Christmas, the time of year that strikes fear into any parent, the very mention of which before the start of December should be banned.  The adverts that seem to start right when you get back from your summer holiday, the cost, the effort, the time, the whole damn thing.....bah hum bug!

Seriously, I love Christmas, how does everyone else celebrate it? 

I have the full Christmas dinner - starter, then roast turkey, loads of different veg, stuffing, pigs in blankets, etc, then more puddings than you care to mention.  We start the day with buzz fizz, the kids get a stocking full of silly/joke presents, then we have toast.  Then it's into the presents.  After this I generally escape to the kitchen and hibernate with a bottle of some description.  Leaving the wife and kids to cause mayhem and chaos.  I'll emerge occasionally to put down a revolt or join in on the carnage - which ever my fuddled brain decides is more fun.

Groaning and stuffed following the meal, we all generally collapse into the sofa's and either doze and watch some Disney film, or watch some disney film and doze...

Later when someone gains consciousness we'll stir ourselves and play games, whilst munching on anything...

The kids get to stay up until they drop, when we'll put them to bed.

The wife and I, normally don't last much longer than them.....

still reading the science and learning the art.

But that's because I'm Jewish, and Jews love Chinese food, and movie theaters are empty on Christmas.

"You have to put yourself in position to get lucky."
--Tom McEvoy

....sell your soul to get both sets, and your fortune will only grow!

still reading the science and learning the art.

Good news there's still 10 more paydays until Christmas....

Jumping back a bit we taught our kids to play monopoly at the weekend - it started out badly for me and the wife and our eldest.  Our youngest kept hitting double, landing on un bought properties, and getting paid on her chance and community chest cards.  Seriously she was dominating the table.  I'd only got one of my fabled orange set.  When low and behold I managed to do deals and get the other two, one from the wife for the Stand (red) straight swap and the other for Coventry St (yellow).  Banged hotels on straight away and the declared to the family that I was now going to win.  Two goes later I've got everything morgaged except for my orange set which still has hotels on, when bam the wife lands on Bow for £950 - almost busting her (left her with everything morgaged and £12 to her name.  Youngest is still flying, and takes out the wife and gets her properties - damn I needed them!  Unfortunately for the youngest she goes to jail comes out and lands on my orange three times in a row.  Then my eldest lands on my orange and is gone, at last a few more properties to play with. Hotels on Old Kent row set (brown) A few more laps of the board, every lap youngest hit the orange at least once  and a couple of times managing to hit Bow and Vine St for double whammies.  The end came without surprise.  Lesson given another win for dad!!!!

One issue we did have during the game.  When you are in jail should you be able to collect rent? If you buy yourself out or have a get out of jail free card can you use/pay before your go ends, or do you have to wait until the start of your next go.  We've always played that you can not collect rent, and you have to get out at the start of your next go, thus giving everyone else in the game a free go if they land on you while you are in jail, but my wife read in the rules that you can still collect rent if in jail?

The other issue is more of a moral issue should you ever let your children win at any game?  I don't, if they beat me (and it does happen occassionally!!) then they know it was because of their effort, and not because daddy let them.

still reading the science and learning the art.