Christmas Eve Games

Do you ever play "celebrity"? Everyone gets in pairs, and each individual puts 3 celebrity names (or famous people of any kind, or you could Disney Caharacters or whatever) into a big bowl. Then the bowl gets passed around pair by pair, as one person pulls out a name and tries to describe who the person is and get the teammate to guess the name. They get a point if they get it.

I forget if there is a time limit or if it each team gets three draws before passing to the next team. I think there is a timer involved. It's fun and simple.

My sons counselor showed us a game that we've used many times since he brought strings (his were nylon-we've used twine or yarn). Everyone stands in a circle and hands their string to someone else-not the person next to you and two people can not hold each other's strings. You end up in a big knot. Everyone has to work together to get untangled-without letting go of the string their holding.
We always have fun trying to climb over or under strings. After we get the hang of it we try it again with out speaking.
We have the game of things. It's an adult game, but we've played it with the kids and kept our answers clean and still roared with laughter.
On Thanksgiving I let the kids play just dance on the Xbox. My mom loved it and was in tears laughing!

Charades-We have a basket and I made up a bunch of cards with words on it. Then they act it out. "Horse back riding", "Surfing", "Parachuting", "Baking a cake", etc. Kids and adults can easily play together. It is very interactive and fun. We pull out the basket with our own family, when friends are over and when we host parties. It is cheap and endless fun.

Pictionary- Same as above but they draw on a big pad of paper you can find at an office supply store. We have a big dry erase white board we use.

Something that takes time up time at a party and is really fun, but not a game, is do a talent show portion. I have done this many times when I host our family on Christmas Eve. Ahead of time, I ask each family to come prepared to share a little entertainment that will take a few minutes. Oh my goodness!! We have witnessed some of the funniest little skits and songs. Also, some of the most tender moments as well.
-Brother and his son blacked out their two front teeth and sang, "All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth" song with a lisp.
-My family of 5 acted out the SNL skit "Needs more Cowbell..the one with Will Ferrell. Everyone was in tears laughing.
-Kids have performed songs on their musical instrument
-Poems have been read
-Short Christmas stories have been read.
I personally love the funny skits.

Apples to Apples is a great game to play with a large crowd that varies in ages. A few years we played this with our kids and all the grand and great grandparents. Sometimes the elderly have just as much limited skill and attention span as the youngins' so it was perfect all around.

Singing carols together is fun too. Or take a stroll with the gang out into your neighborhood. Go caroling. It is sad how this tradition has been lost.

Make a list of 10 ornaments that are on your tree. Make copies of the list. Then as guests are trickling in they have something to do til the party starts. Very cheap game. We just did this with a large group of teenagers. OMGoodness I didn't think they would like it as much as they did. They thought it was super fun. Crazy kids.

Have a great party.

My kiddos are all older (25 to 18) but they all will be home for x mas. We are die hard scrabble players, and also play trivial pursuit (just the cards, we do not bother with the board).

Also, this year I have a 'grab bag' of games for each to pick from...some more 'adult' than others. lol

Don't know the ages of your kids, but you might want to consider a game for each that they are allowed to open ON x mas eve. Here, kiddos have traditionally opened ONE gift on the eve. For us, it is matching PJ's for the photo op on x mas morning. For you, maybe it could be some games?

Hasbro has a wide variety.

Merry Merry!

what are their ages?? that would be helpful...

What games do you play normally??

Do you want something special for Christmas only?

Name the reindeer.

how about making your own Christmas decoration? Get a large plastic bulb - plain and paint - put the paint on their hands to the fingers and have them grab the bulb - then make snowmen about of the fingers? (I saw this on FB the other day).

Instead of "Simon Says" - say "Santa Says"

Christmas "I spy" or "Clue" - if they are old enough to know about sleighs, reindeer, etc. - go around the house or look around the room and say "I spy" or "I'm thinking of...a big red suit..." or a white beard...if you celebrate the Christian aspect of Christmas - then I spy the manger, etc.

Good luck! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

We don't play a lot of games around here.

We do occasionally work on a jigsaw puzzle.

On Thanksgiving, my daughter (19) was here with friends and they played Heads UP with their IPhones. It seemed like a fun game.

We played Heads Up on the iPad at our family vacation in October. It was fun for everyone. We also played Beat the Parents with our own kids...it's a good time too.

Sorry, Apples to Apples, Life, UNO, Rummikub, Dominos

If you do a gift exchange of any kind (Yankee Swap, etc.), google "The Wright Family" for a fun story to rotate the gifts around back and forth before each person opens theirs. If the kids are really little, make the gifts "family gifts" so that no one is disappointed by the trading that goes on. Or they can all be small cookie assortments that everyone shares at the end.

We've done this at office parties and it becomes the entertainment.

Have you done "The Memory Game"? Put a bunch of random objects on a tray, cover it with a cloth, then remove the cloth and let everyone "study" the items for a while. You set a time limit like 60 seconds or use an egg timer, then cover or remove the tray. Each person (or team) starts a list of what was on the tray, and the one with the most on the list wins something. Little kids can help with the memory part while an adult or teen records them.

Use common household items: keys, safety pin, paper clip, pencil, napkin, marble, stapler, spoon, push pin, roll of tape, puzzle piece, you name it. You want probably 2 dozen items. You can include holiday/seasonal items if you want (ornament, cookie, pine cone). It's not a game that adults are that much better at than kids, so it's a good equalizer. And no purchases required other than whatever you're giving out as a prize. Or, skip the prize and just have fun.

My favorite go to games are Say Anything, Bubble Talk, and What's Yours Like. They are available at Target, Barnes and Noble and even Walmart. They are simple and fun and good for all ages. The one that makes me laugh the most is Bubble Talk.

Enjoy your gaming with the fam.

HedBandz is a fun game for both kids and adults. You can purchase different versions of the game at Target or Wal-Mart. We also like Farkle and Dutch Blitz.