50 Thanksgiving Conversation Starters To Keep Politics Off the Menu (2025 Version)

Thanksgiving dinner is a minefield. You’ve got hot food, strong opinions, and exactly one uncle who still thinks AOL is the internet. The good news? There’s a way to keep the turkey hot and the takes cool.

Remento’s 2025 Thanksgiving Question Set was designed to do one thing well: turn small talk into meaningful conversation, without venturing into the cultural thunderdome. We’ve curated 50 questions for your holiday table that won’t start fights, but might just start traditions.

Because it turns out, the stories we tell matter more than the opinions we hold. And when you ask the right questions, you get answers that last longer than the cranberry sauce.

So grab a seat, pass the rolls, and try one of these:

🥐 Easy Icebreakers & Table Warmers

1. If you had to swap lives with a family member for one week, who would it be and why?
2. When was the last time you used glitter?
3. If a friend named a sandwich after you, what would be on it?
4. What’s one rule you think every person should follow — or every family?
5. What Jeopardy category would you choose for your secret area of expertise?
6. Who is someone you wish had a podcast that doesn’t?
7. What’s something we as a family all have in common?
8. What’s one thing your phone knows about you that your family doesn’t?
9. What’s something you tried that you thought you’d hate — and actually liked?
10. What’s a skill you could teach a class on if asked?
11. What’s a tiny luxury that makes your life better than it is?
12. What’s a low-stakes opinion you’d defend forever?
13. What’s your favorite cake ingredient?
14. What’s a habit you’ve picked up from someone at this table?
15. What’s a recent moment when you felt genuinely lucky?

🍂 Lighthearted Nostalgia

16. What’s one thing you wish someone had saved or recorded from your childhood?
17. If your childhood bedroom had a “help wanted” ad, what job would it pretend you do?
18. What’s something you still don’t understand, but pretend you do?
19. What’s a tiny family tradition that means more than it probably should?
20. If your life had chapters, what would the title of this one be?
21. What’s a smell that instantly transports you somewhere specific?
22. When was the last time you blew your own mind with an accomplishment?
23. How did you get your worst physical scar?
24. What’s your favorite memory that feels funny now but was actually meaningful?
25. What was your favorite toy as a child, and what happened to it?
26. What’s a recent scent, song, or show that gave you nostalgia?

🍗 Story-Driven Conversation Starters

27. What’s one moment from this year that you wish you could bottle up and replay forever?
28. What’s the most surprising or useful thing you’ve learned in your kitchen this year?
29. What’s the most surprising thing that’s happened in your kitchen this year?
30. If you could research one topic for the rest of your life, what would it be?
31. What is a sliding door moment in your life — a decision that changed the entire course of your life?
32. What’s something one of your past selves would be shocked about your current self?
33. If you could only have one superpower, what would it be?
34. What topic could you give a 20-minute talk about right now?
35. What’s a job you would be terrible at, but kind of want to try?
36. If you were a museum, what would it be like?
37. What’s something you’re not that good at but enjoy anyway?
38. What’s a gift you got this year that you deeply loved?
39. If this gathering were a podcast, what would the title of today’s episode be?

🌿 Reflective & Personal

40. What’s one decision you’ve made after 35 that made your life better?
41. What’s something you’ve done this year that felt truly brave?
42. What’s a family memory that feels funny now, but actually meant something?
43. If your past year had a word, what would it be and why?
44. If your past year were an emotion, what would it be?
45. If you had to pick a song that represents your current year, what would it be?
46. When did you take the biggest leap of your life — and who was it for?
47. What’s something in culture you’re currently loving?
48. If you could only have one superpower, what would it be? (if not used above)
49. What song do you want played at your funeral?
50. What’s something we take for granted about each other?