Just this weekend, I attended a party at a friend’s house—a “FriendsGiving” gathering hosted by her and her husband. After a delicious pre-holiday feast of turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and veggies, we decided to let the food settle while playing a game of celebrity Charades. Our game was spontaneous, so we worked with what was at hand: post-it notes, a pen, and a salad bowl. We tore up the post-its, wrote the names of celebrities, and tossed them into the bowl before breaking into teams and doing our best Michael Jackson, George Washington, and Vanna White impressions.
This reminded me that games aren’t just for kids. Somewhere along the line, the concept of “fun and games” became synonomous with youth, a lack of responsibility, and blissful ignorance. But one could make the argument that grown-ups need games even more than kids sometimes, to help us unwind, loosen up, and chill out at the end of a busy day or a hectic work week.
Recent years have seen such enormously popular games as Cards Against Humanity, Apples to Apples, and Pass the Pigs play to an older audience, soliciting players to push the burdens of daily life aside and just enjoy themselves with some good ol’ fun. That’s not to say that kids can’t get in on the fun, too (with the exception of Cards Against Humanity), as many games can provide a platform for kids and parents, multiple generations of families (think after-dinner Thanksgiving fun!), or kids and caretakers to all enjoy playing together. Having a way for everyone, young and old, to genuinely enjoy interacting with one another is the perfect way to make priceless memories and forge relationships.
As people get older, responsibilities, commitments, and obligations can get in the way of the simple joys of life. It’s important to make time to have some fun, and sometimes a rousing game of Selfie, a silly round of Pictionary, or a few good hands of Rotten Apples is all it takes.
For more commentary from Christine, check back often. Views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Toy Book as a whole. We hope that you will share your comments and feedback below. Until next time!
