HUNTSVILLE, Ala. — Turkey with a side of drama? Let's hope not. We spoke to a local therapist about ways to diffuse the situation if drama does show up to the dinner table.
Dr. Kitson Francis isn't sure Thanksgiving can be completely drama-free, but you can try. He suggested some ways you can diffuse any drama brought to the dinner table.
- If you know that you have a issue with someone, call the person and try to work it out before they get there so that doesn't become the main focus. Try starting the conversation with something like, "I know you and I don't get along, but can we talk this thing through so that we can have a really good Thanksgiving?"
- If there is no way to diffuse the situation, try shifting the energy to something else, like a board game or card game
Looking deeper into the meaning on Thanksgiving can be helpful, too.
- Think about and talk about the purpose and the function and the meaning of thanksgiving and allow that to drive the behavior of everybody else. Thanksgiving is about more than a bunch of food on the table, and going back to the purpose of the holiday could be all that your family needs to have a drama-free Thanksgiving.
Dr. Francis adds, "It's always good to come back to why are we here, what's the purpose of this."