Still Playing
Play is a core family value
Recess
children shout and run
chains rattle, swings cut the air
time slips unnoticed
years later, we still find ways
to play—even with bad knees
The Evolution of the Game
The Gold Shirt game started in 1975, after Grandma, lost in confusion, raided a dead man’s closet and handed the ugly thing to Dad and Gertie. Later, at Irene’s, they stashed it in her wardrobe, unleashing a hot potato game.
At first, passing it was tag—fast, simple, and sneaky.
Unlocked cars.
Mailboxes.
Clothes lines.
Soon, that felt too easy.
So it went public…with wrapping paper.
Weddings
Baby showers
Graduations
It got upgraded.
Purple buttons
Pins accumulated
Dangly things
Misdirection flourished.
Style points mattered.
People hung on to it in self-defense.
Fifty years on, this evil polyester relic still pounces.
Does your family have any unusual traditions?