The Land of Quelf

Saying the Horstman Family likes games is like saying the sun is a bit bright - it's so obvious and such an understatement that it's meaningless. We don't just like games - we don't even just love games - we consider them a way of life, serious business, something so necessary to the way we interact that I can't imagine what we would do without them, although I'm guessing it would involve watching movies and eating chocolate, our #2 and #3 activities.

This Christmas we were in fine form. There were the standards, such as nights of Apples to Apples with friends and families, and dominoes (see picture above!), but this year we started some new traditions. For starters, there was Wii Day, wherein Megan, Andrew, Nick, Aidan and I stayed in our pajamas all day and played Mario Soccer and Mario and Sonic at the Olympics. This was especially amusing/embarrassing, because it was the first time we'd played the Olympics, and Nick very sneakily took video of us trying to figure it out!

Another great addition this year was Speed Charades. We have a history of taking traditional games that we've played into the ground and making up new rules for it - and by we, I really mean Aidan, who is the king of the games. Charades is a game we've been playing our whole lives, so we have the hand signals and shortcuts all down pat, and frankly it's become a bit too easy. To mix it up a bit, we handed out a card to everyone in the beginning, then timed how long it took for everyone to get through one round - it was hilarious to watch people jumping up and down and panicking as they acted things out! One of my favorite additions was the signal for 'fad', which was to swing your hips around as if you're spinning a hula hoop - you probably had to be there! As you can imagine, timing the game made it very intense. I tried to get my friend Katie to play with us, but after watching for a few minutes she whispered to me ' You guys are very intimidating to play games with!' and decided to remain a spectator.

The newest and most significant addition to our gaming regime, though, is Quelf. Quelf is hands-down the most random and ridiculous game I've ever played. You take turns moving around the board and drawing cards with various actions, which if you don't perform cost you spaces. Some of the things people had to do:

• Nick: every time he made eye contact with someone he had to point at them and say 'I have you now!'
• Megan: perform a 60-second aerobics routine. Bonus points if anyone joins in.
• Lauren: drink a full cup of water from the opposite side of the glass. Think about that one for a minute!
• Aidan: every time someone rolls a 4, pretend like you are a weeping willow and sing a sad movie theme song through your tears.
• Katie: end everything you say with the words 'I have spoken!'
• Andrew: turn an article of clothing inside out - he chose his pants (trousers for you Brits!)
• Megan: wrap your left hand in aluminum foil and leave it that way
• Andrew: swing an article of clothing around your head while singing 'Rawhide'

I could go on and on - this game is RIDICULOUS! Highly recommended, if you're in a playful spirit.

There's pictures of some of these games, and the rest of our Christmas break here. These include pictures from the very successful surprise birthday party we threw Mom. I don't think we could ever pull off a real surprise party, so the Party Conversion Route (turning the Christmas Open House into the birthday surprise party) was definitely the way to go! I just feel sorry for Aunt Mary Beth and Auntie Mary, who had to wait out in the back yard until we were ready for them...