{thanksfully 2.0: mind games}

In my family, I AM the gamesmistress.

We didn’t often have television, when I was growing up, my parents being of that generation who grew up on it constantly, but then, the Kill Your Television people came along with their guilt trips and stickers, and screwed them up entirely. We had TV. Then, it was bad, and we had no TV. And then, we had it again. Just the usual psychosis from my childhood. Well, I don’t have a TV, not because I think it’s bad, but because I’m lazy and cheap and in the UK would not pay the stupid television license fee, plus, there’s the computer. Anyway, we’re all about the books around here, and tea, and games. Always and always, the games.

Now, though my sisters and I are nowhere near as competitive as my darling Charlotte and her sisters (play jacks with this woman – just once. You’ll see), we, too, played to win, and for mocking rights, and bragging rights that usually lasted at least ten minutes before the next game. I played Old Maid obsessively as a child — to the point where no one wanted to play with me. (This became a common theme.) In the UK, Tech Boy and I got into the habit of these EPIC Scrabble games that went on for hours – challenge, counter challenge – four games a night on our rotating board. We visited friends in Utrecht, and learned to play canasta — and still try vainly to reteach the family every year.

Tech Boy used to make his brothers CRY when he played board games with them. (And, come to think of it, a little cousin of mine wept over something like Stratego or something, too. Wimp.) We’re not even nice people to be with at church parties. Sometime I’ll have to tell you about the time my youngest sister, comPLETELY fooled an entire room full of adults when she was about eight, playing a game called Mafia. She killed us ALL, and no one could figure out who the hitman was (You seriously cannot take some of us ANYWHERE).

This Thanksgiving, my eldest sister is begging to be crushed again in what used to be the annual Monopoly slaughter. (She’s NEVER won. WHY does she keep challenging me. I AM THE GAMESMISTRESS. Is this not clear??) (What, now? Some people play for love of the game, not to crush their feebly protesting family members into dust? Oh. Huh. How about that.) It’s a game that takes ALL Flippin’ DAY, though, so though she’s clearly begging to be vanquished, we’ll see if we have time in the schedule…

For strategy, aggressiveness, cunning, and sheer, narrow-eyed cussedness, you won’t find a better (or worse?) group of people than my family. Let the games begin — and, probably, we should be thankful they’re ONLY games… and, that the holidays come but once a year…