Christmas Mayhem---TBT

I like to be that little part of life that shakes things up a bit.  Have you ever scene those great Allstate commercials starring Dean Winters as "Mayhem?"  Secretly, this is me.  Only I don't do mean things.  I promise I do not wreck cars or burn down houses.  This throw back story is called, Tish, the Christmas Mayhem.

Dean Winters as "Mayhem" in an Allstate Christmas commercial

It has become a yearly tradition in my mom's very large family to get together near Christmas time and do a gift exchange.  But it's one of exchanges where everyone brings one wrapped gift, everyone draws a number and in number order everyone picks a present.  Person #1 may pick any gift on the table and open it.  Person #2 can then pick an unopened present or take the present that has already been open.  If they choose to take the opened gift, person #1 then picks another gift from the table to open.  So when your turn comes about, you either pick an unopened gift or you can claim someone's already opened gift.  Other rules have emerged over time, such as a gift can only be stolen so many times.  The only exception to this rule is person #1.  Since they didn't have a chance to "steal a gift" they can exchange their gift with anyone, no matter how many times the gift has been stolen.

As for the gifts we are suppose to bring, the technical rule is to bring something from your home that you do not want anymore.  But by year two some people chose to bring a small item that they purchased for the party.  Since the rules had already been bent, why not have some fun...right?

My first year of mayhem, my family of three showed up with a unopened candle I had around the house, a picture frame and this...

Oliver kept trying to photo bomb my pictures

Excitement gleamed in my all of my aunts' eyes when an uncle unwrapped this little baby.  As sisters will, they began bickering in jest about who would end up with the quilt.  That year three steals and an item was done.  Since it was unwrapped late in the game, my mom ended up stealing it from her sister (the second steal) confident she had won the prize she wanted.  Then my daughter, 12 at the time, pulled a wild card, that even I didn't see coming  She took the small wall hanging from her grandmother.  The look on my mom's face was priceless.  Jen did however re-gift the quilt back to her grandmother on Christmas morning.  The whole spectacle was almost too fun to watch.  Lot's of laughing and good nature taunting.

So last year, I had to do it again.  However, it was almost better, because from the start of the game they hoped that I had made another small quilt.  They just had to figure out in which package it lived and be able to hang on to it.

After several draws into the game, my youngest aunt jumped for joy because she had found what she wanted.

Then she looked up and realized it would more than likely be taken and the fun started all over again.  After the 3rd steal, my uncle's wife was the proud new owner of the quilt.  The game continued to progress without much more excitement.  Until my cousin's wife, Stacie (my bestie), pulled the last move.  She had drawn first, so the rule states she could take any gift even if it had been stolen three times.  So of course she marched right over and took it from her.  I thought the whole thing was going to end in a fist fight.    Bwhahaha.  Will I do it again this year?  Maybe if time permits.

Come join the party!  Today I am linking up with Tuesday Archives, Main Crush Monday at Cooking Up Quilts, Creative Goodness at Quilt Shop Gal, Richard and Tanya Quilts, Can I Get a Whoop! Whoop! at Confessions of a Fabric Addict, and ThrowBack Thursday at Quarter Inch from the Edge.

My bestie Stacie knows my mayhem too well.