Well, we’re back! It’s been a month since my last blog, and I’m excited to be at school again. 

Winter break was a lot of fun. My family and I went to West Palm Beach, and we spent a week of relaxation boogie-boarding, watching TV, and playing cards. While I could write a whole blog about the vacation, I want to instead talk about a specific card game that we played: Skip Bo. 

When I was a kid, we used to play Skip Bo all the time (I distinctly remember being good at the game!), but westopped playing years ago. I had entirely forgotten about its existence. When we were packing for the trip, however, I pushed aside a stack of clothes to reveal the green and yellow box in the back of my closet. Remembering the near-daily competitions with my parents, sister, and grandparents, I snuck the box into my bag.

After an early morning wake-up, a rush to the gate, a disappointing hours-long delay, a breakfast and lunch in the concourse, a flight, and a short drive, we arrived at the hotel late at night. With Monday Night Football on in the background, I pulled out the deck and suggested that we play Skip Bo.

Let me explain the rules for some context. Each player has a “stock pile” of thirty cards, where the top card is visible to all players. Your objective is to be the first to use up your stock cards. There are up to four shared “build piles” where players can put cards in order from 1-12, and each player has five cards in their hand to use. If I have a 6 as my stock pile card, I would try to put down a 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 from my hand, and then I could use my 6 from the stock pile. If I can use all of my stock pile cards first, I would win. 

At the same time, however, if I notice that my sister has a 3 on her stock pile, I could choose to play a 1, 2, and a 3, which would effectively block her. And so, your goal is twofold: block others from using their cards, and use your own stock pile cards to win the game.

While I had anticipated that we would play one game before getting bored, my family and I were quickly enthralled by the competition, laughing hysterically and eagerly blocking one another. We soon turned off the TV entirely, solely enjoying each other’s company. We talked about the game, about work, about friends. By 2 AM, we were still playing with hushed voices, trying not to wake the neighbors. 

For the rest of the trip, we would adhere to the same schedule: wake up, eat, go to the beach while there was sunlight, come back, shower, and play Skip Bo at night. 

And so, I got little sleep during the vacation, as we would be playing cards together for hours. Each game (which could already take up to forty-five minutes alone) was soon followed by animated calls for a rematch, and before we knew it, it would be 2 in the morning. 

But all vacations have to end, and I was disappointed when we landed back at O’Hare. Yes, I mourned the beaches, but I also feared that we would lose that fun that we had together in the hotel room. 

My friends know that I’m a TV addict — more often than not, I’m watching Modern Family reruns with my sister. In fact, I’m watching Phil and Claire on the TV as I’m typing this. However, there isn’t much conversation to be had while looking at actors on a screen. There isn’t much connection to be gained while staring at a television. 

Being in that hotel playing cards with my family made me realize how much we were missing out on by just spending time gawking at a big screen. Upon reflection, I realized that I learned more about my family’s lives in the evenings in Florida than I did back in Naperville. 

And so, now, instead of coming home just to plop down on the couch and watch another episode of black-ish, my family has made an effort to replicate that time together in West Palm Beach, to replicate that time where we were actively engaged with one another. At night, we sit at the dinner table, eat, and then pull out the cards to play Skip Bo.