We know that the holidays — as wonderful as they can be — can also be a source of stress when families get-together.  Sometimes those challenges are a little different or heightened in multiracial families.  We thought we’d help you get through the next couple of weeks with a fun game of Dysfunctional Family Bingo Multiracial Family Edition .  We found the “game” a few  years ago in a magazine article by Martha Beck (Finding Your Own North Star).  She writes: “. . . gather with friends and provide each person with a [blank] bingo card . . . Each player fills in her bingo squares with dysfunctional phrases or actions that are likely to surface at her particular family party.  For example, if you dread the inevitable ‘So when are you going to get married?’ that question goes in one square of your bingo card.  If your brother typically shows up crocked to the gills, put “Al is drunk” in another square, and so on.  Take your finished cards to your respective family gatherings.  Whenever you observe something that appears on your bingo card, mark off that square.  The first person to get bingo must sneak off to the nearest telephone, call the other players, and announce her victory.  If no one has a full bingo, the person who has the largest number of filled-out squares wins the game.”  We’ve created a Multiracial Family Edition that you can download here (or right click on the image and save).  Of course you canalways make your own.  I’m filling mine out right now.  Let us know how it goes!  And Happy Holidays!-Heidi Durrow, Festival Founder