Neighborhood Games Night

Every New Year's Eve, for the last five years, our little neighborhood (usually around five families from one side of the block and a couple from the other) hosts a progressive dinner. We, being the most progressive and least dinner-worthy (we're vegetarians), host the pre-appetizer-warm-up games. For this year-end's games: I definitely plan to play Panther-Person-Porcupine, probably as a first game. It gets people together and focused. Safely silly. Physically, but not strenuously engaged, competitive, but, ultimately, not.

Usually there's only time for three games. For the middle game, I'll probably follow up with that famous Victorian Parlor game of Crambo, perhaps even a quietly hilarious game of Fifteen - both relatively quiet, but equally pointless sitting-in-a-circle game, or, should the spirit so lean, a rollicking game of Bunny or beyond. Given the actual time, we can always play two.

For a festive, and somewhat frabjous finale, I thought I'd try a modified Sound and Fury game in which, instead of taking turns saying and doing basically any old thing, we go around the circle, twice, maybe, each and collectively manifesting new "Happy New Year"'s greetings in as many ways as we can think of.

In case you're not around, may you have the chance to play something like these silly games with your own neighbors, in celebration of peace, love, and safety.