A TicTok video inspired my fun-loving daughters and granddaughters to pull a prank on Mom and Grandma at our Christmas time together this year. What a fun, laughter-filled day!
I love what Christmas symbolizes and the reason we celebrate that day. It’s sort of a catalyst for the rest of the days of the year when we honor and revere our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I love the time spent with family, realizing more and more how little time we have as we see the older generation of our family decrease. Out of my eleven siblings, only five remain and this year for the first time we lost a member of our second generation—one of my nephews passed away. Life is short for sure.
First, we eat Christmas dinner with my husband’s family. I’ve been a member of this family for fifty years now, and I love them. Then, our two daughters and their kids come to the house for a meal. This year we made breakfast including biscuits, chocolate gravy, breakfast quiche, hashbrown casserole, sausage links, and bacon. Then the fun begins. My daughters love to play games—fun, funny games. These girls have the best sense of humor and love to laugh at themselves and anyone who falls for their pranks.
First, we gather around the kitchen table with three dollars each and play Left, Right, Center. Ruben won the stash of money this year. Then we sat around the living room for the real fun.
A few years ago, we started playing dirty Santa and the game has extended. Each person present provides three gifts which now adds up to about thirty-six gifts, and three gifts out of the pile have money hidden inside. Everyone draws a number, and when their number comes up, they may choose a gift from the pile or steal a gift from someone else. The goal is to find the gift with the money hidden inside. We have someone outside the family wrap the gifts, so we won’t know where the money is.
The gifts range from unique to common. This year’s gifts included a tee from Cozumel, a glass popcorn container set, various toiletries, tools, bronze tanning lotion, a pair of leather gloves with two left hands, a head massager, etc. Fun stuff.
Due to a TikTok video, my fun-loving daughters had another idea this year. While I wasn’t looking, they went around my house taking things of mine and wrapping them for the gift pile. So, when my turn came, imagine my surprise when the gift bag I chose contained a sign from MY KITCHEN! Then my kitchen clock. Then a bottle of perfume from my bathroom. A family picture from the wall in the hall. A shoe from my closet. A favorite ornament from the Christmas tree. As members of the family unwrapped the things that already belonged to me, they laughed as I gathered them to put them back where they belong.
After that game, we played a gift card swap game. Each person had a gift card from various places, and we rolled a die to determine what to do with the cards. If you rolled a one, you could take another person’s card; a two, everyone passed the cards to the left, a three, the cards were passed left twice, etc. It was a fun game we will likely repeat in the future.
I love my family and I love the times we spend together. I encourage all my readers—spend time with the family you have while you still have them. Nothing should keep us away from those we love. Forgive perceived wrongs, make things right with those with whom you disagree, and love each other. Life is too short to allow anything to separate us. God bless us every one!