Aunt Carole’s Super Bowl Party

Almost every family has an Aunt Carole. On occasion, that very special someone in the vast network of siblings, cousins, and aunts and uncles is referred to in whispers as the black sheep of the family.

The black sheep might be infamous for get-rich-quick schemes that never seem to work, or for falling victim to irresistible spouses that are too good to be true. Many of the wandering black sheep, however, might be family members with the biggest hearts of all and are so enthusiastic that a tumbling wall of calamity might avalanche any social gathering. Aunt Carole’s flamboyant lifestyle certainly falls into the category of a nonconformist, but the stylish redhead with the exciting figure and the flair for fashion might find trouble attractive because she always has an insatiable craving for the spice of life.

One of Aunt Carole’s most infamous episodes came at a Christmastime when she wanted to impress everyone after a failed romance in Europe ended—not with a whirlwind of romance—but with a scammer of a husband who was also courting two other middle-aged women who were also from wealthy families. When Aunt Carole reappeared after her terribly expensive worldwide affair, which lasted almost two years, she was determined to repair her family relations and give away cash for Christmas presents.

Because she had lost favor with the wealthy family matriarch and many of the family members who were quick to scrutinize everything regarding the family status and wealth, Aunt Carole decided to jump into a Santa Claus suit and rob a bank in Ft Lauderdale. Her plan was to drive back to the west coast in time for cash Christmas presents for the big gathering at Grandmother’s extravagant estate, but that idea failed badly after the FBI followed the money with a tracking device that was unbeknownst to Aunt Carole. To humiliate the well-to-do family and Grandmother even further, a stolen money dye pack exploded under the Christmas tree just as the FBI made an arrival with drawn pistols and badges.

In redemption and as an effort to repair the domestic damage, Aunt Carole began to befriend the younger members of the family at the most recent spring break on Marco Island. This attempt at newfound popularity ended with another law enforcement mishap when the glamorous black sheep drank too many margaritas and learned that the dance floor of the busiest live music venue was not big enough for her.

Easter brought another round of calamity when Aunt Carole misread a text from Grandmother about an address for an Easter egg hunt. Although Aunt Carole looked perfectly adorable in the most expensive Easter bunny outfit, Grandmother was horrified when the promised Easter activity failed to materialize because of another episode of carefree bungling.

The Christmas following the Santa suit bank robbery and law enforcement and dashing lawyer fiasco brought a slight reprieve when Aunt Carole and Grandmother had a wonderful experience with a ramshackle sleigh and the magic of Christmastime.

For the upcoming Super Bowl Party, Aunt Carole was once again determined to impress Grandmother and therefore the rest of the doubting and scrutinizing family members.

Before Super Bowl Sunday, Aunt Carole began scouring the Internet for game time snacks. She wanted the magic of Christmastime to continue, and more than anything, Aunt Carole needed and wanted to fit in and receive hugs from even the most standoffish and pessimistic of the family.

Grandmother, of course, was having the Super Bowl party catered from the most expensive and fanciest hotel on the island, but there was apparently a lack of sweets and tasty desserts. After an hour of searching a plethora of websites, the amazing redhead with the stylish wardrobe decided on an obscure but local company which handcrafted wild blueberry muffins and fabulous nut-encrusted brownies. The local bakery promised daily delivery, and after the perfectly manicured nails clicked and placed the ridiculously expensive order, Aunt Carole closed her laptop, knowing her treats would add a special flair to the biggest football game of the year.

When the huge family gathered before Grandmother’s 115-inch TV, the two servers from the fancy hotel began to serve food and drinks. Grandmother was apparently pleased with the turnout, but she knew many of the family were waiting to see what Aunt Carole would do next.

After the pregame and when the game really began, everyone was stuffed. The food was indeed exceptional, but after halftime, the catering staff began to serve Aunt Carole’s muffins and brownies. The wild blueberries in the muffins were somehow addictive. The nut-encrusted double chocolate brownies were even more so, and by the third quarter of the game, the commercials were exceptionally funny and even Grandmother, with all of her stately decorum and reserved manner, began to howl with laughter.

When the game went into overtime, all of Aunt Carole’s desserts were only crumbs on the serving trays, and even the two servers who were also snacking on the irresistible sweets began to laugh and dance arm in arm in the back of the waterfront mansion.

Because Aunt Carole was on a watchful diet to protect her stylish figure, she had not partaken of any of the sweets. Meanwhile, everyone else was either on the edge of their seats watching the best football game of their lives or looking to each other with a fondness that had almost been lost in the past. When the suddenly freaking out black sheep of the family hurried off to look again at the local bakeries' website, she discovered all of her specially ordered desserts came with a warning, a disclaimer, and something about medical-grade marijuana.