We assembled a group of ‘Pods – and family of ‘Pods – for a “Festivus” virtual trivia game. We had a family from Michigan’s Upper Peninsula (Houghton, to be specific), a couple from the “Hamptons” area of Virginia, and a guy from Dearborn in the mix – in addition to a couple from Ypsilanti putting their heads together on the questions. We…didn’t start out so well, but made a nice comeback – moving up from second-to-last going into the final question to third place after the final! David Karnak was indubitably the game “MVP” for coming up with the correct final answer almost immediately (which resulted in “virtual fist bumping”). Thankfully, no laptop screens were injured during the process of virtual “fist bumping!”

1. Holidays – Saturnalia, a festival that inspired various holiday traditions, was celebrated in mid-December in what civilization?

2. Pop Singers – What British singer’s first two studio albums are titled Unwritten and Pocketful of Sunshine, both of which produced singles of the same name? No idea, even from the two 19 year olds in our mix!

3. Metals Which two metals are currently used in making a U.S. quarter? Miss…

4. TV Specials – A 1974 Emmy Award-winning animated TV special, which was based on an 1897 editorial in The Sun newspaper, includes the name of what person in its title? We thought of the right answer, but nope, didn’t actually put it down, miss…

5. Rookies – Name one of the two players who finished ahead of Zion Williamson in the voting for NBA Rookie of the Year for the 2019-20 season. Big miss…

6. World Geography -The Levant is a geographic region most closely associated with the area on or near the eastern shore of what body of water? I actually came up with the guess, based on this thing I said: “This sounds kind of French-ish, so maybe it’s the Mediterranean Sea? Well, ya know what happens when you have too many other teammates – they sometimes talk you out of the right answers! Yup, that’s what happened (had Mike and I played by ourselves we would’ve gotten this right). Not complaining, it was still great to see friends and family again!

7. Letters – The Hebrew letters nun, gimel, hei, and shin are collectively associated with what holiday-related object? Mike proceeded to get said object from his closet, and we mused about how he came into its possession – we decided that a golem had probably given it to him!

8. Movie Cameos – In what 1992 sequel film does Donald Trump, then-owner of the Plaza Hotel in New York City, make an appearance as himself?

9. Insurance – What insurance company was founded in 1928 by John Tyler and Thomas Leavey, because they believed people of a certain occupation deserved lower premiums? The two siblings in the mix both jokingly mentioned “prostitutes” as a joke answer…sibling mind meld?

10. Reindeer – Which of Santa’s reindeer shares its name with a god of Roman mythology?

Mystery – Before and After (holiday edition):

M1. Common name for a plant that might cause kisses around holiday time AND 1991 Sega Genesis game centered on two alien rappers

M2. Common name of the nonprofit organization founded in 1902 by Rev. Edgar J. Helms AND comedic actor who plays Lars in the 2020 film Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

M3. Traditional home of Santa’s workshop AND athletic event for which Sergey Bubka is best known

M4. German Shepherd who was a film star in the 1920s AND decorative material that mimics the effect of iceGot all of these (nice teamwork)!

We were in second to last place with 43 points going into the final. Or was it 34 points? I honestly don’t remember…Final Category – Politics

In 2021, Vice President Kamala Harris will become the highest-ranking woman in the presidential line of succession in U.S. history, replacing Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi.Who was the highest-ranking woman in the line of succession for most of the decade of the 1990s?

One of the popular incorrect people wasn’t born in the U.S. Thankfully we didn’t put the incorrect person down!

Unsure if we’re doing any more virtual trivia games before the year’s end. As always, Go Pods, and stay classy, Natasha Bedingfield (whomever you are)! And with that, I HAVE FOUR DAYS OFF FROM WORK, BITCHES! HAPPY FUCKING HOLIDAYS TO ALL OF YOU! TODAY WAS THE LAST FUCKING DAY I’LL HAVE TO HEAR FUCKING CHRISTMAS SONGS FOR AT LEAST ANOTHER YEAR!

Sorry, I got a little overstimulated there, didn’t I?