Tips for Surviving Your Family Dinner

For many of us, Thanksgiving is a time of togetherness. We bundle up in our Sunday best and travel hundreds of miles to spend time with our families, filling up on delicious home cooking, gathering around – and inevitably passing out in front of – televised games and parades... but what about those of us who don't have the best relationships with our relatives? Those of us with “strange” dietary restrictions or an aversion to team sports? The black sheep? If you find yourself dreading the forthcoming holiday, here are a couple of tips to help get you through it unscathed.

Bring your own food.
Even if your family's Thanksgiving meal isn't a potluck, you can still show up with a dish better suited to your tastes or dietary needs. After all, arriving at someone's home empty-handed is poor etiquette. Just make sure to bring enough for everyone and let the cook (or cooks) know you just want to contribute to the festivities.

Pack your iPad.
If football in the den and chatting in the kitchen aren't your idea of a good time, take something along to keep you entertained once the meal is done. It may seem rude, but trust me: It's much better to be there watching a movie in the corner than not be there at all.

Above all else, remember to breathe. If you can survive this, you can survive anything.

Photo courtesy of wikimedia.org.