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Conversation Starter Printables: Delicious & Fun Holiday Traditions

by | Nov 17, 2011 | Printables, Seasonal Decorating & Entertaining

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Conversation Starter Printables: Delicious & Fun Holiday Traditions

Conversation Starter Printables

I really look forward to our traditions during the holidays! Even though I am not really a big fan of the cooking part, I do enjoy preparing simple favorites, trying a few new recipes, and setting the tone for the holiday with a pretty table and decor. But in addition to the food and decor, I like to make sure that conversations flow and people connect. All those delicious moments with friends and family can be easy to create with a little advance preparation!

12 Great Conversation Starters

We have a fun tradition we use regularly when we host any type of gathering or event. You could use it as a holiday game! We have a stack of “great conversation starter” cards. Each card holds a simple but fun question sure to break the ice and get people past the typical, “It sure has been cold and rainy lately!” types of dinner conversations.

Conversation Starter Printables: Delicious & Fun Holiday Traditions

I don’t know how you feel, but small talk can be awkward and a little bit dull. Having something interesting to discuss can be a fun way to start out the meal or a great way to rally people over after dinner drinks or dessert. Those little cards help create the moments we remember the most!

For families who already know each other well or get together regularly, conversation starter cards can liven up the meal with more smiles, laughs and thought provoking topics than reliving the painful details of Aunt Milly’s bunion surgery and Tom’s latest run-in with the law.

I’m just sayin’ some topics are more fun to discuss around the table than others. Am I right? Yeah. And for some families, avoiding controversial topics is pretty much a necessity to keep the family peace. If you have guests of varied ages joining you for the holidays this year, these cards are so helpful to bridge the generation gap with conversations everyone can participate in!

I have a sweet little FREE gift for you, my readers, today! Downloadable printables of some of my favorite conversation starters! Just click the links below and print these sheets out on heavier stock paper. Cut them up and you can let people draw cards to keep the conversation flowing!

Conversation Starter Printables: Delicious & Fun Holiday Traditions

Free printables!

CLICK HERE for 6 Great Conversation Starters Cards, Set 1!

CLICK HERE for 6 Great Conversation Starters Cards, Set 2!

Conversation Starter Printables: Delicious & Fun Holiday Traditions

And because the best holiday moments include delicious food and fun traditions, here are a few of my family’s old and new favorites!

  • This year my daughter is making a new stuffing recipe for Thanksgiving! Check it out at her blog, it sounds delicious to me! Cranberry, Apple, Sausage & Pecan Stuffing
  • My parents make a delicious turkey outside on their BBQ! Keeps the mess outside and the flavor is divine!
  • My dad’s favorite after the holiday treat is an Italian soda made with San Pellegrino, cream and a couple of pumps of flavored syrup. It’s become a tradition!
  • I made a delicious new appetizer last New Years Eve, Baked Brie, via Living Locurto. It was FABULOUS, so easy too! I will make it again this year!
  • Every Thanksgiving we prepare my husband’s family’s favorite sweet potatoes or yams, they are very simple and tasty, much like this recipe! Although THIS PIE from Bake at 350 might be calling my name this year, Sweet Potato Pie!
  • My sister loves to make mimosas the morning of Thanksgiving and Christmas! You can add a little fruit nectar or raspberry soda for a flavor twist (or use non-alcoholic sparkling water in place of champagne!)! So good while we are waiting for our family favorite, Puff Pancakes!
  • We love going to a movie the day after Thanksgiving. While the rest of the world might be shopping or decorating a tree, we’ll be cracking up at The Muppet’s new movie!

What are the holiday moments you look forward to the most? Share your traditions in the comments!

*Don’t forget to download your free Great Conversation Starter printables!

18 Comments

  1. Michelle Starling

    Food is always the main event at our Thanksgiving and there are certain favorites that have to be on the table or my 15 year old son might revolt. He’s been talking about the food since Halloween. During the last week of 31 days series, I posted some of my family’s favorite Thanksgiving dishes if you’d like to have the recipes. But our traditions have changed a little over the last 6 years. We moved from Georgia to Tennessee and we’re now 500 miles away from our extended family. It use to be a big family event but now, it’s just my husband and our 4 children. So 6 years ago, I found a printable for Thanksgiving. That is also on my blog for the 31 day series under Misc. We each take a sheet and write what we’re most thankful for this year and take turns sharing before we eat. Needless to say, it usually brings tears of love and joy. So far no fights.LOL! Now I can’t imagine Thanksgiving without this.

