How are your Christmas plans with extended family shaping up? It’s tough, right?
Do we get together? Is it wise? Is it dangerous? The older generation needs the contact with you, but they don’t need to be exposed or infected.
HERE’S WHAT WE DID AT THANKSGIVING!
It worked well for us. EVEN great-aunts, uncles, and nieces, nephews and second cousins participated!!
It was fun, and everyone enjoyed seeing one-another and laughing together. (That must be the main point, right? Even when you are together and the women are in the kitchen and the men in front of the ballgame in the den, and the kids chasing in and out or sprawled in a back bedroom swapping teenage horror stories—real or imagined.)
Great-aunt Becky was pleased and thankful to be included!!
So. What did we do?
We took a suggestion from a friend and had a SCAVENGER HUNT!
Explain before you start, the game is for all ages, not just the kids! No pushing, shoving, or tackling, or tickling allowed. Alliances are allowed. One question that came up was “Can I tape two gun scopes together to make binoculars?” Answer: If you can do it in 2 minutes, creativity is encouraged.
I made a Power Point with 6 slides:
1) “Thanksgiving 2020 Scavenger Hunt;”
2) “SCORING in each round: 3 points for each found item on the list of three in 2 minutes;”
3) “RUBBER DUCKY, BINOCULARS, ADDRESS BOOK”;
4) “PAIR OF GLOVES, TONGUE DEPRESSOR, ANYTHING THAT STARTS WITH ‘Z’ OR ‘K’;”
5) “MAGNIFYING GLASS, SALT SHAKER, A ROCK”;
6) (a backup group of 3 more items that we did not use) “PACK OF STICKY NOTES, FLASHLIGHT, A MAP”.
And oh yeah, the interest picked up noticeably, when we announced the first prize was a $50
on-line screen-sharing shopping trip with Grammy to buy something for someone else. (If Grammy can do it, anyone can do it. She’s not very techno-savvy.)
We played this using ZOOM for one hour. (Five households in four cities, 17 individuals, 8yo-75yo.) (Our emcee led in a rigorous schedule to have his Thanksgiving dinner on the table at 2 pm sharp, so he could be in place for the 3 o’clock kickoff. We all have our priorities!)
We used the Scavenger Hunt in segments spaced out and in between each of the young people told what is going on in their lives. (Last year as undergraduate, first year in college, football team unbeaten/getting ready for playoffs, announcement of college choice just made, weekly drill team ups and downs/literally and emotionally!, 6th grade math is favorite class, loves to do crafts in school, etc.)
If you can’t do this for Christmas, how about for the New Year?
Merry Christmas to All!
Peggy