Recently, the children and I were talking about what constitutes good, appropriate topics for polite conversation. Whenever we discuss this, a quote from Linus in It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown always comes up:

“There are three things that I’ve learned never to discuss with people: religion, politics, and the Great Pumpkin.”

Of course, the follow-up question is always, “What are you supposed to talk about, then?” This quote from Emily Gilmore on Gilmore Girls sums it up pretty well (and the older I get, the more I think she was right!)!

“Now, Charlotte, when the conversation lags, a good guest ought to be prepared to introduce a new topic. Keep it light — no politics, no religion. My little trick? Think of things in the middle three sections of the Sunday New York Times — travel, arts & leisure, Sunday styles — and forget the rest of the paper exists.”