Let the games begin...

By Brian Wheeler
BBC News Online Magazine

No time for a snooze this Christmas

A few weeks ago we asked Magazine readers to tell us about homemade games that were traditional in their family.

We were looking for something a little different to provide some light relief over the long Christmas break. We were not disappointed.

Suggestions ranged from the highly original - and fiendishly complex - to the downright bizarre.

The prize for the strangest idea must go to Richard Geary, for Poor Pussy, which he describes as his "favourite game when I was a kid".

"One person was designated the pussy," Richard says, "and they had to go to the next person and do an impression of a cat doing a really pitiful meow.

My wife and I pretend to be household appliances Alan Ford, Australia

"The person would then stroke the cat and say 'poor pussy'. This would be done three times.

"If the person actually managed to keep a straight face, the pussy remains the pussy and goes to the next player, otherwise the person becomes the new pussy."

Poignant snapshot

Richard's Great Aunt Vera was the all-time Poor Pussy champion, apparently.

An equally odd image was conjured up by Angela, from the UK, who described the "world knee-walking fight championships" - an event for which, she confesses, her family seemed to qualify every year.

"Contestants walk on their knees (holding their ankles) and try to knock their opponent down," Angela says, not mentioning if it's better to have a drink before or after the big event.

Elsewhere, Alan Ford, from Australia, offered a poignant snapshot of a family Christmas down under.

"My wife and I pretend to be household appliances like the washing machine and the toaster and we have to guess what the other one is pretending to be."

Elaborate detail

Fiona, from Cornwall, also kept it simple.

You won't be needing this any more...

"We sing a bit of a song and the word you finish with is the first word of the next persons song eg person one 'We wish you a merry Christmas.' Person two: 'Christmas time mistletoe and wine' etc...

"It keeps us entertained for a while....."

Others went into more elaborate detail.

We liked Mike O'Rourke's Russian Whist, invented by his father PJ O'Rourke (no, not that one), but unfortunately the rules are too long and detailed to go into here.

Family fun

Jan Turner gave us Donkey, which involves a bag of walnuts, a pack of cards and a "well protected" dining room table ("No ashtrays drinks or nibbles on the table top"). It also sounds like fun but, again, complicated.

Every year without fail my grandad puts in his false teeth with hideous results! Jenny, from Scotland, on the "The Sock Game"

For families with young children, Judy Summers suggested cutting up last year's Christmas cards and turning them into a fun game.

"Cut them into three or four pieces put one piece in a bag and place others randomly around the house, in full view face up.

"Players take one piece of card out of bag and hunts for other pieces to make up whole card. One person takes charge of handing out single pieces and checking completed cards."

The winner is the one with the most complete cards.

'Ridiculous combinations'

Other readers clearly dreamed of giving Waddington's a run for their money.

Barry, whose says his family are all theatre fans, explained the rules for Stage Struck, in which the names of shows, stars and reviewers are put in a bag.

"Collect a show, a star and a review to win points - by multiplying the value on the cards. A hit show (10) with a second rate "star" (2) and an average review (3) totals 60 points: 10 x 2 x 3.

"Half the fun is the ridiculous combinations which sometimes emerge, such as Cliff Richard starring in Phantom of the Opera with an enthusiastic review from Richard and Judy."

Clumps, suggested by Richard, from the UK, sounds exactly like Pictionary, except one of the players has to sit on the stairs.

Ben, from the UK, suggested a radical improvement on Scrabble, which involves throwing away the board. Two teams battle it out to steal letters from each other and create new words.

And the winner is...

The most original and fun suggestion, in our view, was The Sock Game, an amusement for two teams by Jenny from Scotland.

Here, in her own words, is how you play it:

Each team member gives themselves a number.

Two large, long socks are produced which have been filled with numerous items, both socks containing the exact same items.

Both teams take a sock. A caller is appointed who then calls out the name of one of the items in the sock, and a number which corresponds to a team member.

The sock is passed cautiously down to the correct team members and each team battles it out to see who can retrieve the item from the sock first by putting their hand down and simply feeling for the item.

Items in the sock range from pennies to rubbers, but nothing harmful, for example an open safety pin. Every year without fail my grandad puts in his false teeth with hideous results!