It is so difficult to choose… I like the fun of Halloween, but I am on second shift, and working during the active trick-or-treating hours. I have a costume and act for the kids. I’m a mad scientist!
I love spending Thanksgiving with family, but one sister is going to spend time with her husband’s family; they don’t visit often enough, so I am willing to give up a visit with my niece during this time (assuming I will get a make-up visit!).
Christmas season is the extended time for visiting with family, but I am on the contingency schedule for two weeks of second shift; there is a chance I will be expected to work!
Then of course, there is Festivus. I have my unadorned aluminum pole on the ready, and I am disappointed with you all.
@looseneck Oho! I’m at the very southern end of the state, so the forecast still said rain when I wrote this. We are getting something now, but it’s rather sloppy and uninspiring.
We have a lot of fun with Halloween and Thanksgiving is all about family but so is Christmas and I have to give the nod to that “little” extra bit about celebrating the birth of our Savior.
The Reason for the Season
Thanksgiving and Christmas are more sad that my Dad is no longer with us. It’s gotten better over the years, but it always feels weird when there is only three of us at the table during holidays.
I’m trying to avoid the holidays this year due to the absence of lost loved ones but I am looking forward to BGGCON. BoardGameGeek.com’s game convention in Dallas in a couple of weeks. 6 days of learning new games and enjoying familiar ones with others who love games.
@compunaut Here’s the schedule. I haven’t been before but it’s supposed to be a good con. I understand it sold out the day tickets came available. Due to basically accidentally joining BGG@SEA aboard Royal Carribean Liberty of the Seas this summer, we were offered a special opportunity to buy tickets, and then a room at the convention hotel just fell into our laps so a lot of serendipity at work in this trip. We’ll see how I like it, I prefer more structure to my game cons. I hate sitting or wandering around trying to pick up a game. I much prefer scheduling my games at least the day before so I can budget my time at the event and get a diverse and fun weekend of games while seeing other parts of the con and occasionally eating and sleeping.
@moondrake I’m an occasional visitor to BGG site; perused the CON-related threads to try to get a flavor. I like to play board games but everyone I know would rather watch TV or do social media or Web surf…
Still, tho, CON seemed like it would be too intense for the ‘casual’ fan like me. Thought maybe you were a veteran attendee & could give a personal account. How much were tickets?
@compunaut $110 as I recall. My social group gets together for board games 1-3x per week and once a week for role-playing. I’ve been to Origins and quite a few regional game cons. This “open gaming” format seems to be getting more popular, unfortunately. The result is that people that come with their gaming groups often play with their friends for the most part and even when they are receptive to additional players I always feel like I’m barging in when I ask to join and then I’m isolated by the table talk in the middle of a group of old friends. At a con with a menu of scheduled games, friends are more likely to break up into separate interests and there’s no awkwardness in sitting down at a game table where I am pre-registered to play. And no time wasted trying to find a group of the right size that’s willing to play a game that interests you. It’s also a lot easier to sit down with my friends at breakfast and say, “I’ll be starting Catan at 11am, so I should be free at about 1pm to go to lunch, what does your schedule look like?” than to aimlessly wander around trying to find a random game to insert myself into while my friends do the same; we have no way at all of coordinating meal breaks.
@moondrake From what I could gather, a lot of participants skip any sort of scheduled meal breaks & just squeeze in calories between games as time permits. Same with sleep
Are you looking for new games or just want to play old favorites? Perhaps you can bring/start your own games? Or check all the tables with ‘Players Wanted’ flags first?
@compunaut In theory that sounds good. But in reality, what happens IME is that people show up in groups of four or five friends, pick a game from the library and play it, no putting up a players wanted flag or looking for one. The last con I was at with this “free play” style, players wanted flags were few and far between, and usually for really obscure games. I tried setting up a players wanted table a couple of times with popular mainstream games like Splendor, Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, but it was a waste of time as everyone had established play groups. I wasted a lot of time trying to find someone to play with and ended up playing the same game, one I don’t much care for, three times because the person demoing it for the company was having just as much trouble getting players and it was the only game with seats available. At cons with scheduled games I book the whole day at least the day before and move smoothly from game to game, playing a lot of different and interesting games with a bunch of different people. These cons also always have a free play area for those who want it, but they are actually organized for those who prefer structure. Definitely my preferred method.
Once again poll missing the obvious one…
Festival of Dies Natalis Solis Invicti
Black Friday!
Any day where it snows a bunch and I thus feel justified in saying ‘fuck it’.
Gotta go with “day after Election Day” this year. (Or more precisely “day when losing candidate concedes”.)
@awk Just saw this in a YouTube comment…
@2many2no
Anyone else for Festivus?
@Cheddy the rest of us.
@Cheddy How have you disappointed me? Let me count the ways…
Taco Tuesday
@huja
Every Tuesday my fav taco truck is at my fav taco spot. So +(lots).
It is so difficult to choose… I like the fun of Halloween, but I am on second shift, and working during the active trick-or-treating hours. I have a costume and act for the kids. I’m a mad scientist!
I love spending Thanksgiving with family, but one sister is going to spend time with her husband’s family; they don’t visit often enough, so I am willing to give up a visit with my niece during this time (assuming I will get a make-up visit!).
Christmas season is the extended time for visiting with family, but I am on the contingency schedule for two weeks of second shift; there is a chance I will be expected to work!
Then of course, there is Festivus. I have my unadorned aluminum pole on the ready, and I am disappointed with you all.
