Are you avoiding family and friends over politics this holiday season? USA TODAY readers response in our latest Opinion Forum.

For this Forum installment, we wanted to know how you navigate the potential political minefield of family gatherings.

We asked you if there are folks of varying political persuasions at your Thanksgiving celebration. Or if you keep away from certain friends or family over the holidays, to avoid disagreements – and spilled cranberry sauce?

Maybe you have a special way to get through meals without any of that happening. Or maybe there are people you've cut out of your life completely because their beliefs are too much for you to stomach.

Your responses laid out a smorgasbord of experiences. Many of you said your Thanksgiving celebrations bring together people of different views. Some of you said you know that politics will stir arguments, so you find other things to talk about.

Others said current events are so significant that you can no longer, in good conscience, be with those on the other side of issues, such as immigration or how we use our military. Yet others said your relationships are important enough that politics will always take second place.

You can read a collection of these responses below and send in your own to us at forum@usatoday.com using the subject line "Forum Thanksgiving Politics."

I'm conservative. People at my Thanksgiving dinner aren't.

I'm a conservative and I celebrate Thanksgiving with people who have different political views than mine. I believe everyone is entitled to their own opinion based on their own experiences and beliefs. Decent people can hold opposing views and disagree without being disagreeable.

I don't bring up controversial subjects, and if someone insists on going off the rails about their beliefs, I simply walk away or ask to change the subject. I am willing to discuss things rationally, but I refuse to be baited and drawn into prolonged opinionated rants.

I don't love people because of their opinions, and I believe a civilized society demands dialogue. The fact that we have become so polarized and focused on sound bites and talking points rather than digging deeper into the issues is to our detriment as families and as a nation.

— Dan McDowell, Pennsylvania

To keep family gatherings joyful, I don't talk about Trump

Normally, just our immediate family celebrates together, and most of us hold similar views on the present administration.

I avoid talking politics with friends on most days. I still feel a sense of blame toward all who voted for Donald Trump for president. I blame them for everything Trump is doing to the people of America. But I have also begun to feel a little pity for them. How could they be so morally and spiritually blind to his character? How could they not see just how Trump is playing them?

In most cases, we do not destroy the joy of a family gathering by talking about Trump. It is just not worth it, nor is he. I am able to express my thoughts in forums such as this or on Facebook or Bluesky.

When we talk now with family who support Trump, we have agreed not to talk about him. We speak of family, the weather, sports and other topics. My family member has watched Fox News for over 30 years, and I cannot break through all the propaganda that has infused his life. So for the sake of our relationship, we agree that we cannot change each other. And we do not talk of politics. When he raises a political issue, I will not engage. So we have a common ground neutrality on politics.

— Rick Jones, Ohio

Friendships are eternal, political movements aren't

I live alone and don't have an opportunity to celebrate with extended family or friends, but if I did, politics would not be a factor.

I don't avoid friends or family over political differences, over the holidays or any other time. Family and friends are precious. Political moments are fleeting. I refuse to let political differences destroy quality relationships. Life is short, and it is friends and family that matter more than politics.

I do not discuss politics or anything remotely political with friends or family who support a different political viewpoint. I want to foster unity not division, to focus on things we share in common, rather than on things that could potentially divide us.

But I have had MAGA supporters cut me out of their lives because they know I don't support their leader or their movement, although I have never once criticized them, their leader or their movement. They just know the candidates I have previously worked for and supported are from the opposite party. I work hard to keep my longtime friendships with people of opposite political views from my own. They mean more to me than politics. Political movements are temporary ‒ quality friendships are eternal.

— Michelle Lindsey, South Carolina

With a situation this dire, I have cut off Trump-supporting relatives

In the past I would have listened as family members espoused all manner of Trump support, repeating his lies and conspiracy theories and even openly racist statements. My only rebuttal was “do you really believe that?” When they confirmed it, I just made a mental note: That’s a person I no longer want to associate with.

I no longer attend any gatherings of my family who are Trump supporters. I repeatedly declined invitations to birthday parties, holiday gatherings, etc. from my sisters until one day my niece asked me, “Why do you never come over anymore?” I told her, “I no longer care to associate with people who jumped on the MAGA train and departed for Crazytown.” They finally took the hint and stopped contacting me.

I haven’t spoken to my sisters in years, and I do mourn the loss and think about it almost every day. I’ve studied American history for 50 years, and I can tell you these are not normal times. This administration’s attacks on the free press, on education, on religious liberty, on women’s rights and on and on are abhorrent, and I will not pretend everything is fine.

I live in a very conservative area, where all politicians are completely on board with Trump. My complaints to them fall on deaf ears. The one thing I can personally do is cut the Trump supporters out of my life and hope that it will convey to them the seriousness of our situation.

— Jeff Jones, Florida

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: MAGA friends cut me out over Trump. I won't do it to them. | Your Turn

Reporting by Opinion Forum, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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