The games you played
Vintage games you can force your family to play this holiday season!
Greetings, turkeys!
We’ve cruised by the first holiday of the season, and I hope everyone is feeling well. It’s easy to get bogged down with silly things like stress, resentment, and too much gravy this time of year, so I am here to help you avoid such feelings.
One thing people always forget to do is have fun. It seems like an easy thing to remember, and yet, we find ourselves not having fun all the time. The reality is, having fun is often a matter of choice.
This holiday season, I choose fun. Is that fun I see over there? I’ll take two servings, yes please. What would I like in my stocking? Just some good old fashion funsies.
If you’re already discombobulated by this end-of-year-energy and can’t remember how to have fun anymore, don’t worry, I have an idea for you.
It’s games.
I know, I know, most of you probably hate games, which I respect. I used to think I hated games too. What I realized though, is that I hate learning to play new games. Most people are bad at explaining games, and it’s embarrassing when I don’t understand the rules. All the suffering hardly seems worth it. But, games are fun. I’m sorry, but they are, and it’s worth the suffering.
The trick is to play games you already know, or learn the staples that you’ll play over and over again for the rest of time. Choose a game, and play it for life. It’s the gift that keeps on giving, I promise. This might be the thing that saves you from misery for every holiday to come.
Below are some of my favorite games, and a few new discoveries that look like they’d be worth learning. This is my gift to you, and maybe you could gift one of these to someone who could benefit from more fun.
The Games You Played Set Of 4
There’s nothing more fun than a deal, and this one includes a 4 pack of classic board games for your home. We were a Monopoly family, but I feel like I might be missing out on Parcheesi - lemme know if you play!
Bananagrams
In 2009, my entire family rented a house on Nantucket for Christmas. It snowed the entire time and the Island completely shut down for the season. We played like 4-5 hours of Bananagrams every day during that trip and I never got tired of it. It’s like portable Scrabble, but in a banana .
Antique French Dominoes
I’ve never played Dominoes but I could not resist this container that is one big Domino. If there are games in my house, they better look good or at least funny.
Vintage Psychedelic board game
Queue the Ravi Shankar, rip some nag champa, and set it up. This game is like a trippy competitive puzzle, but like, in the most chill way. It seems like my ideal kind of game that you can kind of dip in and out of but still have to pay just enough attention to stay engaged.
The OFFICIAL RULES Of Card Games
Bach was one of the greatest composers because he broke the rules, unfortunately the card rule breakers usually end up in jail. It's a good idea to know the rules first, so you can decide if you want to misbehave during the game.
Playing Cards Box set
After you’ve read your rule book front to back, you’ll need a fun deck of cards to play with. I know y’all don’t need gift ideas from me, but there are so many fun card decks out there. You could get your lover a set from their favorite city, or from their favorite restaurant.
90s Mindtrap Card Thinking Game
I remember getting stuck on a Mindtrap riddle for days during a camping trip. It was so much fun. You don’t really play Mindtrap, you just think. Each card has a fun riddle to solve – perfect for when your brain needs something to fixate on other than how many nutcrackers your mom has in her house.
Charles Eames House of Cards Game 1992
For you fancy mid-century-heads out there, these stacking cards were designed by Charles Eames for your building pleasure. You can have fun and show of your impeccable taste all at once.
Vintage Rummikub
Rummikub is a fav pastime when visiting my fam, my mom is sooo good. Love you Taryn. It’s basically Rummy but with tiles. I could play this game for hours, and we usually do. You’ll often hear the phrase, “wanna kub real quick” around the house when we’re all together.
Spielemagazin Spielregeln Board Games
Best accompanied by a crisp pilsner or helles lager, these games are simply gorgeous. It’s a travel pack so you can take it to all the breweries this holiday season.
Vintage Crisloid Backgammon Set
There are a million different Backgammon sets that you could throw some real cash down on, and if you’re up for it, I am suggesting this one. It looks like it’s made by Gucci (it’s not), and it’s so fly. I feel like I’m sitting next to Frank Sinatra at the Golden Stear in Vegas just looking at this beaut.
1988 Original Game Of Scattergories
I like games where I can flex my creativity, and this is one of them. It helps to play with people who also like to show off just how creative they can be. Then you can enter a new battle within the battle of the game you’re playing, so by the time you’re done, no one remembers what game you were even playing to begin with.
1972 ASTROLOGY The Board Game Of Prediction
I suddenly realize that Astrology has fallen victim of slanderous propaganda! No wonder everyone thinks it’s all a “game” and that people can “predict the future” based on astrology. I had no idea this was a game, but I do now, and I want to play!
Complete Wooden Chess Set
Chess CAN be fun. Especially if you have a gorgeous wooden set like this. If you’re a real chess-head, love design, and have $500 bones to drop, I would recommend getting this Man Ray set off eBay.
Trivia Party
There is nothing better than sitting at a bar and picking up a random trivia deck to start entertaining your bar mates. No one wants to be forced into trivia, but once the question is thrown out there, you can’t help but try to get the answer right. It’s fun, I promise.
I’m already having fun just thinking about playing games. I hope you found some inspiration to get you through the next couple weeks. Let me know what your favorite games are!
XO – Kellyn (a.k.a. Best Friends) 🎲
Love this - I just bought a vintage matchbox puzzle and I adore it. Would be great to connect with one another through our publications, we just launched Worn, a secondhand style magazine on Substack that debuts in print in 2025!X
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