Modern Cokesbury

It's so weird that I stumbled across this story during my morning perusal of our regional newspaper websites. Someone named Carma Wadley of the Salt Lake City, Utah, Deseret News has, in effect, created a latter-day Cokesbury Christmas Party, or at least the games for one. And the graphic artists at the DN have created the following Creepy Grandma art to go along with it. Maybe I'm glad Cokesbury skinted on the illustrations if they have to look like this:

Granny Needs a Shave, or so the Kids' Faces Say

Here are a few of the suggested games:

All I Want. Players sit in a circle. The first person says her first name and something that she would like for Christmas that begins with the same letter. For example, "My name is Mary, and I want a motorcycle." The next player says his name and what he wants, and then must repeat what the other person has said. And so one, with each one having to repeat the entire list. If someone messes up, he is out, and play starts over. Christmas gifts cannot be repeated by other players with the same letter. Go until only a few are left, and give them prizes.

Sock Match. Players sit in a circle. Find as many shapes, sizes, colors and styles of socks as you can. Mix them all up, and put them in a pile in the middle. When you say go, players must try to find as many pairs of socks as they can. The one with the most pairs wins.

And, last but not least:

Reindeer Art. Have each player wear a blindfold, and give them a piece of paper and a crayon. When you say, "go," have them each draw a reindeer. You can give a variety of prizes for such things as the one who finishes first, the one that looks the most like a reindeer, the one that is the funniest looking.

It's good to see that the Cokesbury party form survives today.

Truth be told, I have played a game similar to the Sock Match game, but this one involved trying to match shoes while blindfolded. It was rather boring until I decided, mid-game, to tackle my only opponent, steal the shoes he had, and then emerge victorious. That was a pretty good day.