Truth be told, I have never even watched all of the original Star Wars Movie: A New Hope. I have seen parts of it and probably have fallen asleep during it a few times. I have tried to like Star Wars, I am just not interested.
The same thing happened to me with The Lord of the Rings Trilogy and the Hobbit Movies; I tried in the beginning but I was just never very interested. I even watched The Fellowship of the Ring twice and one of the times, it was the extended DVD release, which no exaggerations is almost 4 hours of movie. I unfortunately watched it with a room full of super fans which was probably the nail in the coffin for my interest in that franchise.
So long story short, I have a history of not being into the hot movie releases of the holiday season. So thank you very much movie studios!
While not everyone talks about these new movie releases during the holidays, some people do and I find not being interested in these movies to be alienating at times.
This post is reminder for me as much as it is a post for readers about how to enjoy holiday get togethers when you know a main conversation topic isn’t something you want to talk about.
( Note: I should have put some more thought into this last year after the election).
How to Survive Holiday Parties When You Don’t Want to Talk About Star Wars or Another Topic That Will Certainly Come Up:
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- Offer to help the host. If you feel uncomfortable or need to find your way into interesting discussion ask the host if there is something that needs to be done. This will keep you busy and maybe help you find your way into an interesting conversation. In any case, it might make you feel more comfortable.
- Dress for fun. Wear something fun or dress in a way where you feel good about your appearance. This will give you more confidence and will make you feel like you are going to have a good time.
- Try to steal some one-on-one time before the party. If you are looking forward to talking to someone and you have time, call them before the get together or after on the phone. Sometimes it is hard at parties to have one-on-one time that you might want. There lots of things happening and lots of voices to be heard. Make some time away from the party if you are looking for one-on-one time.
- Put your phone away. Be open to conversation!
- If Star Wars conversation does come up, focus on some aspect of the movie going experience that does interest you. For example, ask if they saw any good previews.
Finally, check out this article from Real Simple about How to Change a Subject at a Cocktail Party for some further advise. I know I will be using some of these techniques this holiday season.
What conversation strategies do you use to increase your enjoyment of holiday social outings?
