Top 10 Family Games for Holiday Gatherings

Posted by Jenni Barnett on Friday, November 13th, 2020 at 10:50am.

The whole family is home for the holidays. It’s chilly outside, warm inside - and everyone is gathered around the table laughing. The connection feels deep, and the smiles are aplenty - it’s game night. It’s a truly unmatched joy! Below are some of our favorite family games to get ready for the upcoming season! 


Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza

Oh boy. This game. It doesn’t matter if you’re “into games”, if you like strategy, or if you’re young or old. This game will have you flailing your arms and laughing hysterically in no time about the absurdity of the quick, easy-to-learn, 10-minute-a-round game. Imagine a Slap Jack-esque game with hand motions as the main rules. This family found it as a game “keeper”, and you very well could, too! 


Exploding Kittens 

One of the best parts about playing simple games as a family is that kids can often play at the same level as adults, which usually feels like a novelty compared to normal day-to-day activities. Exploding Kittens is known as one of those games, and is based on luck as much as strategy. One thing to note is that it is limited to five players with one deck of cards - but you can always add another deck for a bigger group of fun!


Codenames 

With one-word clues to describe simple words for your team, Codenames is the addicting team game you never knew you needed. While the game relies on strategy because there are teams, you can have family members of all ages get in on the action! This is great for a gathering where some want to be heavily invested while others just want to hang with the group. Don’t be fooled though - the game is surprisingly easy and fun for it being more “thinking” based!


Telestrations

A combination of Pictionary and telephone. Meet: Telestrations. Do you remember “telephone” where one person whispers into another person’s ear to pass a sentence along until the end where you see how crazy the sentence got? Picture that, only alternating between writing and drawing. It quickly gets hilarious and is always something new thanks to the nature of the game. This is another laughter-guaranteed game and only gets better with big groups, so it’s perfect for larger families and gatherings.


What Do You Meme: Family Edition

Bring on the memes … only without a screen! Perfect for kids and teens that are into “all things internet”, and for adults who want some old fashioned, screen-less family time. What Do You Meme: Family Edition is all about pairing photos and captions and deciding on which one goes best. This game is incredibly simple and only requires a little creativity and humor to turn it into a family favorite. (Bonus: You don’t have to have an official start and stop, and you can have people bounce in and out if you want a more fluid-style game night).


Monopoly Deal 

Remember the days of playing Monopoly for hours? Well, this is not that. A game of Monopoly Deal is kind of like playing a really great Monopoly-themed card game where you can have a full throw down in 15 minutes or less. It’s also a single deck of cards, so perfect for travel or an “on the go” family night. 


Catch Phrase

Sometimes the classics just can’t be beat, and that is absolutely the case with Catch Phrase. As another large-group-friendly game with teams, it’s another one where there can be lots of people both in the middle of the game and just along for the ride. Catch Phrase is all about describing a word or phrase to your team as quickly as you can without actually saying the word itself. Think of it as verbal charades that all ages can enjoy.


Spot-It

Especially great with little kids or quick attention spans … or both(!). Spot-It comes in many different versions but it is all based on the idea that every card has a match. It’s fast-paced, quick, and surprisingly simple for how much confusion and laughter can ensue.


Throw Throw Burrito

Some have described it as “faster-paced Go-Fish, but with airborne burritos involved”. Intrigued? We certainly were. For light-hearted gamers that want to get a little energy out; Throw Throw Burrito because what kid with the wiggles can deny dodging a cute, squishy burrito in the air?


DIY “Guess Who”

So this isn’t a game you can buy, rather a game based on the game you can buy called Guess Who. Remember the classic? Well, if you want to go all-in on your family gathering game night, why not customize your own family version of Guess Who? How fun would that be? This blogger made a beautiful DIY version but you could always tape pictures over the actual game, as well. Enjoy describing Grandma’s beloved red glasses and her spunky sense of humor! 

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