Gaming the Holidays

The holidays are like a tattered old board game that someone exhumes from a forgotten cupboard and insists you play—right now.

The rules are unclear, the pieces don’t quite match (there’s always a spool for some reason), and some jerk keeps chiding “This is how it’s always been played.”

We’re told there’s a way to win the season—to optimize cheer, nail the timing, choose the right gifts, say the right things (or at least not offend) and arrive in January somehow refreshed and rearing for the New Year.

The real victory is remaining upright, vaguely pleasant and not murdering a sibling.

The game is about staying at the table. Making a move. Refilling your glass (though not too frequently). Nodding thoughtfully as if everything is unfolding according to plan.

Play nice. Play like the point isn’t checkmate but merely playing to play, as one might live to live, love to love, and drink to drink—seasonally, sociably, and with a generous reading of “the rules.”

Are we having fun yet? Maybe. There’s…