6 Holiday Hosting Rules Ohio Grandparents and Their Grown Kids Never Agree On

Holiday dinners come with a lot of love, and a few strong opinions about how things should go.

When grandparents and grown kids share the planning, Ohioans can find themselves on opposite sides of some small but stubborn questions.

Here’s where the generations tend to clash, and what etiquette guides say.

1. Phones at the Table

A phone-free table is one holiday hosting rule where habits differ by age.

Emily Post’s Thanksgiving guide tells guests to put their phones away at the dinner table and check texts and scores after the meal.

You can point to that guidance when you ask.

In a 2014 Pew Research Center survey, 98% of cellphone owners ages 18 to 29 used their phone at their most recent social gathering.

Among those 65 and older, it was 69%.

Cellphone owners over 50 were more likely than younger owners to say phone use frequently hurts group conversations, 45% to 29%.

2. Political Talk

Emily Post’s Thanksgiving guide says it’s best for holiday guests to avoid controversial or painful topics throughout the day.

If you’re hosting a table with every age at it, you can point guests to that guidance before dinner.

In a November 2024 YouGov survey, 31% of adults under 30 said it was likely they’d get into a political argument at Thanksgiving.

That compares with 25% of adults ages 30 to 44 and 11% of adults ages 45 to 64.

Among Americans 65 and older, it was 5%.

3. Dinner Time

Holiday guests should arrive at or shortly after the time on the invitation, according to Emily Post’s party etiquette page.

Shortly after means fifteen minutes or less, and guests shouldn’t arrive early.

If you’re picking the time for your invitation, age groups often disagree on it.

In a Pew survey from November 2024, Americans 65 and older were more likely to prefer Thanksgiving dinner earlier in the afternoon than later.

Adults under 30 were more likely to prefer late afternoon over early afternoon.

Noon to 3 p.m. counted as early afternoon and 3 to 6 p.m. as late afternoon.

4. Menu Control

Holiday guests are told to offer to contribute to the meal but not to dictate the menu, according to Emily Post’s Thanksgiving guide.

Hosts should keep a flexible menu plan, since Thanksgiving is a bit of a potluck affair.

If you’re offering to bring something, your best bet is an open-ended offer that follows the host’s direction.

Cooking splits by age too, according to YouGov’s November 2025 poll.

Among Americans 45 and older, 28% said they would do all or most of the cooking, compared with 20% of younger adults.

The poll surveyed adults in general, not only hosts.

5. Clean-Up Help

In YouGov's November 2025 poll, 23% of adults under 30 said they would do all or most of the clean-up after a holiday dinner.

That compares with 32% of older Americans.

Emily Post's Thanksgiving guide tells guests to offer to help, whether throughout the day or after the meal.

If you're a guest, your offer is thoughtful even when no host requires or expects it.

6. Serving Order

At your holiday table, the guide says a host should serve and seat young children and the elderly first.

That puts the oldest guests and the youngest ones ahead of everyone in between, grown kids included.

If you're the host, you can follow that order without picking favorites.

Take a tip from the airlines on this one.

Where Dinner Happens

Whose house the holiday dinner is at is a question many families answer differently.

In Pew's November 2024 survey, 34% of Americans planned to have Thanksgiving dinner at their home.

Another 39% planned to go to someone else's home.

Among Americans 50 and older, 40% planned dinner at their home, compared with 29% of adults under 50.

If you're hosting, Emily Post's guide says you should assign tasks, from greeting guests and taking coats to setting the table.

Where Most Adults Agree

Holiday hosts asking for phones to be put away have wide agreement to lean on.

In Pew's survey, 82% of adults said phone use in social settings frequently or occasionally hurts the conversation.

If you're asking guests to put their phones away, you're asking about a concern most adults share.

Also, 89% of cellphone owners used their phone during the most recent social gathering they attended.

Invitation Deadline

If you're hosting a holiday dinner, Emily Post's guide says to send your invitations at least a month ahead.

A month before Thanksgiving on Nov. 26 falls on Oct. 26.

Give guests who might be traveling more notice than that.

Overnight Stays

Holiday hosting can include out-of-town guests who stay overnight, and you can set the days when you invite them.