Articles

How to Tolerate Your Family on Thanksgiving

November 24, 2015

Thanksgiving has a lot of baggage, and has the tendency to suck the fun right out of family dysfunction. For many folks, there has been an effort to solve some of the family struggles, and yet they seem to come back with intensity when there is an overload of food, drink, and time. In an effort to bring it back, I would like to propose a round of family bingo for your Thanksgiving Day.

Each bingo card has 25 spaces, and it is essential to brainstorm 25 different annoying scenarios or challenging interactions that deserve a spot on the card. If you have a partner who is equally challenged by these family events, it may be worthwhile to come up with a few bingo cards, and potential prizes. It is not recommended to create cards for everyone involved, as this could result in some hurt feelings. Think of this as your own private round of “Cards Against Humanity.” Obviously, these sample cards could be customized to your own family issues.

Card 1 (download here)

Narcissism	Racial remark	Sexism	Inappropriate childhood story	Bible misquote
Food allergy	Awkward exit	Exercise bragging	Ben Carson	Excessive portions
ISIS	Financial concerns	“Obama is a muslim”	Anger	Questioning career choices
Death	Parenting advice	Something burned	Bathroom humor	Arriving late
“Really should have known better.”	Grudges	Criticism of significant other	Vaccinations	Diet advice

Card 2 (download here)

False gratitude	Fashion disdain	Humble bragging	Dead dog story	Confusion about life choices
Antibiotics	Food complaint	Long distance phone call	Camouflage	Syrian refugees
Drunken slur	Forgotten contribution to meal	Body shaming	Trump for president	“I can eat whatever I want today.”
Phone snubbing	Veganism	Bodily function story	Socialism	Superlatives
Forgotten relative	Something spilled	Bacon	“Putting Christ back in Christmas”	Belt loosened