December 2012 - End of the World Countdown??
SOOO Christmas Combat.
Normally when I explain about this now sacred tradition, people become concerned for my family.
Rational behind BCCC (Burns Cousin Christmas Combat):
As this generation of cousins became adults, we were trying to figure out a way to deviate from the previous generation buying gifts (the adults) without being rude to persons in my generation who weren't quite adults but didn't want to be excluded or adults in college or didn't have the finances to purchase multiple gifts for one person or one gift for multiple people. CONUNDRUM.
The average white elephant gift idea was dismissed as the person who chooses their gift first has no say in whether they can keep their really cool gift or not. Many emails were exchanged (heated and cold as well as Hypothetical ideas - HUE !!) The idea was proposed that instead of taking the cool gift from the person who originally opened it - you could challenge them for it.
Sarah Skinder took this idea and made our First BCCC an amazing experience. The defending gift holder is challenged by the new gift opener and they must both answer questions to see who will keep the gift. Whoever wins keeps the gift and the loser opens the next gift. Since it's inception, the BCCC has taken on many forms and we have even had contests as well as trivia be the challenge.
This year, Nicole I. and Katy B. were our hosts and they modeled the game off of Scene It. They created a very large dice which each challenger rolled to see if they could open their gift and then if they won the challenge. The categories were Burns Family History, Cleveland History, Cleveland Sports, All Play, and Roll Again.Many questions, cheering for spouses to win the gift you wanted, beverages, and arguments later, I won an artistic rendering of the world with a heart for Ohio painted by my cousin!!
About 11pm, we start packing up the Sandusky Burns' (how we are known by our other Burns cousins) and head to Lakewood for Midnight Mass with the McGuire side of the family. The first car loaded heads out and makes it to mass on time. This never happens for the 2nd car. The amount of people and conversations we have always leads to the second car actually leaving Brunswick very close to midnight.
After mass, we head to Uncle Mickey's house to hang out, play games, detail BCCC events, and eat more food until about 3 in the morning. About this time, we head back to Sandusky - an hour drive- and sleep until we wake up and celebrate Christmas with just the 14 of us.
This year however.........
