GET THIS...
With our feet firmly planted in the sticky stress of
adulthood, it might seem difficult to muster the blissful innocence of our
youth. Yet it is possible for us to derive a moment or two of
carefree pleasure by indulging in the occasional childhood game. Far more
discreet than playing hopscotch on the Common or attempting leapfrog at the
health club, this grown-up version of tic-tac-toe
($58) should manage to summon some happy memories from the dustiest corners of
your over-worked brain. Composed of a laminated wooden tray and substantial
ceramic playing pieces, this incarnation of the traditional childhood pastime
is an impressively mature upgrade from the pencil-and-paper variety of game
play. Although this attractive game board functions simultaneously as table-top
sculpture and interactive décor, its primary purpose is to encourage some
seriously heated tic-tac-toe throw-downs. Just resist the urge to yell out for
more Kool-Aid. Get your game on at Koo de Kir (65 Chestnut
Street, Boston, 617.723.8111).
OR THAT... 
Requiring an advanced level of hand-eye coordination as well
as superior ball-bouncing skills, the game of jacks is far more physically
challenging than, say, tic-tac-toe or rock-paper-scissors. Technical difficulty
aside, the game’s enduring popularity is due, no doubt, to the appeal of the
totally unique, odd-shaped game pieces … and we aren’t referring to the
rubber ball. Metal jacks are an enduring symbol of childhood, and when enlarged
to mega-proportions, their sculptural appeal becomes strikingly apparent —
they’re shiny, spiky, and just plain fun. Available in silvery metal or glossy
red, these surreally oversized jacks ($25)
function as bookends, doorstops, impressive paperweights, or simple-yet-iconic
sculptures, and they clearly serve as a much-needed reminder of those days when
the risk of your ball rolling out of reach was the worst you had to worry
about. Get your onesies or twosies at Abodeon (1731 Mass Ave,
Cambridge, 617.497.0137).
