ok, so here’s the bingo game. Instead of getting all involved in everyone’s business (“i take care of me, you take care of you”), instead of feeling personally wounded at each critique (“what do you mean you don’t like homemade cranberry sauce and you prefer canned”), and instead of getting all twisted around in family dynamics (“she sits beside him because he ignores how much she drinks”)… yes, instead of all that, how about we go into these events as an observer.
Thanksgiving Dinner. You’re only there for a short time, and your job is to take notes, observe, and record behaviours (like a social anthropologist).
To make it fun, during your Thanksgiving Dinner on Thursday, see how many of these items you can spot during the meal.
Resetting the table because it’s not done right | “My pie isn’t like this…” (food critique) | Bragging about money, bonus, or expensive vacation | “So when are you going to get married?” |
Feeding the dog from the dinner table | Unannounced vegetarian suddenly mentions they don’t eat meat | “Are you pregnant yet?” | Asleep in the chair (bonus points if it’s at the dinner table) |
Crying | | Farting | Nose picking |
“I don’t eat that” | Illegal drug use | Leaving table to smoke while others are still eating | Racial slur |
Swearing in front of children | Heated religious discussion | Texting at the table | Something gets broken |
For one day only (Thursday, November 28th), you can post here any time you see any of these bingo items. Post a comment here or send me an email. Don’t get caught posting, though, or you’ll have to check off one of the boxes for yourself. You might only witness 3 or 4 of these, but you might see all 20 depending on the size of the gathering. Happy Turkey Day.
