Don’t do it: 10 topics you don’t want to discuss at Thanksgiving dinner

FORMER RELATIONSHIPS: As in, make sure you know who's divorced and who's broken up with whom, because you don't want to be the reason cousin Cindy bursts into tears when you ask her how her fiance (now ex-fiance) is doing.

Tom Cruise: It's OK to make fun of Tom Cruise. Everybody does.

REFUGEES: Avoid all topics concerning refugees, unless you are discussing a particular Tom Petty song. But if you're discussing a Tom Petty song about refugees, you're really old and you have more problems than you're admitting.

DONALD TRUMP: Do not mention Donald Trump in any context. Just saying his name is a guaranteed Thanksgiving dinner table explosion. Do not make jokes about his hair. Do not say “You're fired” with a Trumpian accent. Do not build a wall with your dinner rolls around the edge of your plate and suddenly declare you're going to make Mexico pay for it.

WEIGHT: Do not, under any circumstances, tell anyone at the table they look like they've dropped a few pounds since you reluctantly saw them last Thanksgiving. If you do, you will be offending everyone else at the table who may have gained a few pounds since last Thanksgiving, and is in the process of gaining a few more before next Thanksgiving.

PRESIDENT OBAMA: The only context where mentioning the President could be appropriate is to answer a trivia question: Who is the current President of the United States? If that is your trivia question, you may have fallen and hit your head and you are being questioned by paramedics. You should know that one. All other references to President Obama are taboo. Do not look at the children's table, for example, and ask if all those kids have valid birth certificates from America.

RELIGION: The only reference to a higher power you should make during Thanksgiving dinner is to quietly whisper for forgiveness after you've brought up the topic of religion. Do not suggest, for example, that one deity could beat up another deity in a cage fight.

COMMON CORE: Be careful when talking about math with people who can't add or subtract in the first place.

HILLARY CLINTON: (See tip about Donald Trump.) Her name is a no-no. Do not compliment her new hairdo. Do not say how it would be nice to see a woman in the White House. Do not wonder aloud, for example, how they celebrate Thanksgiving in Benghazi.

WEATHER: You may talk about the weather only in the context of how it is right now. “It's a little chilly,” or “I wish it would snow” are safe for conversation. If you get into how much we need the rain, that could pull you into a fight about global warming and climate deniers and “Thanks Obama.”

GREEN BEAN CASSEROLE: It seems like a safe topic, but be careful because your mother-in-law probably made the green bean casserole. If you stick to how delicious the green bean casserole is, you're probably OK. But you'd better take at least two scoops of that stuff, or your mother-in-law might have an extra glass of wine to deal with the hurt you just caused her. Never let your mother-in-law have an extra glass of wine.