I’m on vacation and the cute gal in the photo is my niece, Nikki. She’s sitting in my mom’s kitchen in Brookfield, Ohio. I took the photo about an hour ago, when we were all having coffee and talking about our plans for the day.

Our clan had watched the Democratic debates together last night and decided we would watch the second set of candidates tonight.

(Please note: this is NOT going to be a political newsletter of any sort! This is a goofy celebration idea that I want to share with you — one that could be used tonight if you live in the United States and are a political debate kind of person. But also, one that can be used in a whole variety of other ways for other events— no matter where you live!) 

I remembered that someone mentioned “debate BINGO” last night. So, I said, “Hey, let’s make some BINGO cards and have prizes tonight.” 

Here’s what I love most about my family: not only were they game to do this, but also, within twenty minutes we’d devised a plan of action for our BINGO cards.

At first, we thought we’d just draw them out by hand and write words in each square that would pertain to something a candidate might say.

Then, my son’s dad got online and found a list of words that people had already come up with that would work for tonight’s debate. (Don’tcha just love how fun people are? Lots of people are already planning their debate BINGO games and sharing their ideas for the rest of us!)

My son used his math skills to determine how many words we should put in the BINGO generator in order to create a variety of cards so the whole family could play three cards each.

Then, my niece hopped online and found a BINGO card random generator. While she was inputting the words, we all thought it would be fun to include our own phrases or words that would be personal to us. So, we added in things like, “Granny asks who wants a snack.” Or, “Someone gets a bowl of ice cream.” (Because, to add to today’s fun, we are making homemade ice cream! YUM!)

Our clan has been poker crazy this week, so we decided that we will give poker chips as prizes. A single BINGO nets fifty cents worth of chips. The “Letter T” nets one dollar’s worth of chips. Whomever covered the most BINGO squares would walk away with the grand prize of five dollars in chips. (We play very small stakes!)

Here’s one of the cards that was randomly generated. That link up above does all the heavy lifting for you! It is very simple.

 

I hope while you are reading this, you can see the possibilities for custom BINGO cards for birthdays, bridal showers, Netflix show finales, family reunions, or other events. You can fill the cards with any words or phrases you want and easily print them. Then, add in some fun prizes. VOILA! Instant added oomph! 

You can use your imagination to come up with all parts of this — when to make a custom BINGO game for your friends or family, what fun phrases/words to use, and what prizes to give.

Heck, there’s still time to join in the Debate BINGO. It doesn’t matter what your political affiliations are, you can make the evening more fun for whomever you are with! Just search on “Democratic Debate BINGO” in Google and you’ll find all kinds of ideas. 

There are also some fun “Debate Drinking Games.” You don’t have to use alcohol, of course. Make some root beer floats or even spinach smoothies. (Just be sure to add in the cocktail parasol, no matter what you serve!)

 

 

 

Here’s my real message:

Life is short. It can also be really scary and hard sometimes. There’s a lot going on in the world that breaks our hearts and can truly bring us down. ANYTHING having to do with politics could be a trigger for anxiety and depression, no matter what your beliefs are.

We need all the light we can get. Or offer.

I encourage you to volunteer your time or donate money for causes that are meaningful to you. I encourage you to be active, to be kind, and to do the things that call to you to create the kind of change you want to see in the world. 

AND … It’s really important to ask this simple question frequently: “What can I do to celebrate today?”

Because, no matter how hard things seem —maybe especially when times are hard — we can bring some joy to the people around us.

We can find a way to love better and to laugh just a little more.

Today, in my life, that loving better looks like creating custom BINGO for the family. We’ll make some homemade ice cream, we’ll sit on the porch and watch the squirrels, we’ll have some veggie burgers on the grill, and we’ll laugh together during debate BINGO.

I really believe that sometimes it can be healing simply to be with people we love and share some silliness.

That’s what I’m up to.

Love to hear if you’ve ever created a custom BINGO game or if you try it out tonight — or for an upcoming event. Let me know, okay?! 

Seek celebration— even in dark corners,
xo Sherry

 

P.S. Just a reminder that loving our friends and family is a universal human attribute. No matter what race, nationality, political affiliation, sexual orientation, or income level, LOVE is the common denominator. We share this. We are all the same when it comes to wanting to love and protect our families and friends. It’s good to remember our shared humanity.