“Christmas in the Dixon household invariably meant the annual Guesstures tournament. One of the benefits of having a father in the Toy Business meant that we always had a steady stream of games arriving at the house. One year, Guesstures arrived and we’ve never looked back. For those of you who are unfamiliar, it’s basically Charades, with a timer.  There’s a clapper board gizmo into which cards are inserted, each with one word to be acted out, for points. As time clicks by, a lever pulls back and the cards fall down into the abyss, never to be retrieved, taking their valuable points with them. The aim is to act out all four words while remembering to grab the cards from the clapper before they all disappear.

 

There are always arguments. It’s great. Usually it used to be Granny who would keep acting away, forgetting to grab the cards, (see below) then realise what happened, only to start protesting her innocence, not noticing the remaining cards slipping away, despite the entire family yelling “Granny!”  “The cards!”  “Keep going!”  “Stop talking!”  “Act!” Finally, when they had all disappeared, taking their precious points with them, Granny would utter a forceful “Merde!” and someone else would have a go. I loved it. To me, this was Christmas and the joy of being surrounded by my lively family.

 

I’ve tried to bring the tradition to Florida, and introduce the game to my husband’s relatives. However, given their stoic Norwegian descent, I’ve yet to hear any yelling or excited expletives. I’ll keep trying though, if only for Granny’s sake.”

- Emma Dixon

It must be a film... and for the moment, all cards still remain!

Choosing the order in which to play your cards is a painstaking process.