This is a favorite “get-to-know-you” party game. Because it involves good-natured trickery, I thought of it with the approach of April Fool’s Day. Ready to play? Each paragraph has two truths and one lie. I’ll give you the first answer.
April Fool’s Day: April Fools’ Day is my favorite holiday. I had a roommate named April who was born that day. We always ate strawberries on her birthday, as the first of the season were starting to show up in stores. (The lie is that April Fools’ Day is my favorite holiday. I hope you guessed that one, because it couldn’t possibly be someone’s favorite, I hope.)
Famous people: I can’t speak around famous people, I just clam up. I once went fishing with Angus Young, lead guitarist for AC/DC. Robert Redford and I once spent a half an hour gazing into each other’s eyes.
Employment: My first job was picking strawberries, and I ended the day with heat exhaustion. I worked for one day at a toilet paper making company, packing rolls into boxes. In high school my dream was to become a romance novelist.
Talents: We only spoke French in my home when growing up. When I was a kid, I could ride a bike without hands on the bars or feet on the pedals – at the same time. I’m really good at seeing those hidden 3-D pictures.
Sad truths: None of my children could tie their shoes before kindergarten. One of my teenagers cannot read an analog clock. None of my children made their beds this morning. (Sadly, all three of these are true.)
Egg-cracking abilities: I can crack an egg with one hand. My sister-in-law uses a knife to crack an egg. When I was in baking school, it was a common custom whenever an egg was cracked to briefly mark the moment by calling out, “Cha-laza!”
Or, you could play with general information truths/lies:
Things children should be taught about raw cookie dough: Eating raw dough can give you salmonella poisoning. Eating raw dough is the number one cause of pimples. It is safe to freeze raw dough, even though it contains eggs.
Left-handed people: Left-handed people have trouble with manual can openers. About 66 percent of American presidents in the last 30 years were left-handed. Left-handed people cannot say Mississippi while eating saltine crackers (ask them to demonstrate).
Television facts: The government cannot spy on you via your television. Televisions made after 1968 do not emit dangerous amounts of radiation. Insects are helpful in transmitting television signals.
Gelatin facts: Suspending a co-worker’s stapler in yellow gelatin means friendship, red gelatin means love. Green Jell-O was declared the official state snack of Utah. Gelatin can be used as a hair gel. If you are a vegetarian and like to eat gelatin desserts, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise. (I know that’s four, but they were all so interesting!)
See how fun that is? Your family will love playing. It’s much more fun than tricking them with raisins in the toothpaste tube, or plastic wrap on the toilet seat. Or telling someone that a parade is coming by their house, so be sure to set up chairs (don’t forget to drive by and throw candy at them). Or tape the water sprayer so it automatically soaks whoever turns on the water. Or put sugar in the salt shaker.
And never, ever give someone a shocking stapler.
They may throw it at you.
