I don't know about you guys, but I'm still mourning the end of the holidays and my college kids' return to school. And aliens and dancing bears are a small part of those blues. Our youngest son came home from school with a pile of new board games to try out, and since Sam could turn even Parcheesi into the wildest, most hilarious game ever, all of us - parents, sibs and friends - scrambled to clear the dining table and start setting up these contenders for Best. Game. Ever.

You guys remember Last Night on Earth? That's the awesome zombie game that we were so smitten with last year. Now, the people behind Last Night have released a couple of new ones, including Invasion from Outer Space. Similar concept - a modular game board, slyly witty graphics and clever scenarios - but this time martians are invading Earth and it's up to carnival folks to save the day. (And yes, your eyes are not deceiving you. That's Jo Jo, the Dancing Bear, confronting blue martians in the photo.) All kinds of fun.

You can find the full game review here. Meanwhile, what's your favorite board game - for grown-ups, I mean, and don't say Parcheesi...

These days Lunar New Year celebrations aren't limited to festivities in Chinatown. The New Year is celebrated with parades and fireworks in cities around the world, from London to Sydney. Children line up for dragon parades on the playground, lantern-making crafts and all sorts of delicious treats. So why not use that theme to add some whimsy to your college kid's day? Greet the Year of the Dragon by sending your kid a Lunar New Year-themed care package with paper dragons, red envelopes and, er, no fireworks. And if you have a 23 or 24-year-old, born in 1988, it's all the more suitable. You have a dragon of your own.

Looking for 18th birthday party inspiration? Throw a wildly imaginative scavenger hunt party, modeled after "Amazing Race," Comic-Con's hunts (pictured) or Stanford's famous freshman foray into San Francisco each fall, and people will talk about it for weeks.

Unlike the kiddie scavenger hunts of yore, when the goal was collecting stray clothes pins and buttons, this version sends teens and 20somethings off to experience a city, perform silly stunts and capture the fun via cell phone camera. Here's how to plan one, plus a dozen scavenger hunt "items" to get you started. (Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images)

We all have our favorite books, products and resources. But now it's your turn to share! The 2012 About.com Readers' Choice Awards showcase reader favorites in a wide range of categories, including four things that make life easier for people like you and me - parents of college age kids and 20somethings. Yep, we're talking dorm room essentials; college survival guides, books and blogs; survival guides for us parents; and college care package delivery services.

Ready to start nominating? Let's go!