There is an old adage that a family that plays together stays together and there is no better time than Christmas to get together for some quality time and play a game that everyone can enjoy. Apart from the well-loved board games that we all know, there are a host of ‘parlour games’ that are fun and stimulating, that will spark fun and laughter and hopefully fits of uncontrollable giggles.
Charades
One player acts out a word or phrase by miming similar-sounding words, and the other players guess the word or phrase. The idea is to use signs and not words to convey the meaning.
You’re Never Fully Dressed without a Smile
One person is selected to be ‘it’ and that person is the only one in the group who is allowed to smile. They can do anything to try and get someone else to smile and if they succeed, they become ‘it.’ The person who never smiles is declared the winner.
Consequences
This is a drawing version of the story game. The first player starts by drawing a head (whether human, animal, or mythical) on a sheet of paper, then folds it over to cover the creation. After passing it on, the next player draws a torso, the next legs, and so on. Once the sheet has made the rounds, players can unfold it to marvel at whatever monstrosity they created as a team.
Tray Game
Fill a tray with items (maybe Christmas objects) and allow players one minute to memorise them. Remove or cover the tray and ask them to write down as many as they can remember. The player who remembers the most items is the winner.
Pictionary
Divide into teams and appoint one person to write down the items, phrases, etc. that players must draw. This person will also serve as the timer and judge. Give each team a name and distribute paper and a pen to each group. Each team chooses someone to draw. The judge prepares a one-minute timer and gives the player a card. The judge says “Go!” and starts the timer. The player begins to draw a picture of the word(s). Whichever team guesses the word within the time frame wins a point.
Christmas Hat Name Game
One person writes the name of a famous person, well-known figure or character, on each Christmas hat pulled out of a cracker and places it on the heads of the players without them seeing their own name. The hat wearer asks questions to which the players can only answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’, and if they answer ‘No’ the questioning moves to the next hat wearer. If they answer ‘Yes’ the hat wearer can ask another question until they receive a ‘No’ or until their hat name is guessed. The first person guessed is the winner; the last person guessed is the loser!
