Merry Christmas from PLAY READ WRITE

Merry Christmas to all PRW readers. I can't help but ask how many of you are out there, but happy holidays to you nevertheless.

This time of year always brings out gamers young and old, gamers new to the scene with a Wii unwrapped and old hands opening up titles for consoles they already own. It's a great time for people to gather around and bring out games for family and friends. One year, slightly ahead of the holidays, an uncle said of Mario Kart 64, "it sounds like a slot machine."

Gaming might be many different things to many different people, but I hope it brings people, friends, family, maybe even complete strangers together in some form or other.

Last night, I opened up some Xbox 360 pajamas and a copy of Scribblenauts, which I had talked up to Jenna in the hopes that we would both get some entertainment out of the title. It turns out that she's played more than I have, and she's playing like a completionist too!

Last week I unwrapped a second copy of Assassin's Creed II from my brother which I returned in exchange for Episodes from Liberty City, Mass Effect (to prepare for Mass Effect 2), and 1600 Microsoft Points. I've since started Mass Effect, completed the story of The Lost and the Damned, and promised myself the DLC for AC2.

As the day comes to an end, I hope everyone has had a happy holiday season. Keep gaming, keep spending time with your family, and if you're reading this, let PLAY READ WRITE know how your holiday went in the comments.