Holiday time means more family time, and when it comes to family time, we’re all becoming increasingly distant, the more screens are in the room. There’s little time between the hellos and the gifts for people to truly get together, catch up, and get to know each other once again. That’s where holiday games come in. Some of them come boxed at the store, some you can do with what you have lying around, and some don’t take any parts at all. Here are five games you can try out this holiday season.
Holiday Taskmaster
Based on the popular British TV show on the BBC, Taskmaster really just takes a little ingenuity and – maybe – stealing some ideas from the original show. The Taskmaster lays out a task for the group to fulfill and then judges their accomplishments. It can be anything from “get this egg to the other side of the room without touching it” to “most creative way to blow up a balloon.” It doesn’t have to be prop-heavy, just thought-heavy.
Live Operation (Sort Of)
If you’ve ever played Pin the Tail on the Donkey, this is the reverse. One person is blindfolded and is given a dull implement like a pool noodle and a target. You don’t have to spin them, but you do have to set up some obstacles. Either furniture, pillows, or other people, just make sure everyone is safe, and that when they bump an obstacle everyone yells “buzz!” The first person to get to the target with no buzz wins!
Food Art Contests
Anything from pumpkin carving to gingerbread house building can be a competition with a delicious finish. Make a friendly competition out of your food art, and then make sure everything is collected safely so that you can actually eat the art in the end.
Holiday Name That Tune
Get the Bluetooth speaker ready, and a big holiday playlist, too. Every player bids on who can name the holiday song in the fewest seconds (or notes, if you’re humming the song) and then the first person to not drop out of the bidding gets their chance. Players accrue points based on correct guesses, and the most points at the end wins!
Christmas Charades
The old game of guessing titles and words gets adapted to an all-holiday theme. Just have your symbols for “number of words” and “number of syllables” ready so that no one gets confused. No talking, just a fun bit of acting and guessing, usually on teams which are made up of two or three people.
Summary
Games can be a great new family tradition to add to your existing list. If it’s a homemade / DIY family game, you can also write up the instructions for everyone to take home, so they can spread the word the next time they have a holiday get together and things are a little stale. There’s nothing like a good holiday game to truly appreciate the season.