Rude Family Comment Bingo
I don’t have this problem, because my family is lovely, but I know that many people extra-enjoy the holidays because they have to be around their bickering, critical, snide, judgmental parents, in-laws, and siblings. Oh, what fun.
But I saw this great solution in the New York Times the other day, and thought I’d pass it along. Read the whole article if you want to compare and contrast your own horrific family holiday stories, but for now, I give you the last two paragraphs:
Betsy said her cousin also complained of holiday meal tension with her own family, so the two devised a strategy to help each other cope. Each made bingo cards, but instead of numbers, the squares were filled in with some of the negative phrases they expected to hear during the meal, like “That outfit is interesting” or “Your children won’t sit still.” As comments were made at the separate family celebrations, each woman would mark her card.
“Whoever fills up a bingo row first,” Betsy said, “sneaks off to call the other and say, ‘Bingo!’”
May your next set of holiday occasions go better.
Rude comment bingo!
So, as you may have seen, I was on the cover of SLJ with some other very lovely ladies.
Do you want to know how many people have said “that’s a gorgeous picture of you” followed by “I didn’t recognize you”? Which is kind of funny because I usually hate photos of me, but it’s a bit unsettling to hear the implication of “you’re not gorgeous NOW.”
Wow, I think I’m going to have to try this. But I may put my own twist on it because I have 2 relatives who drive each other CRAZY and always have to come vent to me about it, so I may make one card for each of them with all the rude things they usually say to each other and see who gets Bingo first. Should be interesting.
(Oh and PS, TOTALLY jealous of your normal, lovely relatives/family.)
A group of Bowdoin College professors here in Brunswick, Maine, created a similar game, which they play during graduation ceremonies. They call it “Balducci!” (explanation to follow) and you win by checking off cliches from graduation speeches. For example,as one sits through the endlessly tedious speeches by well-meaning guest speakers and valedictorians you listen for references to “now we’re about to leave our ivory tower and enter the real world,” or “when I first met my roommate I thought I’d hate him but now he’s my best friend,” that sort of thing. When you fill out your card, you jump up and yell “Balducci!” and yes, they do this right in the middle of the ceremony. Balducci is a derivation of the name “Baldacci,” who is our governor, and whose name was horribly mangled multiple times a few years ago by none other than the President of the Board of Trustee of Bowdoin College.
I LOVE this…I call filling up the bingo card first..between my New York Yankee family and my husband’s Tennessee family! It is never a dull moment between the two! OY!
Oh my gosh, Liz, I know exactly what you’re talking about! The compliment that hides the rudeness–it’s a classic! And by the way, that picture is lovely, and yes, you do actually look like that.
Shannon, please do, and please report back. I’d love to hear the fun that ensues.
Maria, I absolutely love this story! Thanks for sharing it–I’m sure we’re all enriched. I love it when people are clever and funny like this. Go, Bowdoin!
Shai, please feel free to post your card squares. I’m sure we’d all love to know how bad the insults get. We can both support you and laugh at your mean relatives–bonus!
I read this post earlier this morning before I went out for a pre-Christmas lunch barbeque with friends and family and I was tempted to sketch a ‘rude comment bingo card’ but lucky for me I had a great time without a single ‘odd’ comment. I really hope I can be so lucky on Christmas day with only family present.
Maureen. http://www.thepizzagang.com
Maureen, good for you that you escaped without getting capped by the snide comment. Here’s hoping your fortunes continue into Christmas!
Brilliant is what that is.
So does it count if you say the comments yourself? Just trying to give myself the best odds here…
Flippin’ brilliant! I have this one relative that ALWAYS gets on my last nerve, and the frustrating thing is, I know she only criticizes the things about me that she doesn’t like about herself (which, basically, is…well, just about everything). Sad thing is, I hurt for her because I know that’s the case, but I tend to snap back so I won’t implode, which means that we’re peeved at each other about half the time. And she lives closer to me than any of my other relatives, so it really helps to have her on my side, y’know, in case my car breaks down or something.
Jules, I’m sure this has never happened to you–what could anyone possibly find to criticize? But you’re right, it is a brilliant idea.
Bill, people have written to me privately about you. So many spaces on the bingo cards . . .
Elizabeth, big sigh on this one. Sorry that’s how Mean Relative is, but yeah, sometimes you gotta keep the peace if you want backup for when your car breaks down. The price we pay.