Family Games: Fun Ways to Fight the Winter Blues

mom • family fun & traditions • family fun • family fun-traditions

by Mom It Forward on January 18th, 2019 | No Comments »

Winter—I don't know about you, but I dread the onset of winter. The shortening of days and the lowering of temperatures severely curtail my family's outdoor activities, which are important to us. This year, I've decided that I will not let the winter melancholy set in. The antidote is plenty of activity. Creative activity. Here's one idea I've found: a Crazy German Game.

You may have played it. It goes something like this:

First, you assemble a silly assortment of clothes and wigs, like giant sunglasses or ski goggles, a grandma wig, a cowboy vest, unmatched winter gloves, and a Seattle Sounders soccer scarf.
Then, get a small gift or prize, such as candy or an inexpensive toy. Wrap up the prize in as complicated a fashion as possible. Try putting it into a box that’s heavily taped and wrapped in newspaper or gift paper, then cocooned in duct tape and more wrapping paper.
Gather a single die, a fork, a butter knife, and some family members.
The first player rolls the die, and if a one, two, three, four or five comes up, the die is passed to the right for the next person to roll. If a six comes up, the race is on.
The player who rolls a six quickly dresses in all of the pieces of the costume, then grabs the fork and knife—while wearing the cumbersome gloves—and tries to unwrap the practically impenetrable package. In the meantime, the die keeps getting passed around. When another six comes up, the costume is stripped off and passed to that player. As the excitement builds, the wig and glasses go flying as they’re tossed between players scrambling to get dressed so they can start digging into the package.
The game keeps going until the winner pokes and prods his or her way through the wrapping to reveal the prize.

I found this game suggestion at FreshTakes.msn.com, a site for the sharing of family traditions. I imagine we'll play a scaled-down version with our immediate family, with my hubby being the game grouch until I tell him an Amano chocolate bar's the prize. I'll tell each of my boys secretly that their favorite chocolate is the prize as well. When the prize is finally and actually revealed, they'll find that it'll contain everyone's favorite chocolate bars. Heck, we'll have exerted a lot of effort to get dressed up and open the package, right? It will be our "reward" for "exercising."

I think the full version will also be fun to play after Thanksgiving dinner with all the aunts, cousins, nieces, in-laws, etc. If I can just get my shy mother-in-law to participate!

What is your favorite way to fight the winter blues with your family? How do you and your family continue to have fun even during the chilly months?

Disclosure: This website is a part of an incentivized online influencer network for Fresh Takes on Family Time Powered by Subway. All content, pictures, and fun family memories are my own. Gardner Historic Village is not affiliated with Subway or this program.