Xmas day small talk with relatives

[chinadoll]

How to survive xmas day with vexacious (sp?) relatives...will have to communicate with them ....anyone care to share any topics that are light and bland and good for the initial couple of minutes....thanks

[andy hughes]

The weather is always a good standy - it's what the British use instead of enquiring after each other's health, which would be far too intimate (!) Mention that we haven't had a hard winter for fifteen years, that should get the ball rolling. Move on to favourite Christmas gifts when you were a child - that should fill the time nicely. 

[Weaza_cfc]

Topics to aviod *in my experience*:

• avoid all mention of football/rugby/cricket etc, unless you definately know they support the same team as you *x-mas at my house; uncle no1: Spurs, uncle no2: Arsenal, uncle no3: Man U, father: Chelsea, Grandad: Liecester - never bodes well*.
• never mention the lovely time you had at the other side of the family's do.
• do not mention children *if any* except in very brief passing, unless you would like a full, day by day account of little Alex's school year... "Oh he was simply marvelous as Joseph in the nativity, wasn't he Jules?" Do. I. Care.

Generally safe topics:

• How great the food is.
• How lovely the decorations are.
• The christmas rush - compare "ionly just got everything in time" stories.

[kaz35]

Get drunk, or get them drunk, or even better,  both! x :)

Hope this helps

[Dark Angel]

You could say, Did you go shopping to Oxford Street this year? and say what was special about it this year. As someone said, say something about the food, the decorations in the local streets, the christmas service at church, if you went to one, and of course, the weather.

[Ouisch]

A good rule of thumb is people always like to talk about themselves; this also takes you off the hook, as all you have to do is pretend to be interested while listening.  Ask them what they did over their Summer holidays, maybe, or how their children are (if they have any)*, or how was the traffic on their way over, is that car of theirs holding up, or did they get a new one, blah blah.  (Is it really considered too intimate to inquire of one's health in Britain?  We Yanks would run out of conversation quite quickly if we didn't discuss our various aches, pains and ailments at parties! <g>)

 

*Of course you don't really care, but it's a safe topic, and all you have to do is nod and smile.