@PocketBrain What do you do that you’re interacting with kids while working second shift? Do you work at a hospital?
My nephew’s 1st birthday is coming up in December.
The first snowfall! It’s been a weirdly warm fall here in Vermont.
Every snowfall after that will just be a pain in the ass to shovel out of the way, though. Grumble, grumble…
@currawong So…today then?
/giphy first Vermont snow
@looseneck Oho! I’m at the very southern end of the state, so the forecast still said rain when I wrote this. We are getting something now, but it’s rather sloppy and uninspiring.
/giphy sloppy and uninspiring
@currawong oh poopies for you. First snow is always special
We have a lot of fun with Halloween and Thanksgiving is all about family but so is Christmas and I have to give the nod to that “little” extra bit about celebrating the birth of our Savior.
The Reason for the Season
Christmas Eve. Or any day spent snow skiing.
Christmas is usually a guarantee of two days off from work. So Christmas.
I’m getting married on Dec 30, so after this year it’ll be my anniversary!
@reedmo
/image Congratulations!
@reedmo even if you get divorced?
@elimanningface What is this D word you speak of? I don’t know it’s meaning. ∞
My birthday is December 28th. Who cares about that Jesus guy?
@sanspoint His birthday was mid-Summer, but was rescheduled for what amounts to socio-political reasons.
You could do the same: pick some other day and make it your own.
@baqui63 Enh. I’m okay with the date I got.
Halloween, definitely.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are more sad that my Dad is no longer with us. It’s gotten better over the years, but it always feels weird when there is only three of us at the table during holidays.
… and for those of you who are not familiar with Festivus, the proper greeting is not “happy” or “merry” or “jolly” anything, it’s “Have a Festivus.
”
I’m trying to avoid the holidays this year due to the absence of lost loved ones but I am looking forward to BGGCON. BoardGameGeek.com’s game convention in Dallas in a couple of weeks. 6 days of learning new games and enjoying familiar ones with others who love games.
@moondrake Never been to this game convention. Tell us about it, pls.
@compunaut Here’s the schedule. I haven’t been before but it’s supposed to be a good con. I understand it sold out the day tickets came available. Due to basically accidentally joining BGG@SEA aboard Royal Carribean Liberty of the Seas this summer, we were offered a special opportunity to buy tickets, and then a room at the convention hotel just fell into our laps so a lot of serendipity at work in this trip. We’ll see how I like it, I prefer more structure to my game cons. I hate sitting or wandering around trying to pick up a game. I much prefer scheduling my games at least the day before so I can budget my time at the event and get a diverse and fun weekend of games while seeing other parts of the con and occasionally eating and sleeping.
http://boardgamegeek.com/wiki/page/BGGCON_Official_Schedule
@moondrake I’m an occasional visitor to BGG site; perused the CON-related threads to try to get a flavor. I like to play board games but everyone I know would rather watch TV or do social media or Web surf…
Still, tho, CON seemed like it would be too intense for the ‘casual’ fan like me. Thought maybe you were a veteran attendee & could give a personal account. How much were tickets?
@compunaut $110 as I recall. My social group gets together for board games 1-3x per week and once a week for role-playing. I’ve been to Origins and quite a few regional game cons. This “open gaming” format seems to be getting more popular, unfortunately. The result is that people that come with their gaming groups often play with their friends for the most part and even when they are receptive to additional players I always feel like I’m barging in when I ask to join and then I’m isolated by the table talk in the middle of a group of old friends. At a con with a menu of scheduled games, friends are more likely to break up into separate interests and there’s no awkwardness in sitting down at a game table where I am pre-registered to play. And no time wasted trying to find a group of the right size that’s willing to play a game that interests you. It’s also a lot easier to sit down with my friends at breakfast and say, “I’ll be starting Catan at 11am, so I should be free at about 1pm to go to lunch, what does your schedule look like?” than to aimlessly wander around trying to find a random game to insert myself into while my friends do the same; we have no way at all of coordinating meal breaks.
@moondrake From what I could gather, a lot of participants skip any sort of scheduled meal breaks & just squeeze in calories between games as time permits. Same with sleep
Are you looking for new games or just want to play old favorites? Perhaps you can bring/start your own games? Or check all the tables with ‘Players Wanted’ flags first?
@compunaut In theory that sounds good. But in reality, what happens IME is that people show up in groups of four or five friends, pick a game from the library and play it, no putting up a players wanted flag or looking for one. The last con I was at with this “free play” style, players wanted flags were few and far between, and usually for really obscure games. I tried setting up a players wanted table a couple of times with popular mainstream games like Splendor, Ticket to Ride, Pandemic, but it was a waste of time as everyone had established play groups. I wasted a lot of time trying to find someone to play with and ended up playing the same game, one I don’t much care for, three times because the person demoing it for the company was having just as much trouble getting players and it was the only game with seats available. At cons with scheduled games I book the whole day at least the day before and move smoothly from game to game, playing a lot of different and interesting games with a bunch of different people. These cons also always have a free play area for those who want it, but they are actually organized for those who prefer structure. Definitely my preferred method.
You missed Guy Fawkes night. Bonfires and parkin and gunpowder, treason and plot!
@OldCatLady
Looks like fun.
And of course there’s Up Helly Aa. Can’t forget that. Oddly, giphy doesn’t have any suggestions. http://www.uphellyaa.org/about-up-helly-aa/history