Last night, my husband and I hosted our 2nd Annual Day-After-Thanksgiving Grown-Up Game Night.

Grown-up just means that all the kids are off with sitters or grandparents, not that any of the games are particularly racy. Or that anyone has to act especially grown up. 

We set up tables in our living room, dining room, kids’ bedroom and, because it was too chilly to be on the back deck, the laundry room. (I’m hoping nobody really noticed that’s where they were sitting, what with the candles and baked brie and all.)

First, my husband fixed everyone swanky drinks in the kitchen and we all piled up plates of yummy tasties (’cause, y’know, we hadn’t eaten enough the day before…) and then we split up to play Scattergories and Taboo, Mexican Train Dominoes and Wise and Otherwise. 

We played two full rounds, switching tables after getting another swanky drink, and then the remaining crowd played a raucous game of Guesstures (which is basically charades) ’til the wee hours of the morning!  

So today, I’m grateful for card tables and candles and swanky drinks and friends who’ve got game.

I’m grateful that we’ve got the time and space and inclination to take time out of life to simply play.

I’m grateful for babysitters who are so much fun that kids think their night is going to be as special as our night. (I kinda think ours was hard to beat, but I’m not gonna tell them that…)

I’m grateful that Thanksgiving’s on a Thursday so that we got to wake up today having had a solid, full-on weekend of celebratory fun and it’s only Saturday morning!

I’m grateful that it’s raining and cold and that we have two days unrolling in front of us with not much to do.

I’m grateful that we didn’t go to the mall yesterday. And we’re not going today. Or tomorrow.

I’m grateful.

(To be continued…)