This lively guessing game comes recommended by Sarah Goodman of Brookline, Massachusetts, whose family plays it every Thanksgiving.

PLAYERS: Two teams of at least two players each
MATERIALS: Scraps of paper, pencils, container (the Goodmans use a salad spinner), timer

On the scraps of paper, each player writes down a dozen or so names of people or characters familiar to him or her--anyone from Barney to Beavis to Boutros Boutros-Ghali (names with generational significance are encouraged). The names are then placed in a salad spinner or other container, and the players form two multigenerational teams. One team plays while the other team keeps time. At the word "go," one player draws a name and begins offering hints and descriptions to his teammates, who try to guess who it is. (Set your own rules regarding off-limit types of clues.) When they guess correctly, he draws another name. If they get stumped, he can pass and draw a new name. The number of names guessed in one minute is the team's score for the round.