Holiday dinner table conversations can be tense. From Taylor Swift to Thanksgiving TV, these pop culture moments can help lighten the mood.

Five conversation starters to keep in your back pocket if dinner and dessert are veering toward disaster.

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A photo illustration shows: Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift walking; Mariah Carey holding a microphone; a still from A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving; and a superhero flying in The Marvels.
Keep the peace on Thanksgiving. Talk about movies, TV, Taylor Swift and Mariah Carey. (Photo illustration: Yahoo News; photos: Getty Images, Everett Collection)

It turns out that Taylor Swift's new relationship with Travis Kelce could be a good one to bring up at Thanksgiving.

We all know that navigating the holidays can be tricky — everybody has that one uncle ... or aunt ... or in-law ... or dad — but a new Yahoo/YouGov poll shares insight into holiday conversations that people actually enjoy having.

According to the data, hearing "family updates" was ranked at the top (60%) by the more than 1,500 people polled, followed by discussing current events (28%) and sports (27%). But pop culture is also in the running, with 15% of respondents saying it's something they look forward to chatting about.

"We don't choose our family, and we may have friends who align more with our beliefs," psychologist Thea Gallagher, a clinical associate professor at NYU Langone Health and co-host of the Mind in View podcast, explained to Yahoo Life. "There's a lot more variability in beliefs with family, along with ages and stages. Some of those hot-button topics can be more charged."

So if you're looking for ways to incorporate some easy banter that won't lead to a screaming match, here are a few entertainment-centric conversation starters to consider.

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce

You don't have to be the most clued-in entertainment aficionado to know that Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are the hot couple of the moment. OK, so somebody at the table may have opinions about her attendance at a few football games — but there are a lot of other things to discuss. For instance: Did you read Kelce's new WSJ. Magazine interview calling Swift "a genius" and "hilarious," and discussing how he's following her lead when it comes to navigating the attention they're getting? ("I better not be the one acting all strange," he said.)

You don't have to be a certified Swiftie to weigh in on their globe-trotting and how he joined her on tour in South America, where he was clearly pumped to be shouted out in "Karma" and they PDA'd it up. You can do a roll call to see who went to her record-breaking Eras Tour movie. You can bring up his stats and the Kansas City Chiefs' playoff potential. What about his style? Or have people listened to his podcast with his baller brother, Jason? And isn't his mom cute? If all else fails, debate what their couple nickname should be — because all those options (Tayvis! Traylor! Swelce!) have room for improvement.

Biden mixing up Swift, Britney Spears and Beyoncé

You can toe the line of political convo by bringing up that President Biden mixed up these three pop icons while he was pardoning some turkeys. While chatting about the improbability of the two birds ending up at the White House, he said, "You could say it's harder than getting a ticket to the 'Renaissance' tour," which is of course Queen Bey's record-breaking world tour. "Or Britney's tour," he continued, referring to the New York Times bestselling author of The Woman in Me, who hasn't toured in years.

Biden did, however, know the whereabouts of Swift, saying, "She's down in — it's kind of warm in Brazil right now." (Swift's "Eras" tour hit a turbulent few days in Rio de Janeiro.) Discussion could also include how, while not everyone is a fan, Beyoncé and Swift helped make it a #billiongirlsummer. Did the fam take in the "Eras" tour, bracelets and all, or see the movie? Do they plan to see Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, which comes out on Dec. 1? And who read Spears's tell-all book and what did they consider the biggest bombshell? (For what it's worth, we vote all the Justin Timberlake reveals.)

Holiday music starting sooo early

While nobody is going to stop Mariah Carey from Mariah-ing, why does holiday music start so early each year? Who at the table is the person who — when the clock strikes midnight on Nov. 1 — is ready to "Jingle Bell" it up? Who has their tree up and fully decorated before turkey day even rolls around? Who itches for Starbucks to release its holiday cups?

It turns out that more than half of Americans think holiday music is played too early, according to a new Yahoo/YouGov poll. Are you one of them? Is grandma? Of course, Carey — the self-proclaimed Queen of Christmas — is happy to start the festivities early, because she's turned her 1994 single "All I Want for Christmas Is You" into an empire. It was estimated, in 2017, that the song generated more than $60 million — and continues to earn about $1.55 million in royalties each year. That's all with the income of her sold-out holiday shows. Also, do your tablemates know that Carey keeps getting sued over her famous song? And can you believe that the rendition she did with Jimmy Fallon and the Roots has turned 10?

The movies people plan to see

Talking about what's playing is the safest conversation of all. What's the new Disney animated film, Wish, about? Not only will you know by reading this, but you can dazzle with your knowledge of the 100-plus Easter eggs that are included in the film as a nod to Disney turning 100.

Who's seeing the Hunger Games prequel (sans Jennifer Lawrence) or not seeing The Marvels? Hands up, who saw Trolls Band Together — or are we all mad at Timberlake for what we read about in Spears's book? Does anyone know what Ridley Scott's historical epic Napoleon is about? Well, you will if you read this before turkey day.

If your tablemates aren't big on the box office, they very well may have gone to the theater this year to see the much-buzzed-about Barbie flick. Did they go with friends and dress up? Which movies coming up in 2024 — like Beetlejuice 2 or Wicked: Part One — sound good enough to get them back to the theater?

The one with Thanksgiving

When all else fails, why not change the topic — and channel — to TV?

Think: Did you watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade this morning — and wasn't it great that Al Roker was back? Or: I recently rewatched the old Friends Thanksgiving episodes and, boy, was Matthew Perry funny. (Bonus: The cast tributes to him were touching, and isn't it sweet how the Friends cast remained bonded?)

If Friends isn't your thing, we have a list of other classic Thanksgiving sitcom episodes that you should watch/discuss. Talk about how A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving is now 50 years old and how can that be?! Here's a guide to where it's streaming, so if things really take a turn for the worse, put it on and let Charles Schulz and the Peanuts gang carry the entire conversation.

Bonus round

As a bonus, we'll kick in: 

  • Did you hear that Snoop Dogg quit smoking? Yeah, about that — that's not true. It's all for a smokeless fire pit advertisement. So you can set everyone straight.

  • It is true that Hall and Oates are feuding. Try using only their song titles to discuss the messy situation. (They're "Out of Touch" with each other. "Say It Isn't So.")

  • And, finally, it's been 40 years since the great Cabbage Patch Kids craze of 1983 — where people had fistfights over the dimpled dolls on Black Friday. Do you remember the name of yours? Where is it now? If you're at your parents' house for the holiday, yours just may materialize from a cedar chest.

Lastly, remember that Thanksgiving is but once a year. You can do it. May it be a peaceful one.

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