When I first enlisted their help with holiday making, the first answer I heard from our boys was: “We want a gambling day!”

My goodness, I thought. This was not what I was aiming for.

But they persisted, and I decided to view it as an opportunity to teach the risks of gambling in the safe confines of our home where the stakes are low. I insisted they come up with an alternative name though. I do have some self-respect. So we call it Chance Day.

We string up repurposed playing cards to decorate the house. I buy several pounds of skittles (the currency for the house). We break out the remaining decks of cards and the poker chips, google teach ourselves a game, and the gambling commences.

Last year we taught ourselves Black Jack. Maybe this year we’ll learn Hearts or Poker.

Edibles consist of various finger foods, mostly from the snack or frozen aisles of the grocery store. And soda. If they’re still into celebrating Chance Day with us in a decade, we’ll probably do something a little fancier. But for now, it’s just soda.

At the end of the night everyone cashes in their chips for a corresponding amount of skittles and eats their winnings as we watch a movie. Last year it was Oceans 11. Maybe this year we’ll watch Oceans 12.

Will this make them more savvy when they are presented with the gambling option as adults? I don’t know. I hope they remember the times their brother walked away with a bigger haul of skittles, without too much pain but a healthy sense of caution. At the very least, it creates an opportunity for us to talk with them about things that matter to us while having fun at the same time.