Thanksgiving "Funny Food" Charades

Who doesn't love Thanksgiving? Just the thought of it conjures warm feelings and fond memories. This special Fall holiday means the beauty of fiery foliage, the quiet satisfaction of a thick cozy sweater and the delicious pleasure of comforting harvest foods. Thanksgiving is a feast of family and friends. They travel, sometimes long distances, just to come together to celebrate and be thankful for one another.

Well, for the most part, anyway. Let's face it, family gatherings can be a little tricky, especially for the host. You've cleaned and waxed the floors, scrubbed the bathroom tiles, decorated every inch of your home, cooked, baked, sweated and fretted. All you ask in return is happy smiling faces and contented tummies. And, oh yes, many, MANY compliments on the juiciness of the turkey.

And generally, that's your reward. But all too often, sometime after supper and just before coffee and pie when everyone is digesting and quiet, Aunt Lydia, who never let's go of anything, makes some not so subtle reference to a family heirloom Cousin Todd had no right to claim. Your heart sinks because you thought the day might go beautifully without a hitch. The Lydia-Todd feud is, of course, just the tip of the iceberg. Now that the floodgates are open, Uncle Allen's third wife (a brassy woman thirty years his junior) accuses her husband's beloved brother/business partner of embezzlement. Or is it industrial espionage? And then your teenage daughter, the one who wears only black, screams that no one understands her and flees to her room.

Arguments start and a lifetime's worth of unfinished family business is spilled all over your lovely linen tablecloth. All the work you've done and the joy you hoped to generate is lost in a sea of swirling and nonsensical accusations. And the children are unfairly confronted with ancient issues that have nothing to do with them. It's not right. For the kids, Thanksgiving should be only fun, food and family.

How can you stop this conflagration before it even starts?

You can try to extract promises of "I'll be nice" but human nature and past family experiences dictate that'll never work. You can beg everyone to resolve their issues on their own time but since they only see each other during the holidays, well, that's not going to work either.

If you've run out of ideas, here's one "recipe" that usually works. Never give anyone the chance to argue. Keep them busy at all times. Have activities planned that fill the entire day.

Watching parades and football games is one way to keep people occupied, especially after a large meal. But passive entertainment will never help reduce old smoldering resentments. And besides, not everyone enjoys sports. So why not get people laughing. Laughter isn't just the best medicine, it's also the best therapy.

And one really great way to get people laughing is to a play a game of charades. I know, it sounds cliche. But as it's Thanksgiving why not try this variation I created years ago. I call it "Funny Food Charades." Adults love it, kids really get into it and even crusty old Aunt Lydia will have a ball.

It's played just like regular charades but instead of movie or book titles or famous people you have to guess "funny food" phrases. For example, rather than "roast turkey" the phrase would be "baked orange yak." Instead of "mashed potatoes" the phrase would be "candied bees knees." The kids love when the phrases get really gross. "Green glow gopher guts" always elicits giggles. Or how about "slime sock stuffing" or "skunk nose pie."

One of the best things about this game is it's FREE. You probably already have all the necessary supplies. And when times are economically challenged and your bank account has more cobwebs than dollar signs, FREE is a welcome word.

Below I've listed 1) the supplies you'll need, 2) a list of sample "Funny Food" phrases and, 3) a review of charades rules. You can make up some of the phrases ahead of time to get things started. But remember that some of the best fun is had when a group creates the phrases for the opposing team. The laughter starts before the game even begins.

If you want to have a completely happy Thanksgiving and keep everybody busy why not add "Funny Food Charades" to your party menu. It's a feast of joy and a free, inexpensive game. Pies are fabulous but laughter is an even better dessert.

SUPPLIES
1) Timer, stopwatch or other timing device
2) Pencil and paper to keep score
3) Scrap paper for phrases
4) Two different containers, one for each team (if you have a very large party and decide to divide into four or more teams have more containers on hand).

PREPARATION
1) Explain the premise of "Funny Foods Charades" to your Thanksgiving party members. It's basically the same as regular charades. Without speaking, you have to pantomime or "act out" a phrase. Here are ten "Funny Food" phrase examples:

Main Courses
Baked orange yak
Green glow gopher guts
Grilled fish brains
Rust breaded octopus

Side Dishes
Candied bees knees
Slime sock stuffing
Skunk nose and carrots

Desserts
Dragon sneeze cookies
Whipped Martian moose
Radioactive golf ball cake

2) Divide your party members into two teams of equal size. If you have a very large group of people, say 20, divide into four teams of five each then pair off the teams to play one another. Team A plays Team B; Team C plays Team D etc. Put the sparing teams in separate rooms so chaos does not ensue.

3) Give each person a slip of paper and pencil and explain that the team must together think up "Funny Food" phrases for the opposing team to guess. Tell them to keep the phrases to five words or less. The phrases should fall into one of three categories: Main Course, Side Dish or Dessert. Put the clues in the appropriate container.

4) Designate one person from each team to be a time and score keeper.

5) Go over the hand gestures and signals for "Funny Food Charades" as listed below.

6) Explain that the team which, in total, takes the least amount of time to guess the phrases is the winner. Make sure everybody gets a turn to act out a phrase.

7) Choose a team to go first. One person from that team picks a clue. Set the timer or stopwatch to count up. Then using only gestures and hand signals, the player acts out the words in the phrase. The player's fellow team members must guess the phrase. Once the phrase is guessed stop the timer and record the time it took for the team to guess the phrase. Alternate players between Team A and Team B until everyone has had a turn and the game ends.

GESTURES and HAND SIGNALS

Categories for "Funny Food Charades"
MAIN COURSE: Hands extended as if holding a tray
SIDE SIDE: Pat the side of the hip
DESSERT: Hug the stomach while smiling

Indicate number of words, syllables etc.

Number of words: Hold up the appropriate number of fingers
Word you're working on: Hold up the appropriate number of fingers again
Length of word: Stretch fingertips away from one another as if measuring
Syllables in the word: Lay the number of fingers on your arm
Syllable you're working on: Lay the number of fingers on your arm again
To Indicate a correct guess: Tap the nose while pointing to the person who guessed correctly
To indicate "Sounds Like:" Cup the ear
To indicate the Plural of a word: Link your pinky fingers
To indicate past tense of a word: Wave your hand over your shoulder toward your back
To indicate the entire phrase: Sweep your hands through the air

Enjoy Your Thanksgiving and Have Fun!