The kids and I have a game we play soon after finishing dinner. We don’t always play it, otherwise it would be boring and lose its beauty. Yet, occasionally, all of a sudden we’re into the game and it lasts a good long time thereafter.
The name of the game is Name That Tune, and for today’s Freedom Friday I thought I’d share the rules. Who knows, maybe it’ll start a new tradition in your house with those around you.
My family and I have many traditions. Some are meaningful, like the new ornaments we purchase annually for each of us to place around the house. And some are silly, like the fact we purchase new pajamas to unwrap every Christmas Eve in order to sit and look at each other in a weird and fulfilling way while the lights twinkle in the background. Okay, so maybe that’s not so weird, but you’ve got to admit, it’s fun.
I’ll add one more tradition for this time of year. We don’t get rid of the decorations until way past mid-January, including the model town we have sitting on the bay window. That doesn’t leave our sight until the snow melts.
I told you we were tradition-happy.
Nonetheless, another one of our traditions, mainly the kids and I have, we play at the kitchen table soon after dinner. It doesn’t happen often, but it happens enough for it to merit the moniker of tradition.
We play a round of Name That Tune. For those unfamiliar with the game, it used to be a hit TV show back a couple of decades ago when TV was less reality and more fun. In the show, the host would give contestants a clue then ask how many notes they needed to name the tune. It really was a battle of wits between participants.
In my family’s version, I play a theme song on my phone and the kids try to guess what it is. From there the song tends to spur conversation about our knowledge of the film, its actors, the production and anything else that comes to mind.
The other night we played the game and the theme to the new Godzilla movie made an appearance. The typical response was that of recognition but none of the kids could name the tune. Once they knew, though, they would soon never forget the song.
That same evening, I played the theme to Fast Five—by the way, what a great theme—and my older child threw the guesses out there in quick succession while I refereed the game. “Is it a comic book movie? Is it an adventure? Action? Steve Jablonsky? Hans Zimmer? Michael Giacchino? Jurassic World? Transformers? The Fast and the Furious? 2 Fast 2 Furious? The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift? Fast & Furious?” By the time it was over, they went through every combination of the words fast and furious that we then realized how silly it was when filmmakers didn’t have a standard way of numbering their movies.
Overall, the whole idea of the game is to bring closeness to the family without making the game a burden. We have fun and, at the same time, we draw closer to one another while watching each other fail miserably, naming a tune we can’t recognize, but know the movie like it is one of our body parts.
What traditions do you have in your family? Are they annual traditions or event-based?
Looking to God 
The name that tune game sounds like fun. We have all the usual traditions and one more. We take a plain ornament and list (with a permanent marker) all the people and animals that are with us on Christmas and then hang it on the tree. We have been doing this for 25 years, and I have to admit looking back at some of the earlier ornaments produces priceless memories.
That is an awesome tradition, John. Great seeing good ideas having had an effect on the future!
We had Name That Tune on Vritish tell, but it was so long ago I can’t remember the show it was part of. It always baffled me when someone tried to name that tune in one; I mean, how many notes are there?
Family traditions. When you ask questions like that, Jack, it makes me realise what a disfunctional family I come from! One of these days I’m going to make something up.
Nothing quite like a dysfunctional family to bring you back to reality. Then again, isn’t there beauty in dysfunction? It keeps us on our toes and leads us to be better people.
Okay, maybe I’m hoping for high ideals. There is always changing one’s name!
Our tradition: Even though my children are adults now…but are still here Christmas Eve—they are not allowed to come downstairs on Christmas morning until they hear “Walkin’ in a Winter Wonderland” sung by Johnny Mathis, blasting! Silly-but fun!
Christmas and Johnny Mathis go well together. Christmas in our household wouldn’t be the same without Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin!
Sounds interesting. My folks & I don’t have many traditions or things that we all do together. They’re all somewhat business – like, even around the holiday season.