Mahjong mania adds to Kissing Tree’s active social life

Mahjong is taking Kissing Tree by storm, and our residents couldn’t be happier. This challenging game is to brain sharpness what pickleball is to physical fitness. Plus, it’s a lot of fun.

The Mahjong craze is sweeping the nation, and nowhere is this 19^th century Chinese game of skill and luck more popular than at Kissing Tree.

Just about any day of the week, you can hear the familiar clink of Mahjong tiles, along with the sounds of friendship and laughter, in different parts of The Mix, Kissing Tree’s bustling 21-acre community center campus.

Kissing Tree has a growing number of resident-led Mahjong groups that meet to play in Independence Hall, the Stump and other areas of The Mix. Many more neighbors gather to play in their homes.

At the heart of these groups are a few of Kissing Tree’s Mahjong pioneers, who shared their tips for getting started with us.

As popular as pickleball

Much like pickleball has soared in popularity over the past decade, Mahjong has also grown exponentially among adults over 50.

While pickleball is prized as a low-impact activity for physical fitness, many Mahjong enthusiasts see it as a way to keep their minds in shape.

“Pickleball is for the body, Mahjong is for the brain,” says resident Anne LeGare.

For both games, camaraderie and social connection are common threads.

“Mahjong is very social,” Anne says. “A game can take anywhere from 20 minutes to an hour, with plenty of time for snacking and chatting between games.”

Anne and her husband, Marc, signed the contract for their new Kissing Tree home in September 2021, but it took longer than a year to close, due to the pandemic slowdowns of home construction at the time.

“We hit the ground running”

Thanks to Kissing Tree’s policy of letting homebuyers begin enjoying the amenities immediately after signing their contract, Anne and Marc started getting to know their new neighbors right away, while living in a temporary home nearby.

“We hit the ground running as soon as we signed our contract,” Anne says. “It was the most fun year. We quickly learned that Kissing Tree is like a big family.”

For anyone not familiar with Mahjong, Anne compares it to the card game of rummy, where there are several major suits, and the goal is to build runs, suits and other winning hands.

Anne recommended that we talk to Phyllis Porter, Kissing Tree’s “Mom of Mahjong,” so we did.

From novice to teacher

On Wednesday mornings, you can usually find Phyllis teaching fellow residents how to play Mahjong at the Library in Independence Hall.

When Phyllis and her husband, James, moved to Kissing Tree in 2018, she had never played before. A neighbor offered to teach her, and Phyllis took her up on it.

“I wanted to preserve my mental faculties, and Mahjong helps keep the brain sharp,” she says.

Phyllis teaches the American style of Mahjong, while other teachers and groups play the military, or Wright Patterson, style. Either way, it’s a challenging game she describes as “a bit complex.”

A lifelong teacher, Phyllis has a reassuring message for beginners.

“If anyone feels intimidated, I say to come out and try it. We’ll go as slow as you need to go,” she says. “It should be a pleasure, not a trial. I’ve developed a way of teaching that most people can get in about four sessions.”

While some Kissing Tree residents have become very skilled at Mahjong and play in competitive tournaments, most play for the neighborly camaraderie.

“We have all kinds of players, with a place for everyone to have fun and learn something new,” Phyllis says.

500 students and counting

Barbara Taylor was already a skilled Mahjong player before she arrived at Kissing Tree in 2020. Moving in during the Covid 19 pandemic, she was eager to find new friends and activities. Since Mahjong is played in groups of four, she taught three neighbors in her neighborhood to play, and the Fairway Cottages Mahjong Group was born.

The growing group now plays on Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays at Independence Hall. Barbara says newcomers are welcome to drop in and join games if space is available.

Barbara also continues to teach, and estimates she’s taught more than 500 fellow Kissing Tree residents to play. Many of those go on to teach others, to the point Barbara estimates that half of the community could be involved in Mahjong.

Paula Sims, who moved to Kissing Tree five years ago, says she’s seeing Mahjong spread out from its traditional base of women players to include men, couples, and even the children and grandchildren of residents.

“Playing is both competitive and social, with plenty of time to have fun. There’s also a lot of tradition to enjoy,” she says.

Check out our social activity calendar to see some of our Mahjong groups, and all the other events and activities you can expect to enjoy when you become part of the Kissing Tree community.

The best way to learn more about Kissing Tree is to visit our beautiful new Guest House Welcome Center, part of our new Model Home Village with 10 new fully furnished model homes from Brookfield Residential and David Weekley Homes.