One aperitif follows the other, and celebrations are held on many occasions: Seen in this light, holidays are an extremely social time. But what to talk about when the table order forces you between silent work colleagues or you have to sit next to the least funny aunt of all people? Small talk helps. Provided you know how.
Small talk is the art of getting a conversation going in a casual way. How about starting with a little story? Have you recently experienced or heard something amusing? Or tell something interesting about yourself without putting yourself too firmly in the foreground. Small talk creates an informal and pleasant atmosphere. It builds closeness and sympathy and is a charming way to arouse interest.
Image: Small talk is an art.
Be positive, interesting and humorous
Radiate lightness, show yourself charming. You can never go wrong with that. Humor also has a positive connotation. It reduces stress and loosens up. An important point, especially over the holidays, when many things can come up that have been lying dormant in us all year. There are enough jokes at Christmas time, here are some examples: "Grandpa, your violin was the best Christmas present ever!" "Oh yes my little one, why is that?" "Mom gives me a nickel every day if I don't play it." Or: The father enlightens his son. "Now you're old enough for the truth: This Santa Claus and also the Easter Bunny, that was always me." "That's been clear to me for a long time, Dad. Only the stork was Uncle Thomas." Or, "Mom, look, the Christmas tree is on fire." "You know they say the Christmas tree is lit," she says. "All right, then the curtain is lit now, too."
Image: Lost in words? Not with us.
Treesome numbers and more
A two-meter-high Christmas tree bears a proud 400,000 needles, and by New Year's Eve at the latest, 300,000 of them are lying on the floor of the living room. Anyone who keeps a house cat can sing quite different songs about it. Once the holidays are over, the Christmas trees end up on the compost heap or are burned. They cannot be fed to animals. Simply because they contain too many Christmas decorations and wax residues. Incidentally, the record for cutting down Christmas trees is held by the American Erin Lavoie. In 2008, she managed to cut 27 trees in two minutes.
Image: Well, how many needles and leaves do you see?
Children are the true gift
The festival of love, harmony and contemplative get-togethers is a dream come true for everyone who loves candlelight, romance and enjoyment. This also bears fruit: statistically, most children, around nine percent, are born after mid-September. Exactly nine months after Christmas. So from that perspective, many couples don't just unwrap presents over the festive season....
Image: Not only children love Christmas.
Oh you big surprise
It's best not to talk about it until after dessert: the Christmas season is a real marathon, during which we eat and drink our way through several days. Once we reach the home stretch, we weigh an average of 370 grams more. No wonder nuts, sweets and festive menus leave their mark. Not to mention alcohol, we drink over 30% more of it than during the year. But the best is yet to come: On New Year's Eve, we go straight to next.
Conclusion: Small talk brings people closer together - even those who are meeting for the first time. With a little practice, this results in conversations that will be remembered fondly.
