Thanksgiving dinner is a time for family and friends to come together. It’s also a time to reflect on the things for which you are grateful on this Thanksgiving Day.
Sometimes, it will take a while to get to the point of having a meaningful discussion, and Thanksgiving icebreaker questions can help make this process smooth/ more interesting.
These icebreaker questions can be related to any aspect of Thanksgiving, such as the food, family traditions, and the activities that may happen around this time of year.
Download our complete set of Thanksgiving ice breaker questions. We’ve also included some blank cards for you to create your own questions.
Here are 30 of the best Thanksgiving icebreaker questions that you can use before, during, or after your Thanksgiving dinner:
10 Thanksgiving icebreaker questions about the food
What’s your favorite Thanksgiving food? Is it the turkey and/or the stuffing?
How about the candied yams or mashed potatoes? Whatever the case may be, you can base your Thanksgiving icebreaker questions on the different types of food offered at dinner.
Here are 10 questions that you can try asking:
01“If you had to eat any three foods from this table for the rest of your life, which items would you choose?”
This is a way to compliment the chef. Plus, the question is directly related to what’s in front of you. Everyone will have a chance to find an answer since the items are being offered in a shared experience.
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02“Who made the stuffing?”
This is a good question to ask when you are a guest at a Thanksgiving dinner. You can substitute the stuffing for anything you like. You can use this question to give the chef your regards.
03“If you could get rid of any traditional Thanksgiving food, which item would it be?”
It gives everyone a chance to talk about what foods they don’t like or would replace at Thanksgiving.
04“If you could create a new Thanksgiving menu with all of your favorite foods, what would the menu look like?”
It can actually give you new ideas of what the next Thanksgiving dinner should be like, and it will give your family a chance to make new traditions.
Photo by Leah Tyler Szucki under reshot
05“What is your favorite Thanksgiving meal? Would you prefer breakfast, lunch, or dinner?”
Thanksgiving is not only about dinner. Many families have special meals that they make throughout the day to celebrate.
It is good to ask this type of question to find out which meal your friends and relatives would actually prefer.
06“If you were a vegetable on this table, which vegetable would you be and why?”
It will likely be easy for anyone to answer this question; all of the options are likely going to be laid out on the table.
It’s also a great question because it gives everyone a chance to be silly and laugh at the answers given by the others.
07“What is your Thanksgiving guilty pleasure?”
This is a question directed at Thanksgiving desserts, but it can also refer to foods that are preferred or favorite items.
A guilty pleasure is something that a person enjoys eating, but he/she may feel embarrassed about how much he/she eats or loves this particular item (especially if it is a sweet item).
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08“If we couldn’t have turkey this year, what meat would you replace it with?”
This is a hypothetical question because turkey is a part of what makes Thanksgiving different from other holidays.
It’s good to ask to see what each family member could come up with, and it may even help you to discover how important the turkey is/isn’t to each person at the table.
09“Would you rather have the best Thanksgiving meal with complete strangers or the worst Thanksgiving meal with your friends and family?”
Many people look forward to Thanksgiving because of the delicious food, but this question will put the guests in the hot seat. This question can show you if they value (or not) the food more than the meaningful interactions with their friends and family members.
Photo by Lee Hnetinka under Pexels License
10“Would you rather cook the entire Thanksgiving dinner by yourself or do all of the dishes alone afterwards?”
Cooking dinner for everyone is no easy feat, but washing the mountain of dishes at the end isn’t easy either. A lot of effort goes into preparing and eating the meal, regardless of which task you choose to do.
It forces a person to choose one extreme over the other and talk about his/her decision. This can lead to a pretty hilarious conversation.
9 questions about Thanksgiving traditions
Different families have different Thanksgiving traditions, such as cooking together, heading to church before dinner, watching a sporting event, or watching a parade.
The chances are your family has its own important traditions that they practice every year. Here are nine Thanksgiving icebreaker questions related to these traditions:
11“How did you celebrate Thanksgiving when you were our age?”
This is a great question to ask older relatives at Thanksgiving dinner; you can find out how the family used to celebrate Thanksgiving and what, if anything, has changed since then.
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12“What is the best holiday, in your opinion, that we’ve spent together?”
