I'm in Michigan visiting family right now, and I didn't have time to come up with a strategy. I probably won't see a lot of them until I'm back for Thanksgiving and Christmas, but I'd love it if folks shared their plans here.

Captain Awkward just published a letter about this: [link] It has some useful stuff.

My friend, Dave, said to our other friend, Maria, who was dealing with some family stuff, "Just say, 'Im taking a break from talking about politics for the next month.''

My mom already threatened death to anyone who brings up politics at Thanksgiving. She is effective because she is scary, even at 78. So if you can pull off my mom's Klingon-like death threats, give that a shot.

Tim's family is always unfailingly polite and defaults to topics of conversation other than politics, so Christmas should be fine.

My dad is a bigoted asshole who doesn't think women are people, so I'll fucking punch him in the throat if he says one word about politics. Our relationship is hanging on by one fraying thread as it is.

I don't like talking to my dad about politics, either. Even if he is, like, in Reagan Democrat range now. The woman-as-people thing is in play there, too, even if he pretty much hates Trump's guts. But he thinks he knows so much and he doesn't.

I will stay here for Tday and only include people who are likeminded. If I am able to go see my parents and brother btw Tday and Christmas I will.

I don’t plan any communication with family I suspect to have voted Repug. I would not even travel for funerals honestly.

I’m not talking to many people at work and I’m scaling back any future travel plans and expenditures to try and really look at where I’m putting my money.

Ah, damn. Dorothy Allison has died. Her books meant a lot to the young dykes who thumped through my house in Santa Rosa in the early Nineties.

Susie Bright has a reflection here: [link]

My dad's side of the family (outside of my dad and one of my cousins) is conservative (which is crazy because my grandfather was a proud union man) but thankfully my immediate family and my mom's side are mostly liberal and that's who we'll be spending Thanksgiving with.

We have to see my dad's side of the family for Christmas, but thankfully no one really brings up politics usually

The company I work for was very generous with the year end bonuses during the COVID years and I was able to put it into an emergency fund, but I worry it's not going to be enough if Trump and Muskrat drop us into a depression with their horrific policies. My wife is trying to push for us to buy anything we might need/want now before prices go up but I'd rather keep money in reserve for when things get bad. (Of course, if they send inflation through the roof that saved money isn't going to be worth much.)

I think one of the most sickening signs of the times ahead is the for profit prison companies are skyrocketing on the stock market.

I’m not worried about them bringing up politics or looking at ways to deflect. I *want* them to know how they’ve damaged our relationship and how they’ve put people I love in danger (and all the other shit a Trump presidency is going to rain down on all of us). And don’t want to hear their reasoning or excuses.

Ah, crap. Tony Todd has left us for good..

May he be in a better place, or at least a better written one.

It’s kind of a bummer but I figure once my dad passes my sister and I will maybe talk to our brother like, once a year? I just can’t with his BS men’s rights shit. (Thankfully it seems neither can other women, so at least I don’t have to stay in touch to protect potential future nieces, like my cousins did with their brother—thankfully his kids are teenagers now and smart girls).

I did slap shots with friends last night—take a shot then get slapped. It felt good.

Since my dad's death, my mother and sister have reconciled and there's a family group chat (WHAT), Jim's visited my brother, explained Why Pronouns Matter and he got it . . . .

Skeletons were hauled out and tucked into a Recompose vessel, with a lot of tears and "Oh, THAT'S why"s, with the compost that comes of it dedicated to the gardens of our kids and niblings.

TJ's cardamom twists:

Ken will be coming to us for Thanksgiving and Christmas; some of Ken's friends might be tagging along depending on how their assessment of the state of family relations works out. At some point during the day we'll head to the beach and look for orcas, then wander over to my goddaughter's for board games, spiked hot chocolate and small humans using the adults as climbing structures. All of you are invited.