Puh-rum-pum-pum-pum, people. Once again, The Boy is back in town. But He won’t be dressed to kill, though he may be down at Dino’s Bar ‘n’ Grill if he figures he can score some victims. And, of course, He’ll be looking for you and yours.

But we can do this. Together, as always. Review the rules (bit.ly/LDBCrules). Fill out the official form (bit.ly/LDBCform) if He gets you so that you’re duly memorialized at the end of the game.

And don’t forget to grab an LDBC-elfie of yourself at the moment of your loss. You can submit on the Facebook page or via Twitter (be sure to tag @LDBChallenge). Need inspiration? See the gallery just below the charts and graphs in last year’s roundup. (And apologies for the required scrolling.)

While you’re at it, review our list of deadly TV shows and movies (bit.ly/LDBCtoxic), but be aware that it is not comprehensive. There are way too many for me to keep up with, so be forewarned and check before watching anything. (I can tell you that The Holdovers contains LDB and will kill you dead, so avoid it until we’re on the other side of This Thing of Ours.)

Also, here’s another rundown of the LDBC-safe playlists curated by your fellow LDBCers. As I’ve cautioned before, I haven’t verified their safety myself, so do your own due diligence before sampling them. And once again, thank you very much to their creators; you people rock:

• Thom Downing
  • 2022 (Spotify)
  • 2020 (Spotify)
  • 2019 (Spotify)
  • 2017 (Spotify)
• Kelsey Rubenking (Spotify)
• Justin Fermenich
  • Midcentury Xmas Favorites (Spotify, Tidal, Apple)
  • Xmas Offbeat (Spotify, Tidal, Apple)
  • Chill Christmas (Spotify, Tidal, Apple)
• Carole Newton McManus (Spotify)
• Alvin McNeely (Apple)
• Nathan Face (Spotify)
• Julianna Taylor-Gomia (Spotify)
• Joseph Max (Spotify)
• Erin Schwendemann (Spotify)
• Megan Mornacki (Spotify—and not Whamageddon safe)
• Erik Martella (YouTube)
• Donald Hargraves (YouTube)
• Tim Mahoney (Spotify)

And with that, hang tough, friends. We got this.