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food & Diet

5 Embarrassing Thanksgiving Moments (and How to Avoid Them)

Here’s how to avoid five embarrassing scenarios that can happen on Thanksgiving.

Who among us doesn’t fantasize about hosting the perfect Thanksgiving? The table elegantly set with sparkly china, every single side dish cooked to perfection, children sitting with their hands folded, eagerly waiting to eat and even more eager to help clear the table…

Except life isn’t perfect — especially on a holiday like Thanksgiving. Sometimes the best version of “perfect” we can be is stopping the gravy from burning at the last second. In an effort to help everyone’s favorite food holiday go a little smoother, here are five embarrassing Thanksgiving moments that can easily be avoided with just a little bit of preparation and a healthy sense of humor.

Embarrassing Moment: The Family Pet Steals a Bite

Storing cakes, pies, cookies, and side dishes on the porch or in a quiet room seems like a great idea, until you go to grab them after dinner and realize your favorite furry friend has already figured out where the good stuff is…

How to Avoid It: Keep any premade Thanksgiving recipes tightly wrapped and out of reach of the family pet. A good rule of thumb is to put them higher than you think — animals become very crafty when there’s food around!

Embarrassing Moment: Your Child Repeats Something They Shouldn’t Have Heard

There’s nothing like watching everyone at the dinner table fawn over your usually well-behaved child, only to have them suddenly shout a swear word or inappropriate phrase that they most definitely got from you.

How to Avoid It: Children are sponges, so if you don’t want them to repeat something, do your best to avoid even saying the word. Either that or find child-appropriate alternatives to certain “no no” words. Who knows? You may come up with a new favorite!

Embarrassing Moment: You Feel Bloated and Gassy at the Dinner Table

During the holidays, a lot of us tend to eat things outside of our normal diet. Even though you may have thoroughly enjoyed everything on your plate, some of those foods could leave you feeling bloated and gassy before it’s time to leave the table.

How to Avoid It: Make sure you have Gas-X Extra Strength Chewables close by to treat the first signs of gas or bloating. Not only do Gas-X Extra Strength Chewables relieve pressure, bloating, and discomfort in minutes, but the chewable tablets also come in both Peppermint Creme and Cherry Creme flavors, which means they’ll fit right in with your holiday menu.

Embarrassing Moment: An Old Family Argument Starts Up

Even though we love them, families can be complicated, and nothing shakes up a nice Thanksgiving dinner like an old argument from years ago rearing its ugly head again…

How to Avoid It: If you sense a family member starting to go down that road, do what you can to immediately nip it in the bud. There’s nothing wrong with saying something like, “You know, this is an old argument. Let’s focus on the good things about the here and now because that’s what Thanksgiving is about.”

Embarrassing Moment: A Perfectly Good Turkey Is Ruined Because No One Knows How to Slice It

You cooked the perfect turkey, and now it’s getting massacred because no one really knows how to cut it (and no one really wants to admit they’re clueless).

How to Avoid It: There are countless videos online that show exactly how to slice a turkey, and you’ll find that once you watch a few, you’ll get the hang of it pretty quickly!