Thanksgiving and Christmas are my favorite holidays- this really is just the most wonderful time of the year! I love spending time with family and strengthening those relationships! While we definitely spend plenty of time bonding over food as we cook, prepare, eat, and clean- what about all the down time in between?

One word: games!! My husband and I love games, and between the two of us, we’ve collected quite a few! Whether it’s a board game, card game, or party game, there’s so many fun options to keep the laughter going, and to give you something to do as you converse and bond with your family!

Games for a Laugh

Let’s be honest- sometimes we play games just because we want to laugh! These are some great ones to serve that purpose!

Story game- Everyone gets a lined piece of paper. Write a sentence or two and make sure you leave your last 3-5 words on the line below where you fold it, so that the next person can see what you wrote. Fold your paper down to hide your writing and pass the paper to the left. Then that person adds a sentence or two (based off the 3-5 words they can see), and you continue until the paper is full. At the end, you read through the stories and it’s HILARIOUS.

What If game- Everyone gets a scrap of paper. Write a what-if question, such as what if the turkey blew up in the oven, what if humans were pregnant as long as elephants, or what if Dad won a million dollars tomorrow? Then you fold your paper and throw it in a bowl. Pass the papers back out, and now each person answers the question they received (can’t be your own). Put them back in the bowl again and pass them out one last time. Now, you take turns reading the answers and questions- but you mix them up! So when I read my question, the person to my left will read the answer on his paper. Then he reads his question and the person to his left reads his answer. I guarantee you will be crying from laughing so hard, especially if people get really into it! We like to have themes for each round, such as Thanksgiving, monkeys or books, but you don’t have to do that for the game to be fun!

Gift game- This has become a beloved Christmas tradition, but you could do this any time with any assortment of gifts! Wrap enough presents for everyone to have 1-2 presents and put them in the middle of the circle. Have a couple sets of dice that go around, and everyone takes a turn rolling, passing the dice as fast as they can. When you roll a double, you get to take a gift. Once all the gifts have been taken, everyone pauses as you open the gifts. We like to make sure everyone gets a gift, so you could have everyone stop rolling once they’ve received one, or if someone rolls several doubles they just get to choose which one to keep, and give the rest to people who never rolled a double. Once all gifts have been opened, set the timer for 10 minutes, and this time, as everyone rolls a double, they can trade their gift for a different one from someone else! This game gets CRAZY as we all anxiously roll, trying to get doubles so we can get the gift we want! It’s hilarious (especially if you get some funny gifts!) and we have so much fun with it!

Games to Play While Chatting

My sister and I love playing games that allow us to talk at the same time- as I imagine most sisters would ;). These are some great options that can be low-key and allow for lots of conversation while playing!

Bananagrams- So technically, you’re racing against the clock in this game as you try to use all your tiles first, but my sister and I like to just split up the tiles and see who can get through all their tiles first. While we’re technically “racing”, we really just like the excuse to use our brains as we engage in friendly, sisterly conversation :)

Code Names- This one definitely takes some brain power- but it’s perfect because as the two people who are giving clues are trying to think, the rest of the group just chats! It’s one that we return to often for that reason alone!

Jigsaw Puzzles- While not technically a game, it’s a great way to kill time and gives you something hands-on to do while you talk the night away!

Games That Are Just Fun!

Sometimes you just want something to do- and these games are fun to play just for the game’s sake! The other great thing- all these games can handle 8 players (some more!), which is not always easy to find when playing board games!

Camel Up- This is a game in which you are “betting” on camels. You roll dice to determine how the little plastic camels move, and you win or lose money based on your predictions. It is a hoot, and this game has been a huge hit with everyone we’ve played it with! Fair warning: this game can get pretty rowdy and loud as everyone gets excited when their camel wins! :)

Sushi Go Party- In this game, you pass along cards and take one at a time, trying to get points based off which cards you collect. The cards are cute and colorful, and this game is simple enough that my 6 year old daughter and 7 year old son play with us- and they LOVE it!

Magic Maze- This game is hilarious. You are working as a team to “steal” magical items and escape from the magical “mall”- but you can’t talk during the game! Each person can only move the game pieces in one direction based on the card they are given (i.e. up, down, left, right), and we get a lot of chuckles from this game as we try to collectively win- silently!!

Poophead- The name is a little more crass, but this is a simple card game that my family has played for HOURS. You can definitely have as many people play as you want, but the game does move slower the more people you have. I think 8-10 is a good number. While I can’t explain the whole game here, this link will explain everything! https://www.instructables.com/id/Poohead/. You just need a couple decks of regular playing cards!

Does your family like to play games? I’d love to hear about your favorite ones below!