November is always a little bit crazy. It's the hardest part of fall semester other than finals week, Halloween is over, the weather can't decide what it's doing... It's not a great time. Add in the madness that is a presidential election, plus all your extended family in one room for Thanksgiving dinner, and you've got a recipe for disaster. If your family is anything like mine, there's support for both candidates and very strong opinions surrounding them, their policies, and their morals. How's a person supposed to navigate that minefield while sleepy-drunk on turkey and pie?
1. Do Your Research
Facebook is your best friend. It will tell you who believes what about whom, and you can mentally prepare yourself for the "So I hear you supported ____, eh?" when Uncle So&So comes up. It'll also tell you which cousins and aunts agreed with you, aka who you should stick to until the tension of this election goes away. So pull a Rory, and study your family. I mean, it can't hurt.
2. Don't Go In Guns Blazing
In my favorite episode, "Friday Night's Alright for Fighting," Rory and Lorelai show up to Friday Night Dinner expecting a fight...and that's exactly what they got. In fact, they got the biggest fight of seven seasons. So don't show up to Grandma's expecting to defend your politics, or waiting for the comment that will start a war. It's just a normal day...a completely normal day where we celebrate stealing a nation and all the things we have to be thankful for. Don't freak out unless your family has given you legitimate reason to fear them (in which case, maybe your family sucks and you should do a Friendsgiving instead...don't put yourself in danger, friends...).
3. Don't Be Rude
I don't care if your cousin won't shut up about how awesome Donald Trump is on Facebook, or if your sister-in-law sings Hillary's praises in every other tweet: your sweet Grandma did not spend her day cooking so she could hear her precious babies screaming at each other over hateful politics. She did it because she loves you, you're looking a little pale, and she's not convinced you're eating well at school. Just eat her pies and smile. You can get your frustrations out at the mall during Black Friday sales (but you should really be spending that day binge watching A Year in the Life). Take it from Emily, nobody wants your sarcasm today.
4. Adopt a "Zen" Philosophy
You can't stop people from saying what they're going to say, and your pro-whatever bumper sticker probably isn't helping matters. It's
cool though. Be above it. It's possible to disagree with people you love. If things start to get heated, be frank and say "This really isn't appropriate for Thanksgiving. Let's not spoil the day for everyone. But if you'd like to continue this conversation tomorrow, that'll be fine." Spoiler alert: you won't have to continue the conversation tomorrow. Nobody really wants to do that. And if at all possible, do what Lorelai does: be amused. It helps.
5. Remember What Family Means
If Gilmore Girls taught us anything, it's that family is weird. And that's okay! We don't have to agree with or like the things people do and advocate for. We can argue and disagree and try to persuade people's opinions, and that's fine, but at the end of the day, we're family. And that matters more than who the president happens to be. (Even if your dad voted Donald Trump and you don't understand it one bit. It's okay. The House and Senate are more important anyway.)
