The holidays come with a lot of family conversations. Whether you've taken the necessary planes, trains and automobiles to be with your loved ones or are celebrating from a distance, there's often a parade of family updates: well-wishing calls that inevitably (and gratifyingly!) lead to reports and check-ins. Some of us come from divorced families and are well versed in the art of these types of phone calls, so please take a little wisdom from me.
First, I recommend having some anecdotes or themes on hand. You'll need to be in the flow of the conversation, but the openness of even a simple “So what's been happening to you?” can quickly sink even a seasoned conversationalist if you're not prepared.
The next one will be controversial, possibly, but I think it will be vital: Have a task! Getting busy, tidying up, washing dishes, going for a walk, sitting down and doing crafts… which. We're looking for something your brain can do in the background so you can focus on the call and, conversely, give it your all. I have been known to clean an entire house or two while catching up with people. But one of my personal favorites when I'm still watching craft videos, and specifically resin makers.
These videos have the advantage of having no sound, save for a haunting soundtrack that you can mute while you're on the call, but with intricate, procedural craftsmanship. It's the kind of thing that fascinates me, to the point that it almost overwhelms my innate feeling that I could never be prepared for this line of work. It is fascinating and incredible. Each step has its own set of skills and each gives way to this extraordinary set. I, personally, spent several long phone calls last year ruining my YouTube algorithm by watching the Minibricks channel, which I felt had a great mix of art, humor, and revelation. But the beautiful thing about a long catch-up call is that it gives you the opportunity to let the robots do their thing and take you on an adventure; Once you finish one resin model, you move on to the next. And before long you will have caught up with everyone you love and will have a strong desire to buy a resin shark lamp.