Apples to Apples Saves the Day!

Hey there, friends. Are you having guests over tonight and don't know how to entertain them? Are you listless and bored? Do you poop out at parties? Well, if so, folks, have I got a solution for yooooou! Introducing the handy-dandy party saver in a box....it's APPLES TO APPLES!

Yeah, sorry. I thought I kind of had to sell it like that because I feel that kind of cheesy pulling out such a pedestrian party game, and that's what I did when some friends came over this past Saturday night. They're great people--another married couple our age (who have deliciously warped minds) and their teenage ward (long story). Just the five of us. And even with the wine flowing the conversation well dried up within the first 45 minutes. That's when I got desperate. Gilmore Girls fans out there know it was nearly Bop-It time, so I pulled out the Apples to Apples.

And let me tell ya, that game can save any party. So I'm going to give it its full due here for the thin slice of brilliance it really is. First of all, allow me to praise how simple it is to explain. When the teenage girl tried to "sit out" the first game so she could text on her phone, I had slurred out the rules faster than she could object to me shoving her into a chair. "There's a judge who reads a descriptive word, the other people toss out a card from their hands with a word that fits the description. The judge picks which card is the best, and that person wins a point. First person to seven wins." Boom. Game explained. (Take that, Puerto Rico!)

It's not just the simplicity that is attractive either--the game gets people laughing and bickering and brings out the best in a room full of casual drinkers. My favorite part of the evening (aside from when the husband pulled fresh-baked cookies out of the oven for mid-game munching) was when massive finger pointing followed a rash call that had something to do with: "Com'ON--vampires are NOT juicy! Yeah, the blood they suck might be juicy, but Alexander Skarsgard's intense sexual appeal aside, there is no frickin' way that vampires are juicy inside!....And are we out of the riesling already?!"

Yeah, the game gave us something to talk and laugh about, to break bread over, and to keep us up well into the wee hours of the morning. And I realized that Apples to Apples has never let me down. I've never met anyone who didn't enjoy playing it at least a little. If anyone out there has seen this magic party game fail, I'd love to hear how it happened and what went down. But without further proof, I'll just have to assume that this game is positively magical...and might just be worth picking up a new set where the cards won't be sticky with chocolate chips and wine.