It’s the holiday season and with that comes social gatherings! Depending on your personality this can be exciting and fun, or cause social anxiety, maybe a mixture of both. Conversation starters can be so helpful to find ideas to discuss.

We’ve all been there. At a holiday party with a group of people you may not know that well. It could be a work gathering, with a partner’s family for the first time, or relatives you don’t see often.

You may wonder what to talk about at a party. But it can be an opportunity to get to know everyone better through conversation starters.

Ice breakers are intimidating. It may bring you back to first day of school feelings, but it doesn’t have to be uncomfortable and feel that way.

Instead have ideas of what to talk about to learn about someone.

If you’re with family, it is also a good opportunity to discuss your family history and any genealogy research you or someone else has done.

This article is all about ideas and topics to use as conversation starters at holiday gatherings! Continue reading for holiday topics, person discussion points, and family tree research questions:

(Disclaimer: RLS Photogenic is an Amazon Associate and earns a small commission from qualifying purchases. There is no extra cost to the buyer.)

Holiday Conversation Topics

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• What was the best and worst moment of your year?
• Do you have any goals for the new year? What are they?
• Share a funny Christmas story
• What is a funny holiday gift you received and/or gave?
• What is your favorite holiday tradition?
• What’s you favorite Christmas song?
• Do you prefer doing Secret Santa or the White Elephant grab bag game?
• What is the most meaningful decoration or Christmas ornament that you own?
• What is your favorite holiday?

• Do you have festive Christmas pajamas or sweater?
• How do you shop? Do you start early and plan ahead for gifts, Black Friday deals shopper, or wait until the day before the celebration?
• What is your favorite holiday movie
• Do you send Christmas cards? Do you save the ones you receive? Why/Why not?
• What stresses you out at holiday time?
• Do you have a real or artificial Christmas tree?
• Do you prepare gifts with wrapping paper or gift bags?
• Is there a favorite cookie or dessert recipe you bake every year?
• Do you enjoy looking at Christmas lights in your neighborhood?
• What holiday entertainment and activities are in your area?
• What is your preference for holiday lights? Charlie Brown style or Great American Light fight?

Personal Conversation Starters

• What has been one of your greatest accomplishments in life, either personal or professional?
• What are some of your hobbies? How did you get started doing them?
• Let’s talk entertainment! What are some of your favorite books, games, movies, music, and tv shows?
• What are some of your dreams or aspirations?
• Share a fun fact about yourself
• Do you have any pets?
• If you could travel to anywhere in the world, where would you visit?
• If you could be in any TV show, what would you choose?
• What is your occupation?

• Are you involved in any community groups or organizations? What are they?
• Where is your favorite place in your home?
• Have you ever met anyone famous? If you could, who would it be?
• One type of animal do you feel you most identify with?
• Do you have a favorite mythical creature? (Dragons, unicorns, fairies, gnomes, etc.)
• Do you prefer cooking or baking?
• What is your favorite type of ice cream?
• Would you rather re-live a day from the past, or experience one day in the future?
• If you could have a super power, what would it be?
• If you could only keep one personal item, what would it be?

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Family History Conversation Questions

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This family tree book is a great place to store and organize important information (affiliate link- https://amzn.to/3FEWZz6 )

Share and discuss important facts such as:

• Full legal name, maiden names, divorced names, and nicknames
• Birth date and birth location (Country, State, County, Town, Hospital name)
• List of all residences
• Milestone moments- marriage dates, spouses’ names, location of wedding, engagement/marriage announcements
• Types and places of occupations
• Names of parents, siblings, grandparents, aunts, uncles, cousins
• Share important documents and where they are kept for safe keeping (newspaper clippings, cards, obituaries, announcements)

• Details about personal interests, hobbies, and communities or groups involved in
• Talk about friendships and influential people who played a role in your / someone else’s life
• Share family stories
• Talk about places people traveled and visited
• If you have the opportunity, ask about a family history detail you are interested in or want to understand better
• Discuss family immigration such as how your ancestors came to the United States, or any other country

I hope you enjoyed this article and that it gave you some fun ideas for conversation starters and ice breakers! If you’d like to read some of my answers to these questions, click here: https://rlsphotogenic.com/my-answers-to-conversation-starters/ I’d love to hear some of your answers too! Send me a message on social media or post in the comments!

Wishing you a wonderful Holiday Season and Happy New Year to you and your family!

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