It’s that time a year again; time to have a good ole family gathering with lots of delicious food, nice conversation, and wholesome family bonding. Sometimes, however, it is hard to bond with family members that insist that racism and homophobia is a sufficient topic to discuss during the supposed happy Christmas dinner. If you are trapped in this situation, here are a few things to do:

• Keep your mouth shut. Some family members are very persistent on their beliefs and nothing can change their mind. In this case, it’s better to be quiet instead of causing a big commotion which can cause your reputation to be ruined with family members and tension that could easily be avoided.
• Ask them why they think that. Most of the time, these beliefs are taught with no reasoning on why they could possibly be wrong. Most of the time when they get asked this, they don’t have a reason why they believe this and will become flustered. This will make them begin to reflect on their values.
• Be respectful when conveying your opinion. Tell them “that’s just my opinion” or “I respect your opinion, but I think that..” when trying to explain what you think. Be sure to not loose your cool or let what they say affect you, for that will show your weakness, which is what they want. Be sure to use a professional tone and describe your opinions strongly and confidently.
• Be prepared with facts and current information on the topic of discussion. Being educated about the subject and having facts to support your ideas in order for there to be no way for them to disprove your opinion. In addition, it makes your argument strong and impenetrable.
• Try to change the topic. Start a conversation by telling a funny story, how the food tastes, what everyone wants for Christmas, or if everyone had a good day. Just make sure that this new topic is not too out of pocket and can be a long enough talk to make the person forget about the past discussion.
• Ask to go to the bathroom. This will allow you to not hear what the person says or what everyone else believes. This way, you can calm down and prepare a conversation in your head.