While this isn’t a Thanksgiving tradition, it is a great question to ask nonetheless; it’s an opportunity to share other family traditions and memories with each other and the guests at the table.
13“What does your family do on Thanksgiving?”
It is good to use this question with a newcomer who is sharing Thanksgiving with your family for the first time. It gives him/her a chance to be included in the discussion.
14“What is something unique about our family, that you appreciate/love?”
This is a good way to start a conversation about Thanksgiving and other traditions/moments in the family.
15“What is your most embarrassing Thanksgiving memory?”
Everyone has embarrassing moments. This is a chance to stroll down memory lane with the family and laugh at past missteps.
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16“If our family was in a sitcom, what would be the theme song for our Thanksgiving episode?”
This question gives everyone a chance to apply the lyrics of a favorite song to the family’s traditions; this can be a bit funny, especially when you hear the logic behind the answers.
17“What are you looking forward to the most this Thanksgiving holiday?”
You can ask this question to find out which traditions each family member cherishes the most; the answer may even be the Thanksgiving dinner.
18“If we could start a new Thanksgiving tradition, what would you want it to be?”
This is a good question for the younger folk in the family, especially because they are the ones who will keep the traditions alive in the future.
It’s an opportunity to gain insight into what they love about Thanksgiving with the family; you may even discover the things that they don’t like very much.
19“Would you rather have Thanksgiving at your house or at the White House with the President?”
This question is basically asking if the person would rather stick to tradition or put it to the side to have dinner with the leader of the free world.
This is a pretty tough choice because who doesn’t want to meet the President?
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11 questions about Thanksgiving activities
Thanksgiving isn’t only about dinner. Some families plan a fun-filled day with activities, such as football games, scavenger hunts, game nights, and heart-to-heart talks. Some families even take the time to put up their Christmas trees (even if it’s a little early).
Here are some interesting Thanksgiving icebreaker questions that you can ask related to these activities:
20“Who is the funniest person at this table and why?”
During the day, the chances are that you guys have been busy making jokes and laughing. This is a good question to find out who is the true comedian in the family.
Photo by Daria Shevtsova-under Pexels License
21“Who at this table do you wish you knew more?”
This is a good icebreaker question to use to encourage new guests to interact with others at Thanksgiving dinner.
22“If our family had a reality TV show for Thanksgiving, who would be the star?”
This is a good question to ask your family because different things make each family member stand out. It’s a great, light-hearted debate to get the conversation started.
23“Do you have any favorite childhood memories about Thanksgiving?”
It’s a reflection activity for both family members and friends. It’s also a chance to talk about all of the favorite Thanksgiving activities/memories that took place.
24“What is your favorite outdoors’ Thanksgiving activity?”
Different families have different Thanksgiving activities, and the ones that are outdoors can encourage everyone to get active. It’s a way for everyone to participate in adrenaline-filled fun.
It gives the family a chance to figure out which games should probably be played more (or less).
25“What is the best thing that has happened to you during this holiday?”
This is a good question to ask at the end of the Thanksgiving festivities because it allows everyone to reflect on the time they’ve spent together.
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26“What would you like us to do more of as a family this year?”
This can be a question that is asked specifically for younger family members; it gets them more involved and more interested in Thanksgiving activities.
27“If you could have any famous person, dead or alive, at Thanksgiving with us this year, who would it be?”
This is a good question to ask to find out which celebrity each family member looks up to. It doesn’t need to be a celebrity; it could also be a family member who has passed, like a grandparent.
This question shows how they feel about who could be added to the family’s Thanksgiving activities.
28“What are you grateful for?”
This is a classic Thanksgiving Day question, and it is the point of the season. This question promotes reflection and gratitude.
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29“Would you rather slaughter the turkey eaten at Thanksgiving or live with it for a week before eating it at Thanksgiving dinner?”
This is a tough question, but it gives the funniest answers!
30“Do you prefer watching the parade or the sporting event?”
Thanksgiving is known for its parades and ‘the big game.’ Many people look forward to both of these Thanksgiving activities.
Asking people to choose between the two can be a very hard decision!
Lastly
Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be awkward for newcomers or boring for family members.
These Thanksgiving icebreaker questions can definitely keep the ball rolling for a fun-filled and memorable Thanksgiving holiday!
