{"id":11700,"date":"2019-11-12T08:00:43","date_gmt":"2019-11-12T13:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/?p=11700"},"modified":"2023-02-21T12:14:05","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T17:14:05","slug":"fun-games-to-play-at-christmas-with-the-whole-family-elf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/2019\/11\/12\/fun-games-to-play-at-christmas-with-the-whole-family-elf\/","title":{"rendered":"Fun Games to Play at Christmas with the Whole Family"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Last Christmas, I got together with my wife\u2019s family. It was a great Christmas. One night, though, someone suggested we play a game, and some of the younger attendees immediately declared, \u201cCards Against Humanity!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Now, I like that game. With the right crowd, it can be a blast. This wasn\u2019t it, though. Too many in-laws, too many people being uncomfortable, too many people not feeling like they could play at their highest (er, lowest?) level. A girl who just married into the family looked mortified the entire time, completely unable to play in front of her new mother-in-law. It wasn\u2019t exactly in line with the Christmas spirit. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That wasn\u2019t the right game to play (for that crew; it might be for your family), but there are a million fun games to play at Christmas with the whole family. You can find formal games, informal games, brain-teasers, laugh generators, and everything in between. As long as people are having fun and enjoying each other\u2019s company, it\u2019s a good game. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our Favorite Games to Play at Christmas <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are two different types of games we want to talk about here. There are games that you can play during Christmas (or any other time of the year!) and specific Christmas games. Let\u2019s start with the first one. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Games You Can Play During Christmas<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Any game, at its heart, is about having fun with other people. So, a game doesn\u2019t have to be Christmas-themed to be a good Christmas game. It just has to bring you together. Here are a few ideas, along with ways to jolly it up for the season. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Autobiography Words<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This game is one of our favorite icebreaker and discussion games<\/a>. You give people a word prompt and they have to talk for one minute about what it means to them. This can take a lot of forms. If you say \u201cBBQ,\u201d they might talk about their favorite food, a particularly memorable BBQ they attended, or maybe about their plans to have everyone over one of these days for a feast. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a great way to get people talking, to see how their minds work, and to learn a little something about them. If you want to add a Christmas twist, have the prompts be things like \u201cfavorite gift,\u201d \u201cSanta,\u201d or \u201cChristmas tree.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lightning Questions<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

With <\/em>lightning questions<\/a>, you get a longer prompt and have to answer quickly. These prompts can be opposites (think \u201cchocolate or vanilla\u201d or \u201cMarvel or DC\u201d), quick answers (like \u201cfirst celebrity crush\u201d and \u201cCan you keep a secret?\u201d) or strange personal ones (i.e. \u201cDo you think people think you\u2019re cool?\u201d or \u201cWhat sound would you make if you were freezing cold?\u201d). This can get as weird as you\u2019d like. People have to answer right away\u2014minimal thinking!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want to Christmas it up a bit, pick questions related to the season. \u201cReal or fake tree,\u201d \u201cWas Rudolph a glory hog,\u201d \u201cegg nog or wassail,\u201d and so forth. Bonus points if anyone actually knows what wassail is. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Board Games<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are great board games for everyone in the family, and a game night is a way to make sure everyone is involved. A great game selection<\/a> has something for all ages. Jenga, for instance, is a game that doesn\u2019t get old. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are hundreds of \u201cbrain games\u201d out there now, as well as a lot of games revolving around pop culture and memes. Make sure you aren\u2019t alienating anyone, of course. I think you\u2019d find that even the older crowd will get goofily competitive in Connect 4. I know I do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Name that Tune<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Everyone loves a good game of name that tune, as even current game shows can attest. That\u2019s why it\u2019s fun to put on a playlist and have people (or teams) try to guess a song first. If you want, you can let it keep playing and turn it into a singalong. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I think you can guess how to add some more Christmas spirit. Just get a Christmas playlist, as traditional or eclectic as you want, and see what magical mayhem ensues. At some point, everyone will be singing along, feeling the warmth of the people they love shielding them from the cold nights. And I don\u2019t know what\u2019s more Christmas than that. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Specific Christmas Games<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The best Christmas games revolve around presents. Here are two of our favorite classics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yankee Swap<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ah, yes, the beloved, dreaded, fun, maddening, competitive, joyful Yankee swap. It\u2019s a good way to have a riotous good time and<\/em> maybe dig up old family grudges over who got the best bedroom growing up. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Okay, that\u2019s probably not going to happen. But there\u2019s something about a Yankee swap gift exchange <\/a>that gets the juices flowing. You can plot which gift to steal and how to make sure you get the one you want. You\u2019ll laughingly shoot daggers when your gift is stolen. In the end, everyone will be crying from laughter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Secret Santa<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you want something where everyone gets gifts and no one gets anything stolen, then go with Secret Santa. This may be the most fun game of them all. Everyone gets a gift they want, from someone who put thought into what to buy. It\u2019s warmhearted and appropriate for people of all ages. To spice things up even more, you can add themes that make it fun for the whole family<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not to mention, organizing a Secret Santa game is really easy if you use online tools. When you start a Secret Santa through an online generator<\/a>, you\u2019ll be able to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n