Thanksgiving—if done right—can be the most relaxing, pleasurable evening of the year. It can surpass even Christmas in its wonderfulness (due to a general lack of gift-giving and last minute scrambling). Like with any major holiday, there are several ways the day can be derailed, or completely ruined. However, with a little planning, (almost) all of them can be avoided. Here are five things that can ruin your Thanksgiving dinner:

1. Talk of Politics

It never seems to be a good time to talk about politics, but there couldn't be a worse time than on Thanksgiving, around the dinner table. The presence of the entire family can incite egos and desires to show-off, neither of which are conducive to having respectful conversations about politics. No one is going to convince anyone to change their views. Rather, everyone will talk and no one will listen. Why not leave the talk of Trump and whatever he's said/done for another day? And, so the conversation doesn't swing in that directions, have some talking points for when the conversation encounters natural slumps.

2. Talk of Football

For a day that's traditionally linked to football, it's difficult for most families to keep from talking about the game around the table. Likewise, once the topic is brought up, it's difficult to steer the conversation away. (It doesn't help that the TV is switched to ESPN and playing in the background while everyone eats.) The last thing you want is an out-and-out brawl between your Clemson-rooting father and your Alabama-fan brother, or a never-ending discourse on varying statistics of such and such player, or yada-yada-yada... Try turning off the television and banning football talk (at least for this year).

3. Waiting to thaw/cook the turkey until it's too late.

Frozen turkeys are no joke. Neither are frozen hams. (Not sure where tofurkey stands on the non-jokiness scale.) You want to give those puppies ample time to defrost, cook, and rest before the family sits down to eat. Even if you aren't planning on hitting up early Black Friday sales, a late Thanksgiving can still grate on nerves (and stomachs). Make sure to remind whoever is cooking to use time management. Or better yet—take the cooking of the turkey into your own hands.

4. Family asking about your (nonexistent/non-finalized) future plans.

College students have been fielding curious questions from well-meaning relatives for as long as there have been colleges. If you're a senior, the pressure to detail your after-school plans is doubled. This might not bother you, but if it does, be sure to prepare simple, easy-to-remember answers beforehand. Or, tell your family that you're not interested in talking about yourself. (Or, shift the spotlight and ask them what their plans are for the next year. See how they like it.)

5. Relatives that you haven't seen all year (and that you didn't want to see all year).

(Chances are—there's a few.)

They come around the holidays and (hopefully) leave around the holidays. I'm afraid you'll simply have to grit your teeth and bear them.