Who: The Bort Family
Where: Cincinnati, Ohio
Bundle They Played: Family Bundle: (Personalized)
Christmas Con Meet Cute
We had a blast attending Christmas Con and meeting other Hallmark Channel fans. It was so much fun being able to actually connect in person instead of just on the internet (although we appreciate those interactions as well because who doesn’t love to wear pajamas?). Two of the most memorable and special people we met at Christmas Con were Julianna and her mom, Leslie. This mother-daughter duo has such joy, unbridled enthusiasm, and a true best friendship. Think Lorelai and Rory from Gilmore Girls but with less snark and a more conventional age difference. We loved playing Bundle: Hallmark Channel Countdown to Christmas with these gals, so when they decided that they wanted a personalized Family Bundle for their family to play at Christmastime, we were so excited to get to know them better and to “meet” the rest of the Boat family.
Meet the Borts
The Bort Family is so interesting, fun, and shared so much information on their Bundle Blueprint that we could have made several games (and maybe even a scripted TV series) all about their family’s adventures. There’s Thaddeus, Leslie, Lauren, Teddy, Josh, Julianna, Tony, John Paul, Tim, Mandy, and Sarah Rose - plus 10 grandkids! Parents Ted and Leslie met when they were in medical school. Leslie was dating another boy at the time but that didn’t stop Ted being smooth and whisking her away. On their first date they went out for Chateau Briand (you know it’s good when it’s hard to pronounce!) and Thaddeus had to borrow money from Uncle Frank to pay for the meal. For their second date they went to Denny’s. When you find yourself someone who can be equally comfortable eating Coq co vin and $1.99 Grand Slams, you marry them.
A Life of Play and Joy
The Borts are such a fun and eclectic group of people that we could share any number of stories about them, but here’s just a little taste: the murder mystery play written by Leslie for Thaddeus entitled “A Heart for Murder or This Kielbasa is Killing Me!” (We hope our pun of “a little taste” and then the title of the play having kielbasa in it was not lost on you.) The mystery involved the murder of Dr. Ned Bort, strangled by a string of kielbasa. The part of Mrs. Laura Bort was performed to perfection by Leslie Bort! Spoiler alert: Dr. Bort was not really killed, it was his twin brother.
When we met Julianna and Leslie we couldn’t stop talking about their wonderfully infectious energy. Spending time with them at Christmas Con was so much fun for us and after learning more about their family we are hoping we can score an invite to a Bort Family Reunion someday. Until then, we look forward to seeing them at next year’s Christmas Con and working on expansion packs for the upcoming Bort Family celebrations. And, if we are really lucky, getting written into a murder mystery.
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