Family matters

What's a family gathering without gambling and tears?

6 Comments

Growing up, I spent the holidays at my dad’s house. The big family gatherings always started with a lot of food and ended with all of the adults — and occasionally an older kid or two — seated around the table playing Tonk. I tried to find the rules to Tonk, but apparently there are several different Tonks, and not one of the versions I found is the version Dad’s family plays. I haven’t played it in a long time, but I know that there doesn’t seem to be a limit to how many people can play. Each player gets three cards, there’s discarding and picking up of cards and the goal is to get as close as possible to 30 points. Then someone knocks on the table, everyone gets one more shot at playing and someone wins the round — and most of the quarters in the middle of the table. A player’s game is over when their quarters are all gone. I think you start with three or four quarters, and I can’t remember exactly how you lose them or why the people who don’t lose them get to keep theirs.

As you might guess, I didn’t play all that frequently. Maybe one of my relatives will weigh in here with a more accurate set of rules for you.

My family game of choice leans more in the direction of board games. We played a lot of Cranium when it first came out, but lately we’ve been a little obsessed with The Settlers of Catan. To the point that someone made me cry with their merciless playing at a recent get-together. I’m not naming names, but you know who you are. And I hope I win “Boom Blox,” because I will take you down on the Wii, my friend.

Speaking of “Boom Blox,” I wrote this post in hopes of winning it and “Hasbro Family Game Night.” Here’s how you can enter to win, too:

This week,” PBN has “teamed up with Electronic Arts, who recently released an array of fun, family-focused video games just in time for those family holiday gatherings – including Littlest Pet Shop, Boogie SuperStar, Boom Blox, and Hasbro Family Game Night (a collection of six classic board games), just to name a few! Whether you join in the fun or sneak off to take an overdue nap while others are playing, there is something for everyone from the kids to the grandparents!

Here’s how to participate:

Write a post on your blog about the games you play at family holiday gatherings. Post anytime this weekend” — before midnight tonight! — “and include links to:

1) http://www.ea.com
2) http://blog.parentbloggers.com

Make sure to send your blog post link to parentbloggers@gmail.com and we’ll round them… so give your post a creative title!

6 thoughts on “What's a family gathering without gambling and tears?”

  1. Boom Blox is lots of fun, but if you win, beware – you’ve got to pace yourself at first or you won’t be able to lift your arm the next day! (Not that I would have strained my elbow and/or shoulder on the very first day we had it…)

  3. Pingback: Tell Us About Your Reindeer Games: Blog and Win! | The Parent Bloggers Network

  4. Catan… Justin and I tweaked the rules so you can play with two people. =)

  5. Settlers is such a great game! It’s a huge hit at the seminary here.

    At my family gatherings, our games of choice include spoons (my introverted sister-in-law gets CRAZY during that game!), Nertz and Catch Phrase or Taboo.

  6. I forgot about spoons. We USED to play a lot of spoons… my uncle flying over the table and breaking it into an even two chunks kind of ended the spoon playing.

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