Category Archives: Game

Thanksgiving Treasure Hunt

Text: “The Thanksgiving treasure hunt has to be my absolute favorite tradition out of any holiday. My dad did it for me when I was growing up, and now I pass it on to my kids. My sister, however, does not do it for her kids, so I’m glad I can keep the tradition alive that my dad started. Every Thanksgiving, I get silly gifts for everyone. For example, for my husband, when he had a super old falling apart car, I gave him a toy of the mator tow truck from cars, or the falling year gave him a pair of reader glasses after noticing his eyes were getting old. So, silly gifts like that. I would hide them around the house and write poems with clues to lead people to their treasure. After dinner, we would start with the youngest in the room and work our way up to the oldest. They would open the paper in front of them, read the clue, go get their gift, and come back to the table to open it, and then the next person would go. I even include extra people of we have an aunt or cousin over that year rather than our main immediate family. It’s a lot of fun, and I keep the poems from every year.”

Context: This is a generational tradition that brings a new, fun activity for the holiday. It gives people time to digest in the period between dinner and dessert. The gifts are usually fun little jokes to poke fun at and are enjoyed, bringing laughs to the whole crowd. The clues are written in a poem written by the mom who hides all of the gifts around.

Analysis: This tradition shows how one person can take something simple and turn it into a really meaningful family ritual over time. The Thanksgiving treasure hunt isn’t just about giving gifts; it’s about the experience of finding them, especially with the poems and clues that make it feel more personal and creative. The fact that it was passed down from a dad and is now being continued for the next generation shows how traditions can stay alive even if not everyone in the family keeps them going. The silly gifts also make it more fun and less serious, turning it into a moment of laughter and connection rather than just another holiday activity. Starting with the youngest and including whoever is there helps everyone feel involved, which makes it more memorable for the whole group.

Coin Checks in the Air Force

Speaker: “In the Air Force, if someone does a really good job or performs especially well, they might be rewarded with a coin. These are usually special coins with the unit’s insignia on them, or sometimes with a special design or the insignia of a high-ranking officer. They are given out as a reward to recognize good work or outstanding behavior.

Most people have at least one or two of these coins. Usually, people carry them around because of something we call a ‘coin check.’

A coin check can happen when people are out together, like at a bar or during a gathering with the unit. If someone accidentally drops something metal, like a fork, spoon, or even a coin itself, and it makes a loud sound, someone will usually hear it and immediately take out their coin and hit it against the table.

Then they will start yelling, ‘Coin check, coin check, coin check.’

As soon as people hear that, everyone has to respond by taking out their own coin and hitting it on the table too. If somebody does not have a coin with them, or cannot put one on the table, then everyone knows they do not have one.

When that happens, the person who does not have a coin usually has to buy drinks for everyone else, or take a penalty drink themselves.

It is really just a tradition that has been passed down for a long time and is still kept around today.”

Context: This conversation is about the traditions and customs in the military. The speaker described the practice of giving commemorative coins as rewards for good performance, as well as the related tradition of “coin checks.” He explained that many service members carry these coins with them at all times because they may suddenly be challenged to produce them during social gatherings. If someone cannot produce a coin, they are expected to buy drinks or take a penalty drink.

Analysis: This folklore highlights the importance of group identity and shared symbols within military culture. Challenge coins serve not only as awards for achievement, but also as visible signs of membership and pride in one’s unit. The practice of coin checks turns these objects into part of a social ritual, encouraging people to keep their coins with them and reinforcing a sense of belonging. While the consequence for failing a coin check is usually playful, such as buying drinks, the ritual helps strengthen camaraderie and reminds members of their connection to the larger group.

Goosey Night (AKA Mischief Night)

Text:

M: “So on Goosey Night, we’d all sneak out and we’d bring ivory soap. It was always ivory soap. And you’d go around and you’d be putting soap all over people’s car windows so they can’t drive. And we’d throw eggs at people’s houses and stuff. People called it mischief, we called it goosey night”

Context:

M grew up in New Jersey. Every Halloween Eve, the kids in his town partook in “Goosey Night.” A night full of pranks, mischief, and mayhem.

Analysis:

The phrase “Goosey Night” is a form of esoteric form of folk speech. Most people call Halloween Eve Mischief Night, but my father and the kids he knew called it Goosey Night. By have a different, unique name for the night, the kids were able to communicate with each other in ways outsiders wouldn’t understand. The pranks and mischief of Goosey Night are rituals – repeated, patterned actions. It was a tradition for kids to break the rules once a year, on Goosey Night. In a way, the kids existed in a space of liminality because they weren’t ignorant babies or knowledgeable adults. If an adult partook in Goosey Night, they would most likely be arrested, but kids could because they existed in the in-between space.

Orange County Folk Speech

Text:

When swimming with friends in the ocean and a big wave is coming, you shout “Over, Under,” triggering the “over, under” game.

Context:

S, who is from and grew up in Orange County, spent many hours and days at the beaches with her friends. When swimming in the ocean, they would see waves come in, and one of them would shout “over, under,” meaning, so we jump over the wave or swim under it. The bigger a wave was, the higher the chance everyone would swim under it because you would get pummeled if you tried jumping over a wave that was too big.

Analysis

It seems like this folk speech of “over, under” is a form of “esoteric” folk speech because the use of “over, under” is to trigger a reaction from S’s friends, who are part of her folk group. Therefore, “over, under” would function as “esoteric” speech as it is a form of communication aimed at the members of her folk group, rather than “exoteric” since it is not trying to be communicated to the general public or people outside of the folk group. I believe “over, under” could also be considered “emic” rather than “etic” since it is an insider’s (people who live and grew up in OC) perspective of the ocean and waves, and it would probably not be understood by someone who grew up no where near the ocean. For all the outsider may assume from hearing the shout “over, under” in the ocean a shark could be coming to attack them!

Ultimate Spoons

Folklore: Hiding spoons or other items around the house and racing with the other participants to try and find them all before anyone else.

Context:
The steward of the folklore described the game as hiding spoons around the house. She and her siblings would play it to see who could find them the fastest around the house. She noted they on occasion asked their parents to help hide the spoons over the house, but they didn’t take part. She implied asking for the parents participation in the game was rare. She didn’t have a name for the game, though she researched it and found the name ultimate spoons which sounded familiar.

Analysis:
The game the informant describes seems to allow for connection and camaraderie within her siblings or other children. The informant was clear on how the parents did not participate in the game, and only rarely with the preparation of the game. It shows a shared value of fun and cleverness, with the goal of the game being good at finding and quick at it.