One of my favorite annual traditions is playing Siamese Mahjong with my bestie, McKinsey! A few years ago, we started getting together to celebrate our shared birthday month with a fun lunch and mahjong, and it’s become something we look forward to so much.
But the BEST part is we play with vintage mahjong cards McKinsey found on eBay from our birth years! I mean, how fun is that?! Playing with these old cards makes our games feel extra special, and I love that we have something so unique to pull out each year.
I’m sharing a little peek at our latest Siamese Mahjong setup, including those amazing vintage cards, and a few of the details that make this tradition so much fun!
This year, McKinsey was in charge of lunch and cocktails, which meant all of our favorite things were on the menu. Our mahj lunches almost always involve some combination of French fries, a delicious salad, a tequila cocktail, and of course, something sweet. And the BEST surprise was when she showed up with fresh, hot truffle fries from Foxcroft Wine! Honestly, what more could you want?!
Before we poured our spicy margaritas, McKinsey surprised me with my birthday gift…the most gorgeous petal crystal cocktail glasses and silver wine coaster!!!
After lunch, we squeezed in as many rounds of Siamese Mahjong as we could before our kids got off the bus!
If you’re not familiar, Siamese Mahjong is a fun variation of American Mahjong that allows you to play with just two people instead of four. Each player manages two hands at once, which makes it a little more challenging but SO much fun! And it’s one of our favorite ways to play.
But what makes our Siamese Mahjong tradition extra special is playing with vintage mahjong cards McKinsey tracked down on eBay from our birth years! We play with the 1986-87 cards, and I just think this is the most fun twist to our usual games.
If you’ve ever played with an old mahjong card, you know the hands are completely different from the ones we play today, which makes it a little more challenging. I love that McKinsey thought to track these down, and now we have our own little collection of birthday mahjong cards to bring out for our annual game.
Good food, delicious cocktails, vintage mahjong cards, and an afternoon with my bestie. What more could you ask for?! Already looking forward to next year’s round!
You can find last year’s Siamese Mahjong Party HERE and many other of my themed Mahjong Parties HERE!
