Questions · Christmas dinner
Christmas dinner conversation starters for the whole table
Christmas table questions for the meal itself and the slow hours after it: small joys, old Christmases, kitchen disasters and the year you’re about to close.
- 23 questions
- EN + TL on every card
- Free in the app
Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.
From when you were younger, what habit or interest do you still carry now?
Mula nung bata ka, anong habit o hilig ang dala mo pa rin ngayon?
Some parts of us do not disappear; they just grow up with us. It can be nice to notice what stayed.
May parts tayo na hindi naman nawawala; lumalaki lang kasama natin. Nakakatuwang mapansin kung ano yung naiwan.
The questions
23 Christmas table questions
Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.
While everyone’s still eating
8 questions
Small pleasures and harmless opinions. Easy for the kids and the in-laws.
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Pick one drink that makes an ordinary day feel a little special.
Pumili ng isang drink na nagpaparamdam na medyo special ang ordinary day.
Back of the card
A drink can turn an ordinary pause into a tiny celebration. Sometimes that small upgrade is the whole point.
Minsan isang drink lang, parang may small celebration na sa ordinary day. Yun na yung tiny upgrade.
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Pick one small mood upgrade, like a drink, song, scent, snack, or clean space.
Pumili ng isang small mood upgrade, like drink, song, scent, snack, o malinis na space.
Back of the card
A mood upgrade does not need to be big. Sometimes one small detail is enough to change the angle of the day.
Hindi kailangang malaki ang mood upgrade. Minsan isang small detail lang, nag-iiba na yung angle ng araw.
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Name one small, specific thing you enjoy more than people expect.
Magbanggit ng isang maliit at specific na bagay na mas enjoy mo kaysa ina-expect ng iba.
Back of the card
Specific joys can be tiny clues about a person. They do not need to make sense to everyone to be real.
Yung specific joys, maliit na clue tungkol sa tao. Hindi kailangan gets ng lahat para maging real.
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Share one personal rule that only you seem to understand.
Mag-share ng isang personal rule na ikaw lang yata ang nakakaintindi.
Back of the card
Personal rules can sound strange from the outside. From the inside, they usually have a very clear origin story.
Minsan weird pakinggan ang personal rules sa iba. Pero sa'yo, usually may malinaw yang origin story.
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If you could pause time, when would you use it?
Kung kaya mong i-pause ang oras, kailan mo ito gagamitin?
Back of the card
During the pause, would you rush to do something or enjoy the quiet?
Habang naka-pause, may mamadaliin ka bang gawin o mae-enjoy mo ang katahimikan?
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Which button would you rather have: pause a busy hour or replay a favorite hour?
Kung may time button, alin ang pipiliin mo: i-pause ang isang abalang oras o ulitin ang paborito mong oras?
Back of the card
Your button needs a label. What would you write on it?
Kailangan ng label ang button mo. Ano ang isusulat mo rito?
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Design a celebration just for you. What would make it feel special?
Magplano ng celebration para sa sarili mo. Ano ang magpapaspecial dito?
Back of the card
Which part of the celebration would you happily repeat the next day?
Aling bahagi ng celebration ang masaya mong uulitin kinabukasan?
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Name the household item that becomes an issue when it goes missing.
Sabihin yung gamit sa bahay na nagiging issue kapag nawawala.
Back of the card
Some objects are only appreciated when they disappear. Their absence somehow turns the whole house into a search party.
May gamit na napapansin lang kapag nawawala. Bigla na lang buong bahay, search party na.
Christmases past
8 questions
Childhood stories, house traditions and the things that went wrong.
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Back when you were a kid, what game or activity could keep you busy for hours?
Nung bata ka, anong laro o activity ang kaya mong pagkaabalahan nang ilang oras?
Back of the card
Childhood focus has its own sweetness. It remembers a time when getting lost in play was enough.
May sariling saya yung focus nung bata tayo. Naalala nito yung panahon na sapat na ang maglaro nang maglaro.
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From when you were younger, what habit or interest do you still carry now?
Mula nung bata ka, anong habit o hilig ang dala mo pa rin ngayon?
Back of the card
Some parts of us do not disappear; they just grow up with us. It can be nice to notice what stayed.
May parts tayo na hindi naman nawawala; lumalaki lang kasama natin. Nakakatuwang mapansin kung ano yung naiwan.
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Tell us about a small thing you can do now that would have amazed you as a kid.
Kuwento mo yung maliit na bagay na kaya mo na ngayon na maa-amaze ka kung bata ka pa.
Back of the card
Progress can look ordinary from the outside. But younger you might know exactly how big that ordinary thing is.
Mukhang ordinaryo minsan ang progress. Pero baka alam ng batang ikaw kung gaano kalaki yung ordinaryong bagay na yan.
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Finish this: our barkada or family always laughs when ___.
Tapusin yung line: Laging nauuwi sa tawanan kapag ___.
Back of the card
Shared laughter becomes part of a group's language. Sometimes one unfinished sentence is enough to bring everyone back there.
Yung shared laughter, nagiging sariling language ng group. Minsan isang bitin na sentence lang, gets na agad.
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What small things make a room feel welcoming to you?
Anong maliliit na bagay ang nagpaparamdam sa'yo na welcome ka sa isang room?
Back of the card
Welcome can come from tone, space, food, faces, or small signals that say you do not have to prove yourself.
