The tension is high, punctuated only by the cadence of clacking Scrabble tiles against boards or within custom tile bags. The competition is intense. But as the round closes, the chatter picks up ...

Or — in the case of Janet Gutierrez and Katy Cadman — lay that magical X tile on a triple letter score ... lifting her head from a recent lunchtime Scrabble battle with Cadman at D6 Table ...

The ornament itself is a thick styrofoam ceiling tile cut into a star shape with a red-painted wooden frame. Decorated with baubles and stars, the LED strips start in the center and end up at each ...