The Accidental Locavore wants to relieve some of the stress of the holidays and put a smile on everyone's face. How? Try Holiday Bingo! When we used to go to Rancho La Puerta, the highlight of the week for everyone was bingo night (probably because there was unlimited popcorn). I still have the set of 5 papier-mâché napkin rings I won one night (is five a significant number at Mexican dinner tables?). You may have heard about Meeting Bingo, where you track all the tired business clichés..."at the end of the day, teambuilding, thinking outside the box, metrics, etc" (and thanks to About.com, someone's already figured out how to use this to teach you how to be a better manager), but if you haven't tried Christmas Dinner Bingo, you're missing a big opportunity!
A couple of years ago, the Cleveland Plains Dealer had a way to bring entertainment hilarity to Christmas dinner, or any family gathering: Holiday Bingo. You mark down on a card every time you hear someone saying something really dumb, annoying, or just plain typical. On their site you can download game boards, but why not create your own? The prizes can be whatever you were looking to re-gift, or just another helping of dessert.
For my family I created my own Christmas Dinner Bingo cards, little realizing what the reaction would be. My mother was laughing so hard, the Yorkshire Pudding almost didn't happen and my father could barely stop wheezing (his highest form of laughter) long enough to fulfill his wine-pouring duties. Since then, I've had them laminated (for easy clean-up) and they've become part of our Christmas tradition. If you're curious about my family's clichés, or just want a good laugh, click here to access the game cards.
What would be on your Holiday Bingo cards?
Happy Holidays to all!