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Adulting 101: Ten Things Not to Say at a Holiday Get-Together

The holidays are just around the corner, and you know what that means: seeing the friends and family you love and adore.

Well, mostly.

We all know people that we have to see but really don't want to see. Family members who ask for money. (Thank goodness I've not had that problem.) Friends who talk endlessly about their woes. (Been there.) Coworkers who share a little too much about their personal life. (Always a disaster.)

Just for the fun of it, here are ten things you should probably not say at any holiday get-together! And yes, I do have personal experience with some of these. 
  1. Talking anything about the election this year, good or bad. Politics pretty much always make for bad discussions, and this year only amplifies that fact.
  2. Asking that boyfriend and girlfriend who are already living together when they're finally going to get hitched
  3. Asking the 20-something who graduated from college 3 years ago when they're going to get their own place and move out of their parents' basement / garage / attic / womb
  4. Bringing up the fact that an attendee is still single, especially if the get-together is already populated with couples. (Bonus negative points if the single person is older and divorced!)
  5. Asking a person who clearly hasn't been to church in a long time when the last time they went to church was
  6. Divulging in gossip about another coworker at an office party
  7. Discussing the amount any gift costs (You're pretty much guaranteed to upset the person who clearly bought the cheapest gift because that's all they can afford.)
  8. Asking how so-and-so's project / business is going when it was clearly destined to fail when they first told you about it
  9. Bringing up what you think is a funny story from the past but runs the risk of offending somebody (Case in point, pretty much any time I bring up the fact that my mom accidentally forgot to attend my first grade Mother's Day Tea)
  10. Asking about another person's significant other if you aren't sure whether or not they are still together
This list is truly never-ending, but it should at least kick start your thinking on what might be topics you want to steer clear of. What would you add to this list? Let me know down in the comments!
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