My whole family on my mom’s side is obsessed with the card game canasta, where the goal is to score 5,000 points by melding cards and creating different canastas, which means “baskets” in Spanish. (The game originated in South America.) I think it started with my grandma, who used to live in New York City. She played with her friends when she was younger, and all three of her children, including my mom, have also played since they were kids. Learning the game is a rite of passage in my family, and everyone plays.

Although it started with her, my grandmother is way too nice for a game with so much sabotage. My two uncles in New York City are notorious for sandbagging (saving all your good cards until the end). My cousins are crawling up the ranks. Then there’s me and my immediate family, in Gettysburg, Pennsylvania.