One of the best things about our family gatherings is that we always play games together. Although many of us are competitive, it’s all in good fun. People do things out of their comfort zone (drawing, charades, humming songs) and we laugh at ourselves and each other.

After dinner, it’s just a matter of which games we’re going to play and how late we’ll go. When it’s only 3 or 4 of us, we play against each other. If there are lots of us, we break into teams. Many of the games require a broad range of knowledge and skills, so everyone has their moment.

We’ve done this for so long, I can’t imagine a family visit without playing games. It make me wonder whether other families are lucky enough to have so much fun together.

What traditions keep your family close?