate amount of time. I can give you the line.

Be on the same page about health and safety

In addition to being the third Thanksgiving for the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, this year is also grappling with an early spike in RSV and flu cases. At this point, not everyone is on the same page as to the risks they are willing to take to attend holiday gatherings. This should be discussed before the holidays.

As uncomfortable as these conversations may be, it’s better to have them before Thanksgiving. If that happens, it’s ultimately your phone. Because it’s your home and you deserve to feel comfortable and safe there.

Respect old and new traditions

In 2020 (and again in 2021, to a lesser extent), the pandemic disrupted countless holiday gatherings, giving many people the opportunity. create your own tradition, rather than following who was born or married. And even if more people feel comfortable traveling again for Thanksgiving, they may not want to abandon their new traditions altogether and return to their old.

If this is (or could be) an issue at your Thanksgiving gathering, let your guests know ahead of time.Attendee ratings Examine traditions, both new and old, and, as a group, decide which ones to keep this year. Realize that you can alternate different combinations of these traditions each year.