The Chestnut's Guide to Thanksgiving Etiquette
Posted by Kirill Storch on 10/26/2010
to Chestnuts
What Chestnuts Teach Us A Guide to Thanksgiving Etiquette In addition to being delicious, chestnuts have lots of other great qualities. Here are some lessons from the chestnuts book on how to behave this Thanksgiving.Chestnuts Don’t Talk Politics. Neither should you. Health care, Manhattan Mosque, BP Oil Spill...if it’s been in the news this year, don’t talk about it. It inevitably leads to arguments...which never get resolved. Be a little more creative...instead of quoting the news, read a national geographic before Thanksgiving.Don’t Be Pushy about Religion EitherIf people expect to pray before dinner, go for it. Just make sure it’s okay for people who aren’t religious to sit this one out. Even religious families have an occasional stray atheist, but this is a day to include everyone, no matter what their views. And don’t single out anyone to say grace if they don’t want to...give them a chance to think of what they’ll say ahead of time. Chestnuts are clean- so help the host with some... *ahem* dishes!“No, no, it’s fine, sit down. We’ll clean up.” “Go ahead, watch the game, we got it.”These are just gut reactions out of courtesy. News flash: No one likes to do other people’s dishes. Period. Find some way to help out, it will make you look more courteous and help relieve the host’s stress after all that cooking.Do Obey the hostYes, if it’s their house it IS their rules. That means if they want you to bring a dish, bring it. If they ask you not to bring anything, then don’t. They have all the moving pieces. Nothing is worse than making your host feel bad about this experience. Don’t talk to one person foreverSure, they might be the most interesting person there. But if you’re full of clever dinner banter, spread some of that love around. It’s Thanksgiving, you can have your specialized conversation any time of year. This is the day to connect to everyone around you. In fact, try sitting next to someone you don’t know very well. Chestnuts are fun- so make sure the kids are having fun tooOf course they’ll run up to the table. One of them will probably cry. But part of planning a great day is making sure the kids have TONS of stuff to do. And don’t force anyone to play with them if they don’t want to. Movies, tv, video games, help with decorations...anything to keep them busy, will keep the guests happy.Chestnuts are diet friendly- so ask about everyone’s diet way in advanceInevitably one of you is lactose intolerant, someone else is allergic to shellfish, and the third one’s a vegetarian. That’s a given. Help smooth over feelings and hunger, by making sure you have a dish for everyone. And yes, there are great vegetarian chestnut recipes available. Don’t talk on your cellphoneJust don’t. Enough said. Your business partner can wait until tomorrow.
 Test Date 10/26/2010 3:39:46 PM
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