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My earliest memory is of sitting on the couch, cuddled to my
Mother (the TB must have been in remission at that point) while Daddy set up the Christmas tree. This completed, the crowning moment came. I held my breath as he left the room, only to reappear carrying a very large, much beribboned, pale purple box. The name was splashed across the top—PURDIES. Later on I understood this to be “a gift from Head Office”. It appeared each year. Vancouver’s famous chocolates! And in such abundance! I lay on my small tummy, gazing….
After Mother’s death Christmas lacked joy. But eventually my Father remarried. My stepmother’s two much older sisters were creatures of awe. But all that changed dramatically at Christmas.
That was when they prepared a feast, and invited everyone in both extended families. The huge dining room table groaned under its load of delicious food. I was transported to Christmas Heaven. But it was not the food that enthralled me so much as what came next. When all was cleared away, we adjourned to the living room, and the games began.
Ordered to form a large circle, we started with “Spin the Plate.” (I can still see usually staid Aunt Grace leaping to catch it before it fell. “Musical Hats” was next—the Aunts had retained a plethora of ancient flowered and feathered ladies’ hats. It was played like Musical Chairs, and engendered much mirth. There was a version of Fruit Basket. There were elaborate guessing games. My childhood was transformed.
So as soon as our children were old enough, family games became
an instant tradition. Friends and their children, most of us far from
extended family, joined in. Our home from Christmas to New Years was a mecca for these happy groups. We created our own list of favourites. There had to be, of course, “Canfield”—a legacy from the aunts. It was really just an extended version of Solitaire, which tended to become very fast and noisy. The best loved, perhaps, was “The Adverb Game” –also known as “In the manner of the word.” One person went “out”. Heads were put together, and an adverb chosen. When the children were young, it would be simple—perhaps “happily” or “sloppily.” Then the chosen person made demands. “Play the piano in the manner of the word”. “Bring your Mom the candy….” Later on, adverbs became complex. This is still a family favourite—even adults ask for it—sometimes!
When our sons became teenagers, they tortured a few by their ingenious game ideas. “The Poetry Game” meant choosing a beat—usually iambic pentameter—and writing two lines, with only the last word exposed. The paper was then folded down and passed on with the last two lines to be completed. For years a traditional family quotation was:
“The hen had laid a single egg,
She hung her apron on a peg.”
Why was this so hilarious?
Now often spread far apart at Christmas, family members continue to
inflict games on friends and relatives.
“Danes won’t play games properly,” says my sister in Denmark. “So I’m training my own next generation.” I too, have exposed unsuspecting new friends to the “Games at Christmas” tradition. Combined with an evening of carol singing, I’ve found this a wonderful way to engage all ages—a diversity that does not happen often enough these days.
“I was so lucky”, my daughter told me once. “You always included kids in your parties. My teenage friends had to go to their rooms when their parents had parties! They envied me”. Some, however, cannot be converted. Games still fill them with fear—or are considered “silly.” My daughter-in-law is one of the fearful—having been brought up to a more sedate Christmas style. Also, she abhors competition—even if it is friendly competition. So I am giving my son one of the non-competitive games this year—she may approve—and even enjoy!
Meanwhile, I sit sedately at my daughter-in-law’s “At Homes,” which are always great fun. I enjoy their diversity of friends, especially the children. . Home again, my memory flashes back…I fall asleep playing Spin the Plate.
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