I’m a little bit after the fact here, but as my first blog of the new year let me tell you about what happened at our house this Christmas.
Like most families, we have some yearly yuletide traditions. For instance, we always gather for a special family dinner on Christmas Eve that includes sharing warm memories of past celebrations, after which we move to the living room and recount the birth of the Christ child.
We also have some secular traditions that we observe each year. Ever since my son was a little tyke and totally obsessed with Batman, for example, we’ve made it a point to put at least one small Batman-focused gift under the tree for him. Now that he’s in his twenties, the Batman item has become something of running giggle that harkens back to those action-figure days of yore.
Well, this year my son had a little Batman surprise for us.
Early Christmas morning—when not a creature was stirring, not even a bat—I stumbled down the stairs to find that all our well-wrapped presents had vanished from their appointed spots under the tree. In fact, all the lights on the tree were gone, too, replaced by a smattering of green lights and one box on the floor with a green question mark lit up on its lid. Upon closer inspection, it appeared that Batman’s nemesis, The Riddler, had paid us a visit and locked away all our presents in a padlocked study.
In order to rescue our gifts, our family had to grapple with a series of difficult riddles that had been left at various points around the house—starting with the intricate handmade puzzle box under the tree. From there we had a hilarious, conundrum-crunching couple of hours that included, mirrors, laminated cards, invisible ink, missing light bulbs and me out in the backyard in my pajamas raking through the snow for clues and wondering if the neighbors were thinking I had finally lost what passed for my mind. It was all totally unexpected. Great family fun. And something that left my son with the last smirking laugh.
Now, I bring this adventure up because, well, we here at Plugged In are often calling out warnings about the potential dangers of some of our modern media. (And with very good reason.) But this situation was an occasion where an iconic comic book/TV/movie character had a positive impact on my clan, prompting lots of creative thought and fun.
Yes, I’m sure there are some who will blanche at the idea of setting aside the traditional Christmas morning for a silly puzzle-filled romp, but for me and my family, hey, it was all good. Besides, we now have quite a “riddle me this” memory to recall over many a Christmas Eve dinner to come.
Here’s wishing you and yours a happy new year sprinkled with great positive media.
Recent Comments