As a holiday gift to your family, pick up an old deck of cards (or buy one if you don’t have a few laying around) and learn some new games or dust off the old ones.
Last summer my family took a trip to Greece. We were going “all in” and hired a tour guide named Thomas to drive us around the country and show us the sights. One thing my family likes to do when we go out to dinner or on long trips is to play cards. The game of the month was Hearts. Since our guide spent a great deal of time with us, including during dinner, we decided to bring him “into the fold” and teach him the game. One round and he was hooked. We would play late into the night, after dinner was long over and he could have left us at our accommodations. This one game bonded us.
Later on in the trip we stopped in his hometown; his mom and dad insisted we go to their house for dinner. While Thomas and his sister spoke English well, the rest of his family did not. In fact, they only knew a few common English phrases and we only knew a few common Greek ones. Translation would be necessary throughout the meal: enter the cards! After dinner, we taught them to play Hearts as well, and they too were hooked. The best part of the game is that it broke through the language barrier. We could laugh and understand exactly what the other was trying to say without speaking a single word. And of all the amazing historical sites we saw, and beautiful beaches we swam in, this human interaction was one of the highlights of our trip.
This was not the first time that card games created memories for us. I wouldn’t have classified my family as a “card game” kind of family, but as I sat down to write this post, I realized we are. So many memories I have stem from cards. When I was young, I would play Uno for hours with my uncle. In college many a night was spent playing drinking games with cards as a focal point. On my first date with my husband, we went to a casino and spent the night playing blackjack. When I went to dinner at my husband’s parents’ house for the first time, we played Euchre for hours. I could name 10 more memories where playing cards was the focal point, but I think you get the picture.
A Brief History of Playing Cards
It is long debated when playing cards first appeared. Some purport that playing cards were developed as far back as 9th century in China. However, the first documentation of playing cards was reported in the 1370s. Initially, they were reserved for the wealthy due to their intricate designs and laborious production. However, in the 15th century the German invention of wood-block printing allowed for greater production and availability. The popularity of playing cards and games grew rapidly. By the 17th and 18th centuries, card manufacturing became streamlined and decks were split into the suits we recognize today with the Ace of spades becoming the most prominent card in the deck.
Benefits of Card Games
While some argue that one of the biggest drawbacks of card games is the connection with gambling, it is undeniable there are many benefits to card games. Obviously for the casinos of Las Vegas, Monte Carlo, and the like, card games mean revenue. Poker and Blackjack bring in over $1B annually in revenue in the US alone.
I’m not sure if I should be proud or ashamed, but we taught our kids to add by playing Blackjack at home for M&Ms. Card games such as Bridge, Hearts, and Canasta rely heavily on strategy and partnership with a teammate. Unlike War, where you get what you get, your decisions in Hearts may allow you to foil your opponent’s attempt to “shoot the moon”. Another benefit of card games is that it can bridge the generational, political, and even language gaps. A game of “Go Fish” can be just as exhilarating for the toddler as it can be for the grandparent playing with them. Checking my reflexes on a game of “Spit” with my teenager brings out belly laughs, and teaching the newest generation THE game that everyone in the family plays, feels like a rite of passage.
Even when alone, there are card games for the solo participant to help pass the time and avoid boredom or hone strategy skills. One of the best benefits of playing cards is the basic and easy nature of them. They are a no frills, easy to carry, minimal assembly required activity that can be used in thousands of different ways. Within each card game there are likely hundreds of variations based on cultural differences in style of play – and don’t forget about those house rules!
As you and your loved ones head into the holiday season and the long, dark nights, we wish you many wonderful memories and lots of fun together. Maybe with a deck of cards! Please share your favorite games with us.
Want to learn to play Hearts? Check out this link.
