Monday, December 27, 2010

The day after

The day after Christmas usually means a houseful of people here.  Kids, food, talking and laughing are what Boxing Day is about to me.   It's another layer in the collective family memory.  My brother's family travels the farthest as they don't live in Vancouver.  My sister's family live only a few minutes away but busy lives mean we don't actually see each other all that often. 

And now some of our kids have babies of their own which adds to the noise level and the fun.  There's so much going on between the kitchen and the living room that no one has much time for photos.  The new toys are opened and the old favorites are hauled out, too.  The doll's stroller flies around the house with Baby Eddie clinging on for dear life.  Who forgot to buckle him in?

We discover that even the two-year-old knows more about how the iPhone works than we do.  No fear is the secret, I think.  When I was a kid, new-fangled technology usually meant something that was Not For The Children.  We were told (more or less) we would break it without a thousand hours of patient instruction.  Which wasn't going to happen.  And I know I grew up quite nervous about being the cause of such a catastrophe.  Not so our kids and grandkids. 

Once we're all full with a dinner we didn't think we had any room for, we can sit and talk and just be.  There are kids in laps listening to stories.  The two-year-old lies on her tummy putting the people in the new dollhouse.  A digger roars off to the toybox and comes back with a parking garage.  Now, we can play a game - or just watch.  This year's game was Jenga Max.  And that's when the camera actually came out of it's case.  If you've got a crowd of all ages, I recommend this one.  It's engages people who don't normally play the usual games. 


I leave you with a shot of the game.  The youngest player was six and she had a confident and light hand.  There was physics lecture or two, suspense and warnings of "Don't jiggle the table!".  The longest 'bridge' built into the air was seven pieces. We held our breath and counted.  The crashes are spectacular and wake the uncle who dozes over his book.  Our big day.  Fun.

11 comments:

Mimi said...

It's funny how busy lives mean we don't see that much of people close by, but Christmas is a great time to catch up.
Your game looks like a whole lot of fun! I was wondering if you'd have another ceidhli this year?

Catherine said...

Looks like you had a lovely family day - great fun with that Jenga game but I guess it's a while since I played it - we have a few sets around of the standard game. You know it means build in Kiswahili? The lingua franca of East Africa we spoke in Tanzania? Great to see it getting worldwide acclaim!
Happy New Year,
Catherine

Rudee said...

I've never played Jenga, but it sounds like great fun. I'll have to see about this one.

Stephanie V said...

Mimi - I guess we all wanted/needed the quieter time this year. It's been busy, busy for all of us, hasn't it?

Catherine - thanks for the meaning of 'jenga'. I love learning about languages.

Ginny Hartzler said...

What a very lovely description of your day. I totally agree about kids and the techno stuff, I never compaered it to back in our day or thought of it that way, but you are right! Jenga Max!!! Never heard of it, but I've been looking for a game for all of us to play New Year's eve, even Anne, who will be five. Her favorite thing is to build things. This looks like it!!!! I will be near a Toys R Us today, and I'm picking it up!! Thank you so much for this idea, my problem is solved!

SquirrelQueen said...

It sounds and looks like a wonderful Boxing Day at your house. That game does look like fun.

I hadn't thought about electronics and such from my childhood that much. I was lucky, my dad knew I had an interest in such things and he always careful explained the workings of new devices to me. Of course now I am a tech junkie!

Joanna said...

I really enjoyed your description of the day. It was almost like being there taking part. That game looks like a lot a fun. It's so true about kids and electronics. They're fearless.

Angie said...

Sounds like a very good day all round. Glad the weather was OK for you all to get together.

Cindy said...

I too like the morning after, sometimes better than the day before. It sure is a time to relax. This new game is interesting a twist to the wooden block.

Imagine if the word iphone came up in a conversation 20 years ago. Our reminisce toy this year was the "sit and spin" and the "big wheel" as this is the one my kids remember most.
Enjoy your Christmas

Gill - That British Woman said...

sounds like a busy day, but lots of fun.

Gill

Anonymous said...

...and now it's almost 2011 ;-)
Happy New Year!

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin