Family's hilarious 'Christmas Olympics' is perfect holiday entertainment
This should be every family's new tradition.

What a great way to ring in the holiday
For many of us, Christmas is that time of year when we come together with family members (both blood relatives and chosen tribes alike) that we don’t get to see all that often. It’s a time when sweet reunion meets silly merriment, if we’re lucky.
But sometimes, our normal traditions might put us in a rut, or maybe it’s a challenge to get everyone in a completely playful mood.
That’s where the Christmas Olympics come in.
Christmas Olympics are any combination of festive party games involving staples of the season—marshmallows, candy canes, Santa hats, you get the picture.
While it’s not difficult finding different versions of Christmas Olympics online, the Dell family might be the ultimate example of how to do it right.
In a video posted to Instagram by Erica Dell we see the following games:
Snow shovel—where participants use a spatula to scoop marshmallows up and into a bowl…while blindfolded.
Hungry Hungry Reindeer—yup, just like Hungry, Hungry, Hippo. Only this time, the “reindeer” are red solo cups that contestants wear on their hands as they try to snag the most marshmallows. Who knew that marshmallows could be such a versatile game prop?
Santa’s Sack Stack—red solos cups are placed in a line, and gamers have to stack them by blowing up a red balloon inside and moving them hands free. Beware: this one might make you lightheaded.
Candy Cane Fishing— four cups holding what looks like chocolate syrup at the bottom, along with four candy canes each, are placed onto a table. Using a candy cane palace in their mouth as a makeshift fish hook, competitors must fish out as many candy canes as possible. Probably best to wear a ponytail for this one, if you have long hair.
Watch below. There’s no denying each family member is having the time of their life.
Obviously one of the best things about these games is that they are so simple and super affordable. The most someone might spend is..what? Twenty bucks for the red solo cups? Plus people tend to buy a lot of these holiday items anyway, sometimes to a bit of excess, and they would have gone unused. Christmas Olympics are just a win-win for everyone…even those who lose.
And if you're looking for even more inspo, TikTok provides:
@jay_me_michele Try this Christmas game! #christmas #christmasolympics #christmasgames ♬ Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
@vnw1118 Holiday Olympic Games🎄 - Marshmellow grab (with straw only) - Candle blowing - Fast Walk - Stack cup, only using balloon #holidaygames #christmasolympics #familyfun #merrychristmas #marshmallow #balloon ♬ Jingle Bell Rock - Bobby Helms
@kolourmemisfit_24 Christmas olympics game ideas! #christmasgames #christmastiktok #christmasgameswithfamily #christmasolympics #gamestiktok #familygames ♬ Pop and bright Christmas songs - G-axis sound music
Have a holly, jolly, super silly Christmas this year, everyone.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."
This article originally appeared in May.