If your family is like mine, Thanksgiving is about spending time together, laughing until your stomach hurts, and eating like we've never seen food before. My family comes from near and far to the small town of Kingstree, South Carolina. Each group brings themselves, their belongings, their favorite recipes and sometimes, even their dogs. They also bring their political views.

So this year, let's vow to leave our political views at home.

Whether you're ecstatic about the election or you couldn't physically get out of bed the next day, we're not going to talk about it. The election outcome doesn’t matter this Thanksgiving. We're going to sit around the table, in the living room, or on the porch and eat, drink, and enjoy the company of each other.

We're going to celebrate the returning of a cousin, niece, and granddaughter who hasn't been in the states in a year. We’re going to listen to her wonderful stories about her time spent in Mozambique while serving in the Peace Corps. We will hear about all of the fun she had and her amazing experiences, all while thanking God she’s home safe and sound.

We're going to see the uncles, sons, and brothers that we haven't seen in what feels like ages. They don’t get the opportunity to come around too often since they are from North Carolina and Florida, so why ruin it with a family feud? Let’s enjoy the celebration of a new engagement and be happy for Uncle Blake and Emily. Let’s enjoy the company of Uncle Jason and Robert, who we only get to see a couple of times a year. Every time, they have us rolling on the floor laughing at how funny they are, so why bring up some arguments and take that happiness away?

And we're going to celebrate the birth of a new member of our family, Mac. Everyone is going to be in awe, passing him around like the dish of mac and cheese. He’s spending his first Thanksgiving at home with us. Let's not make his first Thanksgiving full of arguments and tears. Let’s thank God he’s finally here and healthy, after a long, long pregnancy full of complications.

As you can see, our family has so much to be thankful for. I'm not exactly super crazy about the election outcome either, but I won’t talk about it this Thanksgiving. If we run out of things to talk about, we will just go around the table and say what we’re thankful for (and no, you cannot say you're thankful that Trump won –- or that Hillary lost). Again, we won’t talk about it. Pass the pumpkin pie, but keep your opinions to yourself. This holiday season is about spending time with one another.

As a family, we don't have to agree on everything. But, we do have to respect and love one another. Hateful words and rude comments aren't going to change the outcome, so don't let them ruin our Thanksgiving either.

So leave them at home, wherever you're coming from. Don't worry about it, worry about it later. In the next few days, we will be spending a lot of time with one another. Gran B. and Pop’s house can either be a battlefield or a safe place. Which do you pick?

I pick a safe place. I am so excited to finally return home and see my family that I haven't seen in forever. And I hope they are happy to see me too.

I'm excited about the food, for the laughter, and for the love. I've been looking forward to this day since Fall Break. So let's not ruin it with stupid political talk. Let's love one another and celebrate family this holiday season.

We have so much to be thankful for, so leave your political opinions at the door.