I just watched a bunch of kids play a game that felt like someone threw four random ideas into a blender and hit puree. Apparently, mashing up ‘Floor is Lava’ with the Grinch, dance exercises, and an odd run-chase-freeze game all rolled into one is a thing now. Can you even imagine? It’s like the lovable chaos of Christmas injected with a shot of energy drink.
Okay, I admit it – kids have way more fun these days. Remember when the most exciting game was ‘Duck, Duck, Goose’? (Not downplaying the OG classics, but you get me.) Now, they’re inventing these hybrid games that require a PhD in imaginative play to understand. At some point, it’d be hilarious to see a room filled with mini Grinches leaping from couch to armchair, declaring lava apocalypse, while an unsuspecting lampshade becomes the sacred safe zone.
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This particular extravaganza (because ‘game’ just doesn’t cover it) starts with that familiar ‘save your feet from the boiling hot lava’ concept. Okay, I can see the appeal. Then comes the running. Not just any running – more like deranged, sugar-high dashing around obstacles like the chaotic holiday aftermath. All the while, they’re occasionally frozen in place like someone hit the pause button on their Christmas dance exercise routine. Talk about multitasking!
What’s even wilder is the addition of the Grinch theme. Picture one kid (the supposed Grinch) trying to tag others who are doing their level best imitations of amateur ballerinas on a stage of molten rock. How some genius thought ‘Grinchy Floor is Lava’ was a necessary evolution of children’s entertainment, I’ll never know, but I kind of want to be a fly on that wall. Maybe it’s their way of burning off the seasonal sugar high post candy cane binge? At least they’re exercising, I suppose.
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I stumbled upon this article about healthy snacks for kids, and it just made me chuckle. Like, sure, hand them some carrot sticks after twenty minutes of intense hopping and tell them not to ‘recharge’ on sweets. Maybe with a side of hummus if they’re feeling fancy. You’ve got to appreciate the irony in handing them kale chips after unleashing their inner Grinches on unsuspecting cushions.
All this makes me wonder about how much energy it takes to keep up with these little masterminds of fun. Maybe Christmas games have evolved, but my exhaustion from watching them hasn’t. My eyes still hurt. I need coffee. Ugh.