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Savannah & her cousin Maddy in ballerina mode

The closets are crammed with Christmas gifts — some of which remain to be opened — but the biggest source of amusement around here is a handful of silly games the girls have invented. If a visitor were to drop by unannounced on any given afternoon, he’d most likely find one of the following games underway (causing him to question our family’s sanity):

• Koo-Koo-Kak: In this game, Claire and Abby drag the rolling office chair out into the living room. Each girl grabs hold of an arm of the chair, waiting for John to get the music started. As soon as they hear the first strum of the guitar, the girls take off running in circles, pushing the chair round and round and round. Oddly, they never seem to get dizzy. This can continue for — no exaggeration — up to an hour. If she’s in the mood, Savannah might join for a round — in that case, one girl rides on the chair while the other two push. I have no idea why this game is called Koo-Koo-Kak, and I doubt I ever will.
• Adventure Trail: This takes place in the family room. The “trail” begins in the corner, goes underneath the end table, then underneath the coffee table, then up over the arm of the couch, across the couch, down to the floor, and back to the corner. Repeat endlessly.
• Hideout: Pretty self-explanatory. Right behind where the loveseat and couch intersect, there’s a little triangular space that’s perfectly sized for hiding from angry parents. The girls have made a roof with a blanket. Inside the hideout, one might find a pile of pillows, some stray Barbie dolls, a flashlight, a sippy cup with mysterious contents, and the remnants of Savannah’s last peanut butter sandwich. I try to avoid the Hideout at all costs.
• Dress Up: This sounds innocent enough, but it has the biggest mess potential out of all the homegrown games. After dragging her desk chair into her closet to use as a stool, Savannah pulls every dress, leotard, skirt, robe, etc. from its hanger. The three girls proceed to change about 152 times, parading through the house to model each ensemble. By the time they’re finished, the room looks like TJ Maxx after a Black Friday sale.
• Naked Baby: Claire strips off all her clothes and streaks through the house, screaming “I naked, I naked!” Savannah and Abby run behind her, screaming “Catch the naked baby, catch the naked baby!” This one usually ends with first-degree rug burns.
• Ticket Booth: There’s a little table in the upstairs hall that doubles as a ticket booth. Savannah stands behind it and yells “Tickets, tickets, get your tickets here!” Abby and Claire wait in line to purchase tickets for the movies, the bathtub, Kroger, Princesses on Ice, and thousands of other exciting events. The tickets are all surprisingly expensive.
• Laundry Ride: In this classic favorite, Claire climbs in an empty laundry basket and happily lets herself get pushed up and down the hall by one of her sisters. It’s all fun and games until they take a corner too sharply, tipping the basket on its side and pinning Claire underneath.
• Ghost: Another game of an inexplicable name. In Ghost, Savannah and Abby stand backwards on our bed, holding onto the headboard, and then make spooky ghost noises before letting go of the headboard and falling backwards onto the bed. No danger there, right?
• Hannah Montana: In this delightful re-enactment of the hit Disney show, John stars as soul-patch-wearin’ Billy Ray Cyrus and Savannah plays his pop star daughter, Miley. They can go for hours without breaking character, while going about our everyday activities (i.e. “C’mon, Miley darlin’, get to brushin’ them teeth so we can go record The Best of Both Worlds and get a game of Koo-Koo-Kak goin’!). Don’t ask.

Ah, to be so easily amused… I wonder if it’s too late to take back some of Santa’s toys? Imaginations are so much more fun, and the price is right.