It’s underneath the tree every Christmas.

A new game.

Sometimes we open it on Christmas Eve to play, sometimes it gets played Christmas afternoon and sometimes it waits a couple of days to make the rounds.

But it’s long been a tradition – the new game for Christmas.

If your family likes to search out a new game for the holidays, I thought I’d take some of the guess work out of the search for you.

Some of the games listed I have written reviews for over the years and you can click on those to read more.  Some of the games I’m just telling you are fun and you’ll have to take my word for it.

I’d love to hear your game suggestions in the comments.  (The kids have requested Exploding Kittens this year but I can’t recall much about that game.  We still don’t own Trivial Pursuit so I’ve been leaning toward that one.)

Here you go – Our Family’s Favorite Games.

Pass the Pigs.  You can buy the party set with multiple pigs and I think it’s worth it to avoid the sharing of the pigs in little hands.  I love this game – it’s equal parts silly and challenging and a bit of a gamble.  I also appreciate the fact that it is highly portable for restaurants and waiting and it can be played in five minutes or twenty.

Yam Slam.  This one has been a favorite for years.  It’s a lot like Yahtzee, but less complicated.

Telestrations.  Think the game telephone, but with art.  Endlessly hysterical to my family.  And fun for grown ups and kids.  (Yes, it frequently results in potty humor, but it doesn’t have to.)

Tenzi.  I love this one for lots of reasons – it’s easy to bring on road trips.  (Although it’s too loud for restaurant waiting, unless you’re eating in a barn and then – go for it.)  With two sets of Tenzi you can play up to ten players and that’s fun for large gatherings.  It’s simple and engaging for all ages and reading abilities – because there is no reading.  The instructions are fast so you get to playing right away.  (Long directions make me feel crazy.)

Rummikub.  It’s a game for four players and it’s a numbers game – which is why I find it surprising that I like it so much.

Timeline.  Yes, this is probably an educational game.  But I still really like it and so do the kids.  It’s also easy to bring on trips – ours stays in the car.  There are several versions (history, music, sports etc) and you can combine them if that’s your style.

Blokus.  This game is also for only four players and I think the directions are complicated but after having it explained and played for me a few times, I’m addicted to this one.  The kids are always eager to play this one too.

The Game of Keigley.  Sure – you can’t get this EXACT game at your house, but you can make your own version.  It’s SO worth the effort and we pull this one out waaaay too often.  In fact, last year we made miniature versions of this game for some of our friends’ families.  (It was a fun little gift – we bought small cute cards at Hobby Lobby and wrote out versions specific to that family.)

Pit.  It’s a card game where you are trading commodities to equal a full set.  It’s ludicrously loud and we all love it more than we should.

There.

That should give you a starting place to make a few Christmas decisions.  And, hey, Public Service Announcement of the self-serving variety, if you order any of these games through Amazon, use my link (right sidebar up at the top) and I get a teensy kick back from Amazon.  But teensy plus teensy over time equals small and small plus small over time equals helpful.

Happy Gaming, y’all.

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