Avoid the Awkward: 25 Burning Questions to Ask Around the Fire This Thanksgiving 

For most of us, the holidays are about family, friendship, food, and fun. Quite often, a holiday like Thanksgiving can bring a unique blend of people together. It might mean your coworker is coming to spend the day with your partner and kiddos. It could also mean that your best friend, who knows all about your wild college days, is going to be mingling with your grandparents. It definitely has the potential to be awkward, but it doesn’t have to be!

If the vibe inside starts to feel stale, move the gathering outside and keep it casual around a fire. Solo Stove fire pits make it easy to start a smokeless fire in 10 minutes, allowing you to sit back and enjoy the night. The last thing you want to do this Thanksgiving is dodge smoke and awkward exchanges. Gathering around a mesmerizing flame will make each guest feel more at ease, open to warm conversation and gut-busting laughter.

To help start the conversation, we’ve come up with a few unique questions to help you dive deeper with your family and guests.

Questions to ask kids of all ages

1.) If you could camp anywhere, where would you go? What would you cook on the camp stove for a snack?

2.) If we fired up the Bonfire, how many s’mores could you eat?

3.) Which is better and why? (Give each kid a chance to answer before moving to the next)

a. Cake or pie?

b. Swimming or Biking?

c. Mountains or ocean?

d. Family campfire or family game night?

e. Pancakes, french toast, or waffles?

f. Spring, fall, winter, or summer?

g. Thanksgiving or Christmas?

4.) If snow or rain could fall in any flavor, which would you choose?

5. )What is the nicest thing you’ve ever done for someone? How did it make them feel? Would you do it again?

Questions for kids to ask their parents

1.) Did your parents ever take you camping? What were trips with them like?

2.) What is your favorite holiday movie and why?

3.) Have you ever encountered an animal while hiking? 

4.) What is your spirit animal? 

5.) Did you ever get into trouble as a kid?

5.)What is your favorite national park?

Questions to ask older relatives

1.) Tell us about your most memorable road trip. 

2.) If you could choose an age to be forever, what age would you choose?

3.) What is one question you wish people would ask more often?

4.) Do you enjoy waking up early to catch the sunrise, or would you rather sleep in? 

Questions to ask your spouse or romantic partner

1.) Tell me about a time when the outdoors showed you something about yourself.

2.) What taste or smell transports you back to your childhood?

3.) What does reconnecting to the great outdoors mean to you? What does that feel like?

4.) Would you spend the day hiking, kayaking, or relaxing by the fire?

5.) What do you consider to be your biggest accomplishment?

Questions to ask your friends

1.) Would you rather camp on the beach, in the mountains, or in the desert?

2.) Do you have any vacations planned for this winter?

3.) What is one movie you can watch over and over and never get tired of?

4.) Do you have a favorite podcast to listen to on a road trip? If not, what do you listen to in the car?

5.) Have you ever had a wilderness mishap where your dream outdoor adventure went wrong?

6.) What is your favorite thing to drink around the fire?

Questions to ask anyone

1.) What is your favorite holiday dish or recipe?

2.) How burnt is too burnt when roasting a marshmallow?

3.) If a freshly roasted weenie falls off your roasting stick and onto the ground, do you follow the 10-second rule? Or do you flash it in the flames?

4.) What is your favorite outdoor activity?

5.) What are your fondest memories around a campfire?

6.) Which of your favorite pizza toppings would work oddly together on a pizza but still taste good?

Now that you’ve got a few ideas to keep the conversation interesting, be ready to fight that post-turkey energy slump. Here are six ways to get outside and keep the fun going over your Thanksgiving weekend.