COLONIAL WILLIAMSBURG CHRISTMASTIDE
After a busy autumn since my daughter started college and my son is immersed in homeschool rhetoric studies, we were elated to squeeze in some 18th century Christmastide at Colonial Williamsburg after Christmas.
Since 18th century Virginians observed Christmas religiously before Christmas, then in a festive way for 12 days after Christmas, we felt quite historically accurate!
NAPOLEONIC SHOPPING
This morning the kids and I shopped for costume supplies for our upcoming Napoleonic presentation, which cut in to our traditional game day beginnings for New Year’s Eve.
Thus, we didn’t play nearly as many games as we did last year. =(
SNACK AND DESSERT BAR
Again, I forgot to take pictures of the snack and dessert bars, and of the games, so all photos are from other years, but then our menu and games look pretty much the same from year to year…except for new memories to record.
In the header photo are the homemade steamed tamales from this Christmas…a tradition since we are now in Virginia and we miss our tasty Texas tamales.
1939 NEW YEAR’S EVE MOVIE: BACHELOR MOTHER
After preparing the snacks, we watched our favorite New Year’s Eve movie, Bachelor Mother.
Made in 1939, we delight in the story’s humor and revel in the celebrating the New Year with Ginger Rogers and David Niven in New York’s Times Square…among thousands of their closest friends.
Since we are so familiar with the movie, we played games during the movie…which is great for us quick thinkers waiting for the deep thinkers plotting their strategy.
SCRABBLE
Playing by our unique rules, we aim to create the largest puzzle ever with every single tile, while still designating a champion who wins the honor of writing their name next to the old year in the box lid of the game.
Since my son was the winner, he added his name to the box lid then chose Risk for our next game.
Here’s a picture from last year since I forgot to take this year’s photo.
RISK
Uh-oh.
Since he’s been reading about Napoleon, he’s learned a lot about Napoleonic strategy…we were doomed.
Indeed, he knocked out his sister, nearly controlling the board.
Meanwhile my guest and I were doomed with about 6 countries each.
Then I have no idea what happened, because I won!
Well, I read the book on Napoleonic strategy too! 😉
Even though I won, my son chose the third game with less than an hour left in the year.
Again, I forgot to take a picture, so here’s one from last year when my Pepto-Bismol pink army nauseated the competing armies in a stunning upset…like this year! 😉
UNO
Choosing Uno, I agreed that was a great end of the night game…that extended through the Times Square Ball dropping, to watch the more positively uplifting number 3 rise on the elevator of the Tower of America in our hometown of San Antonio to bring in the New Year!
I still need to take a pictue of this great edition of Uno, but we had a very old falling part version years ago that we played all the time when my kids were little.
When my daughter was in JV Awana Club at Wayside Chapel in San Antonio, the leader arranged an auction for the JV-ers.
After each JV-er received tokens based on points earned through the year, the JV-ers used those tokens to bid on auction items.
When my daughter came home with the best auction item on the table, she excitedly told us how she won it.
Since the JV-ers were free to peruse all the auction items before bidding began, everyone was then able to plan their strategy…and she most cleverly planned hers.
When the smaller items went up for bid first, she sat and watched everyone use up their tokens on lots of small things.
When the grand item went up last, she still had all her tokens…and easily won!
This grand item was a travel version of Uno, with a great zippered case that won’t be destroyed over time like our old cardboard box, was.
So, my daughter was Napoleonic before she learned anything about him! 😉
