My top 10 games to play at Christmas

One of the things I love most about Christmas is having the opportunity to play our favourite games with family and friends.

We love some of them so much they’ve become festive traditions in their own right!

They’re also brilliant to keep everyone (young and old) entertained throughout the big day – and they can help dissolve any family tensions and get everyone laughing again.

It’s a great way to bond, create a bit of excitement with some healthy competition and make some memories for years to come.

Here are my top 10 games to play on Christmas Day and throughout the festive season:

Uno

Amazon, £4.99

It might be simple and it’s been around for ages, but this fiercely competitive card game is still my absolute fave to play at Christmas!

Most people will already have a good grasp of the (easy) rules by now, but even for those who’ve been hiding under a rock, it shouldn’t take long for them to get the hang of how to play.

Players match cards by colour or number in a race to play all of their cards. 

When you’re down to one card you have to yell ‘Uno’ or you might find yourself with more cards once again!

Special action cards – skips, reverses, draw twos, wild and draw four wild – mean that the outcome of the game can shift at any moment. 

It’s quick to play and brilliant fun for adults, teens and children alike.

Who am I?

It’s another straightforward classic that never gets boring!

Each player writes the name of a Christmas character (or object, film etc) on a sticky note.

Put all the notes in a hat or bag and mix them up. Each player picks one, and sticks it on their forehead without peeking.

Players each have to guess what it says on their sticky note.

They do this by wandering around the room and asking the other players up to 20 ‘yes’ or ‘no’ questions.

Whoever correctly guesses who they are first wins the game!

Colourbrain

Amazon, £24.99

This is a wonderful quiz game – and the answer to every question is a colour!

It’s easy to learn and quick to play and is ideal for two to 20 players aged 12 and up.

From remembering the colours of the five Olympic rings to the colours of the sweets in a tube of Smarties, the fun trivia questions will keep everyone entertained.

There’s also a junior version for children aged six and up.

Great fun!

Christmas family trivia

Ask your Christmas Day guests to write down a quirky and little-known fact about themselves when they arrive. 

Later, when you have some time to fill, read them out and ask everyone to guess which fun fact belongs to who.

It’s a bit of fun and a great way to bond and learn more about each other at the same time!

Speak Out

Amazon, £11.95

Get ready for some laugh-out-loud fun – this game is hilarious!

Players have to try to say different words and phrases while wearing a plastic mouthpiece which won’t let you close your mouth – it’s really tricky!

Team members have to guess what they’re trying to say before the time runs out in order to win the card.

The winner is the team with the highest number of cards at the end of the game.

Super silly, but so much fun.

The paper plate game

All you need for this game is some paper plates (sturdy ones that don’t bend too easily are best) and some pens or pencils.

Ask each player to put their plate on their head. Then ask them to draw (without removing the plate!):

  • A line – this is the floor
  • A Christmas tree with a star on top
  • Some more decorations to the tree
  • A fireplace next to the tree
  • A Christmas stocking hanging from the fireplace
  • A gift beneath the tree

Once they’ve done this, ask everyone to have a look at their drawings!

To work out who is the winner, ask players to tot up their scores:

  • Two points if the tree touches the floor
  • Two points if the Christmas stocking touches the fireplace
  • One point if the star is at the top of the Christmas tree
  • One point for every Christmas decoration on the tree
  • One point if the fireplace doesn’t touch the tree (it might catch on fire!)
  • Two points if the gift is under the tree

The player with the most points wins the game!

Drawing on top of your head is a lot harder than you might think, so I recommend using pencils or washable pens….

Dobble

Amazon, £9.35

Another favourite amongst young and old in our family, Dobble is a race to spot the one matching image between one card and another.

This simple but brilliant card game is suitable for children six years and up, and can be played by between two and eight people.

As it’s based on reactions and visual perception rather than knowledge or strategy, there’s no advantage for adults over children, making it the perfect family game. 

Reindeer Hoopla

Amazon, £5.99

You can make your own antlers and hoops if you have the time and/or inclination, but if not this inflatable set will do the job wonderfully!

One person wears the antlers on their head and the others try to throw as many inflatable rings onto the antlers as possible.

The player who manages to get the most rings onto the antlers wins the game – fun for all the family!

Jenga

Amazon, £11.99

I’m sure you’ve all heard of the classic tower building game – we’ve played it every Christmas for as long as I can remember!

But just in case your set is gathering dust at the back of the games cupboard, I thought it was worth a mention.

If you’ve forgotten the rules, you have to slide wooden blocks out of a tower one by one and place them on top of the stack without causing the tower to fall. 

The loser is the person who made the tower fall, the winner is the person who moved before the loser!

Throw Throw Burrito

Amazon, £25.20

Warning: this game is brilliant fun, but also active and chaotic!

The cards you collect earn you points – but if someone plays burrito cards you can also steal points from your opponents by hitting them with squishy toy burritos!

It’s fast, fun and addictive – just make sure you have plenty of space and (and move anything breakable well out of the way) before you start playing!

I hope you find these ideas helpful – let me know your favourite games for Christmas time and I’ll add them to a future post and/or give them a mention on social media!

Alex x

I will receive a small commission on products purchased via affiliate links on this page. This is at absolutely no cost to you and I only suggest products that I would recommend to my friends and family.

All prices are correct at the time of writing (7 December 2021).

 

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