    Reply
  2. Heather

    Our Thanksgiving traditions have been the same for many years – we start off with a visit to a local lumber mill who also sells the most amazing apple cider donuts, makes their own cider and sells heirloom varieties of apples, then it’s off to the pumpkin patch and finally a visit to a local apple winery where we choose the wine for dinner. Sometimes there has been as many as 18 or 20 of us making the trek in a convoy of cars. By the time we get home, it’ just a matter of taking the turkey out, making the gravy and setting out the vegetables. It’s a relaxing and fun way to spend the afternoon together before dinner.

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Wow, that sounds like a fun tradition! :-) Love that!

      Reply
  3. Vee

    Our traditions will be shifting this year so we’ll see. I am trying very hard to maintain recognizable food traditions so that our connections to former tables and our loved ones remains. Oh I LOVE the conversation starters. Very cool!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      Thanks Vee! Yes, it is important to keep some traditions, isn’t it?

      Reply
  4. Mimi

    Our Thanksgiving tradition is that after the table has been cleared from dinner we write our Christmas lists. We have a traditional vintage lined paper we must use. The name of the list must include the name of the person writing it with other words describing the list starting with the first letter of their name. We then pass the lists around the table and comment on them. Then a keeper of the list is chosen. The keeper must answer any questions about what to get someone. My tech savvy son put it online last year where we all could access it. He is our permanent list keeper from now on.

    Reply
  5. Dana at Cooking At Cafe D

    I look forward to the board games the most.
    Sure, we love cooking – and eating! And, walks out in the woods with the dogs are great. But, it’s the laughter and the conversation over board games that I remember most from year to year.
    ~

    Reply
  6. Lorrie

    We had Thanksgiving back in October. What I love about it is being together with those I love. And cooking for them. It’s always turkey, but I like to vary the side dishes. And then the board games. And the walk.

    Love the conversation starters. I’m thinking of using them for Christmas dinner.

    Reply
  7. Karen

    Melissa,

    Love the conversation starter cards and will print them to use this Thanksgiving. Our youngest son is newly engaged and we are hosting our future in-laws for T-day. Thank you for these.
    Karen

    Reply
  8. Sunny

    Food is my favorite part of Thanksgiving. A relatively new tradition that has developed in the last 7 years is that my mother makes sure to buy enough papers on Thanksgiving day so that each family (mine and my brother and sisters family) can sit around digest and look at the black Friday sale ads. It has become a family favorite for me.

    Reply
  9. Hope

    LOVE the conversation starters! Thanks for the free download! Have a Happy Thanksgiving! :)

    Reply
  10. Shan

    Conversation starters are a great idea! Thanks for the printable! I’m so looking forward to all the delicious food. We’ll be going to a movie the next day too :)

    Reply
  11. Debra

    How I enjoy your perspective on things, dear Melissa:) Wonderful tips!

    I must go check out your daughter’s recipe!

    Love and hugs,
    Debbie

    Reply
  12. Cassie

    Hi! I love your website! Thanks for sharing your fun holiday traditions. Could you share a more specific recipe for the Italian soda? It looks delicious! What kind of syrup do you use? And how much cream?

    Reply
  13. AB

    My family has always sung the Doxology before the meal. It’s a tradition I’ve always a=loved and this year as my husband and I host our first Thanksgiving we’re going to carry on this tradition.

    Reply
  14. Richella at Imparting Grace

    This post had me at “Pellegrino.” Honestly, San Pellegrino is one of my favorite, favorite drinks in all the world. Did you know that there’s a Costco coupon for cases of it right now? $3 off, I think! There’s just something about those elegant green bottles with the blue and white labels that speaks to me–and I love, love, love sparkling water. I always squeeze a lemon or lime (or both) in mine. And if you’re wanting to be special sporty, you can get S. Pellegrino’s Limonata–a delicious sparkling lemonade! It’s a little spendy, but it’s a delicious treat. On the Friday before my birthday sweet hubby went to the grocery store and came home with flowers and a six-pack of Limonata–I knew then it would be a good birthday weekend! :)

    Hope you’re having a wonderful week!

    Reply
    • Melissa

      OH I LOVE LIMONATA!!! I’m going to go look for a coupon for San Pellegrino at Costco, that is where I buy it. My dad is coming to town today and he always looks to see if I have it in the fridge :-) xo

      Reply
  15. Amy

    Thanks so much for linking to the baked brie! One of my favorite recipes to make. Love your printables:-)

    Reply

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