The months of November, December, and January usually involves one or more gatherings with family and friends. Many religious and celebratory events are scheduled around the world during this time, as well. For example, Thanksgiving, Bodhi Day, Birth of Baha’u’llah, Diwali, Hanukkah, Al-Hijira, Gantan-Sai, Birthday of Guru Nanak, Christmas, and the list goes on. If I have missed a particular religious holiday you care a great deal about, please do not take offense. There is a lot going on from November to January! Including my birthday, which no one celebrates…
With so many things to celebrate and friends coming together, finding a game that is compatible with large groups and individuals with very diverse gaming experiences might sound like a monumental task! It is. Lucky for you, I have a few suggestions that might help.
Games by Type
Party games are great for large groups. They include everyone, don’t require a table to site around, and allow for team play. Party games also tend to have easy learning curves and focus is on communication and fellowship, rather than competition and advancement.
If the little geeks are driving you crazy, you only have two option. You can either send them outside or put a game in front of them. While I will always be a strong proponent of exercise and play, sometimes the weather outside is a bit too extreme. There are a lot of Children’s games that are engaging and will keep the little geeks occupied. You could turn the television on, I suppose, but that’s cheating.
Around the Holidays, budgets can be tight! You might not be able to afford a new game to share with family and friends. Luckily, there is a cheap and very worthwhile alternative! Other than having your friends bring over their games, you can introduce a new game to everyone by downloading and putting together a print-n-play game. It’ll take some time, but it’ll cost you nothing.
Special Mentions
These games fit the theme of the Holidays. Play them starting in November through the end of January. Or February. Oh, heck. Play them all year round.
Scrooge, the stingiest man in town, is about to have a wild night. Visited by three spirits and made to take account of his sins, he is shown all that good and the bad in his life. But that still isn’t enough to change his ways. This is where you come in. Help Scrooge become a better man, and in doing so, help yourself to a better financial situation.
‘Tis the season to give and playing Secret Santa is a great way to give without a thought of getting something in return. But what if you want to thank your Secret Santa? This game is all about solving a mystery and finding the person who gave you a special gift.
Santa’s Little Helpers and the Ice Cube Jam
Don’t let the festive theme of this game full you. This is a highly competitive race across a Winter Wonderland to collect limited resources. Slide on ice, dash through snow, and be the first elf to bring Santa exactly what he wants for Christmas.
What do you get when you add family to the Holiday mix? Chaos, of course, and what better way to celebrate the craziness that is family getting together during this festive time of year than a game of Fluxx? Attempt to beat your opponents by obtaining a goal that keeps changing. Maddening? Not nearly as much as listening to the in-laws complain about your cheap toilet paper.
During this festive time of year, the warmth in our hearts is best paired with sweets in our mouth. Cookies, candies, pies, and cakes are all baked and made to help lift the spirit and make dentists cackle with glee. In this game, matching the right treat to the right person is just as fun as eating your grandma’s chocolate chip cookies.
The Thanksgiving meal represents bounty and family, where we all gather about an unfortunate turkey to give thanks. What many do not realize is the amount of work, pressure, stress, and duress there is in the kitchen when the meals are being made. You’ve heard the old adage “too many cooks in the kitchen”, I’m sure. Even worse is “too many family members in the kitchen”. Do you have what it takes to grab what you need, cook what you can, and make it out alive to enjoy it?
If your house and upbringing was anything like mine, you know that the “Holidays” is synonyms with “baking”. Cookies by the thousands of dozens will be baked, decorated, and placed on plates to be passed around to eat and given as gifts. In this game, the hard part (the baking, and to a lesser degree, the decorating) has been completed. Now all the player has to do is box them up. Sound easy? Think again!
Do you have any suggestions? Leave a comment below and recommend a great game for the holidays or whenever a large gathering of family and friends is in the works!
