Thanksgiving dinner isn't always the easiest meal.
Even if Cousin Cindy forgets to bring her mothball collection and Uncle Earl remembers not to talk about Barack Obama's birth certificate, there will be awkward moments. String beans will burn, glasses will break, and insults will fly.
When the dinner table talk needs to be revitalized, use this Harvard-themed cheat sheet to get the conversation flowing without having to resort to Aunt Betsy's toilet humor.
The Lowdown: On Saturday, Harvard beat Yale 34-24 in the 129th annual game of the historic college rivalry.
What to say to...
Your ESPN-obsessed uncle: After an intense back and forth, running back Treavor S. Scales '13 rushed 63 yards to score with just over a minute to go, solidifying the Crimson's victory.
Your fashion-conscious cousin: A pair of Harvard students running a game-day apparel company created a small controversy when they marketed and sold a tank top featuring Nicki Minaj with the words "Yale You a Stupid Hoe."
Your Yale-alum father: Harvard has won 11 of the past 12 games. Don't get your hopes up anytime soon.
Election 2012
The Lowdown: Massachusetts voters helped reelect Obama, a Harvard Law School graduate, and punched Law School professor Elizabeth Warren a ticket to the U.S. Senate.
What to say to...
Your Republican grandpa: If Obama appoints U.S. senator John Kerry of Massachusetts as the new Secretary of State, defeated incumbent Scott Brown could take Kerry's vacant Senate seat by winning a special election.
Your Bob Marley-obsessed brother: Massachusetts voters also passed a referendum to legalize medical marijuana. Guess who's planning on getting unexplainable "muscle pain" in February?