When I was younger, my dad told me the two things I was never supposed to discuss in public were religion and politics. I, being the crazy rebel that I am, decided to only talk about those two things wherever I went. Today, we’re going to take a look at a few political issues you shouldn’t bring up this holiday season at family gatherings if you don’t want your family to hate you.

The first topic not to bring up stays pretty consistent every year, especially among more socially conservative families. Abortion is one of the most controversial topics in America and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. Although it tends to be a partisan argument, there are those on either side of the aisle that may support the other’s views, so it’s best to stay away from this discussion at all costs unless you want Aunt Shirley chucking ham scraps at you.

The second topic I would suggest staying away from is just Donald Trump in general. Most either love him or hate him, and chances are there’s someone in your family that decided to vote for him because he “speaks his mind”. It would be best to also refrain from any conversation involving Twitter, as chances are his name will come up in that discussion.

The last topic to steer away from is an election that has happened in the past twenty years on an election that will happen in the next four. It’s a safe bet that there are people upset about election results going back to Bush/Gore in 2000, and there are those that have strong feelings about what should happen in 2020. I would suggest not talking elections at all to play it safe.

So, as I’m listing these topics to stay away from, you, the reader, should know that I probably won’t take my own advice and I wouldn’t blame you for doing the same. We live in a very divisive world and the only way to solve problems is by starting intelligent conversations about the issues that matter most.