Holiday Survival Tip #1 — AVOID POLITICS!!!!! Or Just Drink

The family is gathered around the Thanksgiving table...the food, crazy uncle Harry, the kids...seems perfect doesn't it?  Like a Norman Rockwell painting.  Then it happens...someone starts talking POLITICS!!!!  AHHHH!!!!!!!!

How often has a holiday been ruined by political discussion?  Oh, well-meaning at first, but then it gets heated, Uncle Harry starts talking about the Kenyan Socialist and BAM!!!

My family is all over the map.  My parents are dyed-in-the-wool-Republicans.  My oldest brother Tom used to be chief of staff for several Democratic congressmen, so you can imagine political discussions in our household!

I remember one Christmas during the Clinton administration when my brother Tom pulled me aside and told me to make sure I was in the room when Dad opened his gift from Tom....low and behold...it was a picture of Tom shaking BILL CLINTON'S HAND in the Oval Office.  I saw my father's face turn from confusion to annoyance to laughter...Whew!

The BEST story was during the primaries between Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama.  My brothers and I tried to suggest that NO ONE talk about politics during this holiday...that didn't last!  My parents kept bring it up, so we had to get creative...

My brother and I made up this game.  It's a drinking game.  BIG SURPRISE.

Every time one of my parents brought up the name OBAMA, I had to say, "Mom, Dad, we said NO POLITICS"...then I had to go to the bar and do a shot.  Every time they said the name HILLARY, my brother had to repeat the process..."Mom, Dad, we said NO POLITICS"...then the shot.

Needless to say, we were UNDER THE TABLE within the hour.

I LOVE the holidays!