Let the games begin! (Times of Your Life).

Cabin fever is one of those things that repeats on you, like onions or bad hair days. There are probably more ways to deal with it than there are cures for the hiccups, but they all have one thing in common. They all involve socializing. That's because one of the key contributing factors to the wall-climbing index of cabin fever is isolation. Bears hibernate; people need to socialize.

When temperatures drop and snow piles up, you might be forced inside, but that can be a good thing. Winter is a perfect time to gather round the kitchen table and learn some new games. My friends and I started our "Games Night" get-togethers last summer so we would have all the bugs worked out of it by the time we needed it to preserve our sanity in the dead of winter.

The first thing we did was to start out small (only four couples). We would take turns hosting so no one would be stuck cleaning up each time. The second thing we did was to educate some of the husbands about games. ("Games--you know, primitive amusement invented before television.") Third, we chose an ethnic theme for the food and divided up the responsibility for cooking. The host couple would provide the entree and something to drink. Other couples were delegated supplemental courses: bread, vegetables, salad, dessert, depending on what was needed to complete the meal. Then we chose a date ... which, naturally, had to be changed at least three times before it stuck. The last thing we did was to decide it would be couples only--no children.

I'll admit, part of the fun of trying an ethnic menu is that you get to experiment with new foods, and we wanted the whole fun experience. The good news is that it's never been easier to find recipes for every cuisine under the sun. A quick search on the Internet will provide you with many recipes for the menu items listed below and any others you care to look for. The suggested menus are only guidelines. Use them or get into the spirit of the thing, and choose your own. Your menu doesn't even need to be ethnic. Go with a casserole and apple pie if you want.

If this were a fairy tale it would end happily ever after, but since it's real life we had a few snags to work through. One couple could never make the nights no matter when we scheduled them, so they're on perpetual invitation until they can finally come. Another couple decided to back out after trying it. It's important that people feel that they have the option to do this. Not all couples will "click," and it might take some time to find ones that do. Eventually you'll end up with a group that not only hits it off, but really becomes close, even outside of your game night.

A night of playing games and eating great food is something to look forward to, but it's the friendships you form that will really help put the thaw in winter. Good friends make everyone a winner. So what are you waiting for? Dust off those games, crack open the cookbooks, call in some friends, and let the games begin!

The Food:

Simple menus are the
best. Here are five ethnic
menus to get you
started:

Italian Night:

Vegetable lasagna,
Italian bread, Caesar
salad, cannoli

French Night:

Vegetarian cassoulet,
French bread, selection
of cheeses, flan

Mexican Night:

Make-your-own fajitas,
limeade, nachos, cinnamon
chocolate
pudding

Thai Night:

Pad thai, salad, tom
yum soup, frozen
grapes for dessert

Indian Night:

Vegetable curry with
rice, Indian flatbread,
banana custard

The Games:

Here are some great
group games
to try:

Win, Lose, or Draw

Pictionary

Balderdash

Dominoes
(try the set of
double 15s)

Celeste perrino Walker enjoys playing games and eating great food at her home in Rutland, Vermont.