There's not much that can be bad about Thanksgiving.

Food, plus you and your family and friends are piled into one dining room for hours until the tryptophan starts picking off the guests.

Oh yes, that's a pretty sweet holiday.

There is plenty to like, but for those in their teenage years, there are some pitfalls.

Pitfalls such as sitting at a card table eating off paper plates while wedged between screaming younger cousins. Or worse, being told dozens of times by relatives and a crew of Mom and Dad's pals, "Oh, I remember when you were just a wittle guy."

Great.

So to get the day down right, for its perks and for its pits, Teen Style has something to say about loving, hating, but most importantly, surviving Thanksgiving.

Happy holiday, or perhaps more appropriately, good luck.

– Rachael Bogert, Bee staff writer

It's important to keep everyone focused on the better aspects of Thanksgiving. That said, what are your favorite parts?

Danielle Wordelman, Loretto High School: The stuffing, because there's so much of it. My family puts cereal in it, like it's a prize in the turkey. Then there's the Macy's (Thanks- giving Day) Parade. That's a lot of fun to watch and it's everyone's tradition. Then there are those people who like football or whatever. Make sure you have two TVs going so there's no fighting.

Eric Orosco, Rosemont High School: The post-dinner talk when you are sitting at the table. For me, that's when my cousins start gossiping about family and start spilling everything that people maybe shouldn't be sharing.

Jon Vorpe, Jesuit High School: Being around your family and seeing people you haven't seen in a while, or just sort of catching up with relatives.

Tamar Kuyumjian, Loretto High School: The best part is really the preparations of the meal; it's a family thing. My mom does the turkey and each one of my three sisters has her own side dish that they do really well. I do the pumpkin pie; sometimes we mix it up and have a pumpkin cheesecake.

Hallie McKnight, Loretto High School: The food.

OK, so what are the bad parts? How do you deal?

Danielle: The kids table. It's for everyone under the age of 18. Just have a deck of cards or something. You can keep the kids happy between dinner and dessert that way.

Eric: I hate Thanksgiving up to the point of eating. It's kind of awkward. You say "hi" to all these people and then you give all these hugs and then you sit down and wait to say grace. You just sort of have to bear that awkwardness.

Jon: Sometimes it's kind of difficult to deal with; there's a lot of relatives to deal with, which means a lot of people and kids. And little kids, they make it a little chaotic and more insane sometimes. You just have to go with the flow.

Tamar: Uh, there's nothing bad about it. Be happy.

Hallie: It's not a big, huge holiday at my house, so maybe I just want it to be bigger. I want to do it with more family and more friends. More people would just be better.

Is there some of the standard Thanksgiving food that you don't like?

Danielle: Cranberry sauce. I hate cranberry sauce from the can. I don't get it, people slave for hours and hours to make this amazing meal and then they whip out this can. There's got to be time to boil sugar, water and cranberries or whatever. Come on, twice a year, just twice a year, Thanksgiving and Christmas, do it right. (See Danielle's easy recipe for cranberry sauce online at sacbee.com/teens.)

Eric: Cranberry sauce is a no.

Jon: I just don't like cranberry sauce.

Tamar: Yams, I don't like those.

Hallie: Mashed potatoes. I know, everyone likes them.

How do you make small talk with relatives and family friends?

Danielle: I always get asked, "Do you have a boyfriend yet?" I usually just say something along the lines of "I'm just not interested," and then I get a strange look. I try to make them laugh.

Eric: I just smile, nod and just agree. You'll hear a bunch of times, "I remember when you were so little!" I just politely make it short. Whatever you do, don't leave something open to question. Get to the point.

Jon: I actually don't mind it that much because most of the time it's interesting to talk to people. I just try to talk to them about classes, brief stuff. I think that in terms of topic, it's best to pick one that's not too difficult to talk about and to go with the flow. You can't just avoid people.

Tamar: I stick to normal topics, staying away from anything too serious. In families, mine anyway, you wouldn't want to bring up the family drama. Stick to asking about school and work.

Hallie: I mostly try to nod and smile a lot. My family is not very big, so there's not much of an interrogation. I just try and go along with it and then conveniently excuse myself.

Where is the worst place to get seated?

Danielle: Next to the youngest one, because they take everything but they don't eat anything.

Eric: The worst type of person to sit next to would have to be the kids. Any of the younger generations, younger than teenagers, are the worst. I'm just thinking, 'Why am I here?' But I've set my place up in the family where I'm not a kid anymore. Basically, you make friends with right people in the family.

Jon: I'll still get stuck at the kids' table and I'm 16. But when that happens it's kind of interesting. Most of the time I try and talk to them and initiate conversation or they just go into their own world. Other times they get antsy and I try and maintain the calm in the area.

Tamar: It's a family day, so just sit where you get placed, I guess.

Hallie: I get stuck next to my sister and she's left-handed. That's interesting.