A Side of Peas With My Cell Phone, Please

We live in an age where our cell phones have become an inseparable part of us almost-- an appendage we can hardly do without.

Thanksgiving can be stressful enough without a cell phone (or two) ringing with calls and buzzing with text messages.

Who's trying to call? Did aunt Janie land safely in Chicago? What's the latest tweet from Bed-Stuy Patch?

So to help keep harmony when your family gathers this week, AT&T has offered a few techno-etiquette tips to ensure a peaceful and stress-free Thanksgiving, without the interference of overwhelming cell phone usage:

1.  Silence is golden: All cell phones should be on silent or vibrate mode on Thanksgiving day.

2.  Create a cell phone free zone: Family can text, talk, surf online and check social media as much as they want during the football game and kitchen prep, but not at the Thanksgiving table.

3.  No paparazzi: Take photos of family before or after the meal, but don’t whip out your camera phone during dinner (Unless the baby's first Thanksgiving turns out to be really cute).

4. Take personal conversations outside: If you must take or make a call on Thanksgiving day, step outside or into another room, so that others aren’t forced to overhear your call.

5.  Take a break between courses: If people desperately need to check their phones, build in breaks between the meal and dessert when everyone is stretching their legs anyway.