The best Christmas games for family gatherings have three things in common. A four-year-old can play them. Grandpa can play them without his glasses. And nobody has to go looking for batteries or a charger halfway through. Here are eight that pass all three tests, plus a few tips for running a game hour that pulls everyone off the couch.
Most of these need only paper, a pen or a deck of cards. One is a game we make. We'll tell you where it fits in the lineup.
Christmas games for family gatherings: what makes one work
A holiday crowd is a strange audience. It mixes toddlers, teens, tired parents and grandparents, plus one cousin who takes everything very seriously. The games that land with that crowd tend to share a few traits.
- Rules in under a minute. If explaining takes longer than a round, people drift off.
- Easy to join late. Someone always arrives halfway through, carrying a pie.
- Room for teams. A little kid paired with a grown-up can win fair and square.
- Something to laugh at. The game is an excuse. The laughing is the point.
Have three or four games ready before dinner ends, and let the crowd vote on the first one. A game people chose themselves always starts with more energy.
Word and guessing games
1. Christmas movie charades
Write holiday movie and song titles on slips of paper. Players act them out without a word while their team guesses. The sight of Grandma acting out a flying reindeer is worth the whole evening.
Best for: big groups, ages six and up, and anyone who secretly loves an audience.
2. Who am I?
Stick a note on each player's forehead with a name: Santa, an elf, the Grinch, or a family member sitting at the table. Players ask yes or no questions until they figure out who they are. Using real relatives makes it twice as funny.
Best for: mixed ages around the dinner table, since nobody has to stand up.
3. Hum that carol
One player hums a carol, no words allowed. The first person to name it gets a point and hums the next one. Off-key humming is strongly encouraged.
Best for: the car ride to the relatives, or the dishes afterwards.
Card and table games
4. A memory game made from family photos
The classic flip-two-cards game, made with your own pictures. Matchy Matchy Memory prints your photos as a matching card game, from $19.99. Every pair is a cousin, a grandparent or last summer's beach day. Little kids hunt for Grandpa. Grandpa hunts for his wedding photo. Every match starts a story, so a round takes longer than the rules suggest. Choose 12, 24 or 48 cards depending on how long you want it to last.
Best for: the youngest and oldest players together. It's a game, so it shines when there's a table full of people to play with.
5. Pass the parcel
Wrap a small prize in many layers of paper, with a candy or a joke tucked between each layer. Play music and pass it around the circle. When the music stops, whoever holds it peels one layer. The last layer wins the prize.
Best for: little kids, who love the suspense more than the prize.
6. Spoons
A deck of cards and a pile of spoons, one fewer than the number of players. Pass cards around fast, trying to collect four of a kind. The moment someone grabs a spoon, everyone grabs. Whoever ends up without one is out. It gets loud. Move the gravy boat first.
Best for: teens and grown-ups with quick hands and good reflexes.
Games that get people moving
After a big meal, a little movement helps. These two work in a living room.
7. The candy cane hunt
Hide candy canes around the house while the kids are out of the room. Big kids help little ones. Leave one impossible to find and give a clue every few minutes. Grown-ups get suspiciously competitive about this one.
Best for: burning off the second slice of pie.
8. Indoor snowball toss
Roll up pairs of white socks into snowballs. Set out laundry baskets at different distances and give each a point value. Toddlers stand close. Teenagers stand in the hallway. Nothing breaks, and the socks go straight back in the drawer afterwards.
Best for: toddlers through teens, with a handicap line for the grown-ups.
Running a game hour everyone joins
A few small choices turn a couple of games into a tradition people ask about.
- Mix the teams by age. Pair the youngest with the oldest. Teens with parents they'd normally avoid.
- Keep a score sheet. Write it on a big piece of paper and tape it to the fridge. Keep the sheets from year to year.
- Offer silly prizes. A paper crown, first pick of the dessert, a turn choosing the next movie.
- Start with something quiet. A memory game or a guessing game lets everyone settle in. Save spoons for when the energy is high.
- Stop while it's fun. End the hour on a laugh, before anyone gets tired, and people will want to play again next year.
If your crowd loves a twist, Matchy Matchy Magic re-draws your photos in 3D Film, Watercolor or Anime, from $29.99. Turning the family into animated characters adds a fresh round of laughs to a game everyone already knows.
Put your own family on the table
Pick the photos. Choose real or re-drawn. Choose 12, 24 or 48 cards. You upload from your phone and see your first card before you pay. Shipping is $5, and free when you order 2 or more decks. US only, ships in 3 to 5 business days. Order early for Christmas.
Start with Matchy Matchy Memory for your real photos, or Matchy Matchy Magic to see your family re-drawn. Questions? Write to us at hello@matchygame.com.