Puwedeng galing sa tono, space, pagkain, mukha ng tao, o maliliit na sign na hindi mo kailangang patunayan ang sarili mo.
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Describe a moment that stressed you out before but makes you laugh now.
I-describe yung moment na stressful dati pero natatawa ka na ngayon.
Back of the card
Some stressful moments lose their sharp edges with time. Once the panic fades, the story sometimes becomes surprisingly funny.
May stressful moments na lumalambot habang tumatagal. Kapag wala na yung panic, minsan funny story na siya.
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Share one time your timing was really off and it became funny later.
Mag-share ng time na sobrang sablay ng timing mo at naging funny later.
Back of the card
Bad timing can be annoying in the moment and hilarious later. It has a way of turning itself into comedy.
Yung bad timing, nakakainis sa moment pero funny later. Parang kusa siyang nagiging comedy pag binalikan.
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Recall a harmless mistake that became a good story later.
Anong pagkakamali ang nakakatawa nang balikan ngayon, na wala namang nasaktan?
Back of the card
What would the title of this story be?
Ano ang magiging pamagat ng kuwentong ito?
Closing the year
7 questions
For the end of the night, when it’s down to coffee and whoever stayed.
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Share the first time you did something on your own and felt more capable afterward.
Ikuwento ang unang beses mong gumawa ng isang bagay mag-isa at naisip mong, "Kaya ko pala."
Back of the card
Finish if you like: "That was when I realized I could..."
Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Doon ko naisip na kaya ko palang..."
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After finishing something hard, how do you usually celebrate or recover?
Kapag natapos mo ang mahirap na bagay, paano ka usually nagse-celebrate o nagre-recover?
Back of the card
Finishing something hard deserves a landing. Some people mark it loudly; some just need a quiet exhale.
Kapag may natapos kang mahirap, kailangan din ng landing. May nagse-celebrate nang malakas; may tahimik na hinga lang.
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What would you like to make more time for this month?
Ano ang gusto mong bigyan ng mas maraming oras ngayong buwan?
Back of the card
Imagine an extra afternoon opens up. Would you spend it all on this or leave some time free?
Isipin na nabakante ang isang hapon. Ilalaan mo ba lahat ng oras dito o magtitira ka pa ng libreng oras?
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Which small plan are you looking forward to?
Anong small plan ang nilu-look forward mo?
Back of the card
Looking forward to something simple can help a week feel kinder. Small plans are allowed to matter.
Nakakagaan ng week kapag may simpleng nilu-look forward. Puwedeng maging mahalaga kahit maliit na plan lang.
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Describe the kind of person your recent choices point toward.
I-describe kung anong klaseng tao ang tinuturo ng recent choices mo.
Back of the card
Your choices are not the whole story, but they do point somewhere. Notice the direction without rushing to judge it.
Hindi buong story ang choices mo, pero may direction silang tinuturo. Pansinin muna bago husgahan.
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When did you last change your mind after hearing a good reason?
Kailan ka huling nagbago ng isip dahil may narinig kang magandang reason?
Back of the card
Try an optional before-and-after: "I thought..., but now..."
Kung gusto mo: "Dati, akala ko..., pero ngayon..."
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Finish this sentence: “In this next season, I hope I get to experience...”
Tapusin mo yung sentence: “Sa next season, sana ma-experience ko...”
Back of the card
This sentence can stay small or open wide. Either way, it gives your hope a place to begin.
Puwedeng maliit lang o biglang lumawak yung sentence. Either way, may starting point yung hope mo.
How to use them
Before you ask
Christmas dinner has a strange rhythm. The meal takes hours to cook and twenty minutes to eat, and then everyone drifts to their phones or the TV. A few good questions keep people at the table a little longer, and they work whether it’s a big family dinner, a quiet one for two or an orphans’ Christmas with friends.
Keep the meal itself light: small treats, harmless opinions, what you’d do with a pause button for one afternoon. Once the plates are cleared, ask for stories about Christmases past, the traditions only your house had and the year the oven gave up. The year-end questions are for last, when the group is small and nobody is in a hurry.
If your family celebrates the Filipino way, with the midnight meal on Christmas Eve, see Noche Buena questions. For the office or barkada party with games, see Christmas party questions.
Good for
Tips
- Put one card at each place setting and let people read theirs between courses.
- Ask the oldest person at the table about a Christmas from their childhood.
- Keep gift talk out of it; questions about money spoil a good mood fast.
- Save the year-in-review cards for after dessert, with the people who are still sitting.
- Every card has an English and a Tagalog side, so mixed families can each read their own.
Decks for this
Christmas dinner
Frequently asked questions
What should we talk about at Christmas dinner?
Small joys, food, childhood Christmases and the traditions your family keeps. Light questions work during the meal; stories and year-end reflections work better once the plates are cleared.
What are some fun Christmas table questions?
Questions with quick, opinionated answers: a drink that makes a day feel special, a personal rule only you follow, what you would do if you could pause time for an afternoon. Everyone can answer in a sentence and argue about it after.
How do you keep family conversation going after Christmas dinner?
Ask for a story instead of an opinion. A question about a childhood Christmas or a kitchen disaster gives one person the floor for a few minutes, and the rest of the family usually adds their version.
Can we play these Christmas questions on a phone?
Yes. They are cards from the free Kumustahan app. Pick Getting to know and Just for fun, choose Keep it light, and pass the phone around the table.
Bring a better question to the table.
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