It’s that time of year for family gatherings, which often include plenty of conversation topics that work around gift openings, dinners, and sports events.

It’s an occasion for talking face to face with relatives who we sometimes don’t see all that often. We don’t always know their exact take on typical conversation subjects, whether it’s political, social, scientific or pop culture.

The weather is a safe bet, but that’s not going to last for even a fraction of a typical major holiday gathering.

So there will probably be at least one occasion when there’s a need to think twice about a conversational reply. There’s no need to offend anyone. Then again some other alternatives might sound tactful but not entirely forthcoming.

That’s where stock phrases come into play. They’ve always been around, and they’ve had a way of staying popular as society changes, as social conventions from one particular time period might or might not apply to something currently in the spotlight.

There’s a huge lexicon of phrases available when a situation is right for them. Mostly they’re subtle. They could be taken a variety of ways, possibly in the worst context if someone wants to take a particular train of thought.

Usually there are also at least two or three other variations. Most of the time all the alternatives are easier to accept.

Four of those phrases that have enjoyed popularity in recent years are “whatever,” “that’s interesting,” “who knows” and “just saying.”

The first on the list has to be chosen with caution. The tone used with “whatever” is very important. The safest tone is a carefree “I don’t know and don’t really care” cadence.

It has to stop short of implying that the topic is ridiculous. It works, though, if it just comes across as passive agreement. It’s always possible to go a little further with the tone, to indicate that maybe the whole idea should be put on the shelf like leftover pickles.

The “that’s interesting” comment has more avenues. It’s a springboard that allows the conversational train to proceed with little if any caution.

Interesting could mean highly appropriate, ironic, laughable, goofy, peculiar or plenty of other adjectives. It rarely has a downside, usually only if the speaker thought the idea was crystal clear without a need for further thought.

The whole “who knows” response is even more flexible, actually one of the most open-ended stock phrases in the world. It means simply that life isn’t always logical.

It’s not hard to accept, because no one really knows all that much with absolute certainty. It leaves everything open to whatever interpretations are offered. They aren’t all necessarily equally valid, but there’s a good chance something will happen at the gathering to cut the conversation off before it goes that far.

Last but not least, you really got to love “just saying.” It’s one of the newer conversation phrases to come along. It’s had surprising effectiveness, which probably points to the whole idea that sometimes openness and total honesty are not bad approaches.

It pushes the envelope in interesting ways. Really people could say a wide range of things as long as they also say just saying. It happens quite a lot.

Someone or something could be called a (fill in the blank). Just saying. Of course that idea has limits, but there’s a definite elastic effect that can lead to surprising results.

Four examples are enough to show the pattern. It would be nice if we all had a dollar for every time any of those four and all the other counterpart phrases get used. They help social activities flow along smoothly. They prove that small talk isn’t always a waste of time.

In the end it tends to add up to a meaningful and enjoyable set of holiday dialogues. As we all know, it can be fun when someone new to an annual gathering gives the person they went with an honest interpretation afterwards.

It comes down to how people everywhere have a chance on the holidays to be themselves. That’s what makes the gatherings memorable. It makes them a tradition.