Trashketball: Your Next Holiday Game

Here in the United States, we’re still recovering from Thanksgiving.

No matter how you celebrate it, it’s kind of a draining holiday. You eat a ton of food, you interact with a lot of people (hopefully without politics getting dragged into the mix), and you probably drink plenty of wine. It’s a great way to get through the barrage of sloppy football games and cheesy Hallmark movies on TV.

And, in the case of my Thanksgiving 2022, you invent a new sport. Now, I’m sharing this sport with you.

Trashketball was a collaborative effort during the long weekend, which is part of its joy — anyone who plays can add new rules as the game progresses.

The materials for the sport are easy to collect. Get yourself a sturdy garbage can. I recommend one that’s about hip height, though any will do.

You also need some aluminum foil crumpled up into a ball. If you made a holiday ham or turkey, you likely already have this handy.

How Trashketball Works

The premise of trashketball is also very simple: Your goal is to shoot the aluminum foil into the trash can. You get three shots per turn. For each one you make, you get to impose a penalty on one of the other players. For each one you miss, a penalty is imposed on you.

The simplest penalty is turning things into a drinking game. If you make one shot and miss the other two, pick a partner and you both drink for two seconds.

But you’re truly only bound by your creativity. Maybe if you miss a shot you have to teach everyone a new dance move. Or perhaps you have to do a somersault or tell a dad joke. You can even vary what the punishments are on each turn.

As the game goes on, you might develop new rules. For example:

• If you hit the rim of the trash can on all three shots but none of them go in, you can “stack” your potential reward or penalty. A make on the fourth shot wipes away any penalties you owe, while missing doubles said penalty.
• You can incorporate trick shots for bonus points (or penalties). Throwing the foil from behind your back or bouncing it off a countertop adds style and impresses everyone else who’s playing.
• Ideally, you have at least one person shooting and one person rebounding. If the rebounder makes an errant throw or the thrower fails to catch the foil when it’s thrown right to them, you could also make them pay for it.
• Have a dog? Missing the trash can and getting the foil into the dog bowl on the ground could warrant an immediate suggestion.

Again, you’re only limited by what you don’t try to do.

So go ahead and break down whatever psychological wall you have — it’s time for a game of trashketball.