Every New Year's Eve we have snack and game night.  Whoever wins the game gets to write their name in the box lid next to the year.  Now that we have accumulated so many games, the kids and I want to sqeeze in as many as possible.  DH however couldn't stand the idea of playing games all day and all night.  The kids and I think it's fun.  Besides I still had this cold and didn't feel like being too active so I got caught up on some blog reading in the morning while dh washed the vehicles.  Finally, after lunch, I told the kids we could play games and to invite their dad.  I guess he just could't resist.  ;)

Our first game was chosen by dd.  Surprisingly, she chose "Hail to the Chief."  I thought she'd choose one of her favorites, one of our many geography games.  I bought this game for ds a few years ago, knowing he had a goal to one day be president, to restore traditional values to our country.  At one point, a question about Teddy Roosevelt came up.  DH ran and got his book on TR to reference some information.  Now dh is not into books.  This book is a tome!  My brother, who is a history buff, found out dh was a fan of TR.  So 8 years ago, he bought this book for him.  We all laughed when we saw it, because dh just doesn't enjoy reading books.  But this book he truely enjoys.  He simply has not had time to devour it.  He's had USAF work, college, house remodels...and tons of pages to read.  But he has faithfully plunkered through and is nearing the end.  There might be a few hundred pages left!  LOL  

The object of this game is to answer questions about presidents, while accumulating enough delegate votes to be the party candidate.  After that we can go through the states, accumulating necessary electoral votes to win the race.  Once we have enough votes, it is a race to the White House.  The first one who has enough votes and moves across the board and uses the exact number of dots on the dice to land in the White House is the President.  Second place is VP.  DS usually wins this game.  This year we have new winners!  DH became President and I became VP!  What a team!

The winner picks the next game.  So dh picked Wheel of Fortune.  I forgot to take a picture of this game...which I won, while playing Vanna White and turning letters.

I knew this might be the only winning game for me...so I picked my favorite, Scrabble.  DH detests this game...and he won!  Not only that, I played all the large words, yet he won with small words using rare letters on double letter and triple word spaces.  We like to play to the end anyway, trying to use up our letters.  Only 2 were left, "j" and "g".  Can you find a space for them?

Then we played Colonial Williamsburg.  I bought this when we visited a few years ago and it's a favorite with the kids.  The game brings back lots of fond memories and reviews lots of great history.  Again, dh won this game.

By now, it was time for dinner.  We usually have more of our Christmas snacks.  

Cheese, meat and crackers...and shrimp...

Cheese sticks...tamales...

Sweets...

I could not believe dh's plate of food he had arranged.  It was just too much.  Well, actually I could believe it. This is what I've been trying to tell y'all in these last few months.  He's the one who likes everything just so.  He would just love it if I made all these foods I pictured above look show stopping gorgeous.  If I did that I would not have a life.  Dh wants me to have a life; he expects me to whip these out beautfully in nanoo seconds.  Here is his perfect, formal, perfectly arranged, New York Citified Metropolitan plate...

This is my simple, down to earth, country, low carb, "let me have a life" plate...(yes, he knows I'm sharing this info ;) 

Now you know why I go ballistic when he starts another remodel during the holiday season.  He likes me to have the house looking like plate #1 while he keeps hauling in his tools and materials and making it look more like plate #2.  Okay, don't get me started on this...

While eating his perfectly arranged food, dh had to watch a movie.  We pulled out a favorite, "Bachelor Mother".  This was made in the 40's I think, starring Ginger Rogers and David Niven.  She is a single lady who works in David Niven's department store, selling miniature Donald Ducks.  She loses her job.  A guy on the floor talks her into joining him in a dance contest (it's fun to watch her dance even without Fred Astaire) While walking down the street, she sees a lady leaving a baby on the steps of the foundling home.  She rushes over and picks up the baby and takes him in...but the foundling home people think she is the mother. They go to her boss, David Niven, to discuss how to help this poor unwed mother.  Niven gives her back her job and gives her a pay raise.  Niven, meanwhile, is a bachelor, out every night with a different gal, home late...and his father is desperately trying to settle him down.  In the end, the baby ends up with a wonderful mother and father...and it is funny to watch the baby's expressions while watching Rogers and Niven banter back and forth.  

After that, we played Life.  This is not my favorite game, because there is no logic.  I would never make some of the choices forced upon me by the roll of the dice.  Once again, dh won this game.

By now it is 10pm and we are all getting sleepy.  But we let the kids stay up...the fireworks are going off outside so sleep is impossible.  Might as well stay up and play games.  To help us stay awake, dh chose Jenga. 

I know there is a physics lesson built into this game...I'm just not up to speed on the subject.  But this tower is built with layers of rectangular blocks, 3 to each level lying perpendicular to each other.  You try to push out one and put it on top.  Hmmmm, this is hard to describe...maybe I can show you.

Here is ds pulling out one which he needs to place on top...

Here's another one getting pushed out...

Taking out another one...oh did I mention this thing gets wobbly!  The loser is the one who makes it topple!

Here I am trying to be ever so careful...

You have to imagine this thing getting wobbly...it can blow any minute now...

Uh oh...it's looking a lot like the Leaning Tower of Pisa...

Uh oh...that's the end of that tower.  We played 4 rounds, so each of us could start.  The difference in our technique was interesting.  DH and dd are very global; ds and I are sequential.  DD and I are very careful, usually going for the middle of the 3 pieces in the layer, to keep the foundation sturdy.  The guys are more gutsy and prefer to go after the outside pieces, making the tower more precariously prone to fall.  The kids and dh can be completely reckless.  Yes, even dd.  There are times she just goes for it and doesn't try to be careful...but it usually holds together.  I, however, am ever so gentle and careful.  So who won...I did!  I was the only one who never let it fall.

So I picked the final game, my new favorite.  I bought it for ds this Christmas.  Blokus.  It's gotten played a lot since Christmas, mostly without me. DH and ds have been taking turns winning the game. The day after Christmas I was so out of it I just laid on the couch with the cat and dozed and watched tv while they played.  I must admit I was jealous, but I simply didn't feel good.  When I finally got a chance to play, I kept losing, but it was so addictive, I had to try.  Then dh and ds got into blocking each other and that diverted ds's attention from getting me...and I was easily winning.  Tonight however, dh won the game.  

This year was highly unusual for dh to win so many games.  The last two years it's been mostly ds winning with a game apiece for the rest of us.   

By then it was time for the New Year.  I usually buy blowers and pop confetti between Christmas and New Years.  But where have I been all this time?  Here at home feeling yucky!  I didn't even think about it until dinner!  Oh well. 

Happy New Year Everyone!