Pass the Plate
- Acknowledge the person: "Sounds like that has been on your mind."
- Bridge from one word: "Speaking of driving..."
- Pass it by name: "Grandma, how did you learn to make this?"
Two tries, then pause or step away.
What did Thanksgiving look like when you were ten?
What is a dish from your childhood that nobody makes anymore?
What was your first job, and what did you spend the first paycheck on?
Which house or apartment did you love living in most?
What is something you were sure about at twenty-five that turned out to be wrong?
Who here do you think was the most trouble as a kid?
What is taking up most of your brain this month that is not work?
What is the best thing you have eaten this year outside this house?
If you had a free Saturday with zero obligations, what would you actually do?
What is a skill you picked up as an adult that you are quietly proud of?
What is the most useful thing you bought this year for under fifty dollars?
What is a trip you still think about?
What are you into right now that adults would not understand?
Which teacher is actually good, and what makes them good?
What is overrated at your school?
If you could add one dish to this table and ban one, what would they be?
What are you watching or playing that I should know about?
Pick one song for the drive home. Defend it.
If the turkey could talk, what would it complain about?
If you were in charge of Thanksgiving, what would we eat?
What was the funniest thing that happened at school this month?
Which animal would be the worst dinner guest?
What can you do now that you could not do last year?
Who at this table would win a pie-eating contest?
What does Thanksgiving usually look like for you?
Which dish would you be sad to miss?
Is there a tradition from your family you would want to bring here?
What is keeping you busy outside of work lately?
Did anyone warn you about anything before today?
How did you two meet? We have only heard one version.
One good thing from this year that nobody here knows about yet.
Best and worst Thanksgiving food of all time.
What is something small someone at this table did this year that helped you?
What is one thing you want to learn next year?
What is the most 'us' moment in this family's history?
If this family had a reality show, what would it be called?