Next week, Oswego State students will be flocking home to celebrate Thanksgiving, the marvelous holiday where families gather around the table to demolish a 20-pound turkey. There is nothing that compares to seeing relatives and busting out the fancy dishware that is saved for this annual meal. From the aroma of green bean casserole filling the air to the Cowboys game on television, Thanksgiving is running smoothly.

Until your grandpa derails it by saying, “You know, I just don’t understand those bathroom bills.”

Households across the country will be plagued by this moment when the light atmosphere of the holidays is dampened by political discussion. With this highly controversial, never-before-seen election season that concluded in polarizing fashion, there will be that family member ready to address the elephant in the room. It could be your aunt who has an “I’m With Her” T-shirt, your cousin who staunchly voted third party or your grandfather who is the Republican committee chairman of your town. Regardless of whoever turned the conversation to politics, one question arises.

What to do now?

Instead of waiting for the never-ending awkward pause of silence to pass or igniting a WWE-style fight over LGBTQ rights, there is a way to get through the moment. Respect the opinions of those at the table, even if they do not match your own. Allow your grandfather to voice his misunderstanding of gay marriage and then move on with the meal. This is not the time to try and change their opinions. Save the heated debates for a time where there is no risk of throwing cranberry sauce.

The easiest way to handle discussing politics at Thanksgiving dinner is to avoid them altogether. Experts say that keeping the atmosphere light and positive is the best situation for any family dinner. Abortion and gun control are not the easiest conversations to stomach on their own, let alone when your grandmother is sitting across the table. There is plenty of other things to talk about with your relatives and if you find yourselves struggling to find a topic not related to the news, then that is a struggle for you to conquer as a family.

No matter the amount of people dining together, there should be no moment where your dad must resort to bringing up something he saw on “The O’Reilly Factor.”

This Thanksgiving, leave your “Make America Great Again” hats behind, along with your stories about attending a Bernie Sanders rally. Do not attempt discussing politics in front of your infant cousins. There is a time and place for explaining your support of Planned Parenthood and it is not Nov. 24. The most heated debate held that day should be over who gets the last crescent roll.

As a nation, we have four years to talk and debate about the new president-elect, so we should use Thanksgiving as a break from it. Go home, hug your family, eat your heart out and nurse that food baby while watching the Steelers lose to the Colts.