Christmas is around the corner once more. It doesn’t seem like 12 months ago that we celebrated these festivities, and this year it might be slightly different due to restrictions put in place because of COVID-19. However, one thing that doesn’t ever change is the fun you can have with family games on Christmas Day and Boxing Day. Games are a great way to entertain all age groups, and they can be really inclusive, allowing the youngest and oldest to interact and have lots of fun playing the same game. If you’re looking for inspiration, we have the perfect games for Christmas right here.
Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are always popular, and a Christmas themed game is even more fun. Create a list of things that each player must find using only the house and garden and divide your guests into teams and set them to work. Mobile phones have made scavenger hunting good fun because instead of actually physically collecting the items, the teams can just go around and ensure they get a photo of themselves with each item. This means you can include bigger items that cannot easily be moved and creates a sense of teamwork as it’s likely to be the younger members of the party who are good with technology and will help the older members.
Escape Room in a Box
If you’ve never been to an escape room, the premise is straightforward: your team is locked in a room and cannot escape until they solve a series of clues leading them to release the key. While it’s not practical to recreate this, an escape room in a box allows you to play various mind games that require teamwork and logical thinking in order to win. The team that solves their games first will be the one that gets the metaphorical key and gets to escape the room and be crowned champions. Again, this game is excellent for all age groups.
Christmas Dance Freeze
If you are looking for a way to wear out the younger members while the older members have a post-lunch rest, then why not have a Christmas dance freeze competition? Played in many formats over the years, and at many different events, the premise is very simple. The music plays and as soon as it turns off, without any warning, the participants must freeze to the spot. Whoever ends up being the last person to freeze is out of the game. A small prize of sweets or Christmas treats can motivate the younger ones to play and also get rid of some energy.
Christmas Bingo
You can make your own Christmas bingo cards, or, to save time, you could always download several on the internet. Instead of using numbers, they are filled with pictures like candy canes, gingerbread men, Father Christmas, and many other seasonal symbols. This is a great way to create a distraction while you’re waiting for the turkey to crisp up and the roast potatoes to finish, and again a small prize incentive is certainly not hard to arrange. You could even change the winning word to snowman or Father Christmas instead of having your winners shout bingo.
Gingerbread Decorating Contest
For the budding artists in the family, a gingerbread decorating contest is the perfect way to go. All you need is some gingerbread shapes, some icing, sprinkles, and other decorating goodies, and you can set your teams to work. You could create categories and see who can get the most sprinkles to stay on their biscuit or have the messiest cookie award. Of course, this is best after lunch as the bonus is that everyone gets to eat their creations once the contest is over.
Snowman Bowling
This is an excellent quiet game that you can play with younger members of your party. Before everyone arrives, you can decorate white paper cups with simple snowman faces and then stack the cups in a bowling pyramid. Using a white pom-pom, you can bowl your snowballs at the snowmen and see how many you can knockdown. Prizes can be an offer for anyone who gets a strike, and with a lovely soft pom-pom ball, there is no danger of anyone getting hurt or breaking mother’s favourite china.
Christmas Charades
Another game you can play ad hoc with no preparation is holiday charades. The only rule is that you must use a Christmas movie, song, or book title. You can either pick your own or have a list and allocate each team with their charade.
