Giving (or receiving) a board game for Christmas is fun. Not only because it’s a good present, but also because you already gathered all of your friends or family, so you can immediately play that new game. A good game to play on Christmas eve has the following features:
- The rules are easy to learn
- The game doesn’t take too long
- Quick to set up/clean up
- Everyone present can join (also children and non-diehard gamers)
3. 30 Seconds
The third place is for 30 Seconds. A fun game for all kinds of parties. In 30 Seconds teams of two players play together. One player describes a person or object from a card and the other player tries to guess the described word. The more correctly guessed words, the more points the team gets. Some of you will probably wonder why we put 30 Seconds third, instead of first, for many consider it the undisputed king of the party games. It is really fun for (big) parties that are not necessarily super fanatical when it comes to games and it takes minimal time to set up. We do love 30 Seconds, but it is not the best game to play with young kids. Oftentimes kids don’t know the objects described on the cards and therefore can not fully participate. You can counter this by playing 30 Seconds Junior, but that one is less fun for grown-ups. > Click here to buy 30 Seconds on Amazon
2. Spyfall
Our number two is Spyfall. Spyfall is a good game for Christmas because it is quite simple for all ages and takes only 15 minutes. In Spyfall the players are on a secret location, known to everybody except the spy. The players do not know which player is the spy. The players ask each other questions about the secret location, to discover the spy. But they have to be careful not to give too much information to the spy, whose goal it is to correctly guess the location. Spyfall combines the mystery of social deduction games like Werewolves and 1Night, and the fun and creativity of association games like Dixit, making it an excellent game for the Holidays. The only reason Spyfall is not our number one party game is that for very young players, it can be a little too difficult to play the spy. > Click here to buy Spyfall on Amazon
1. Dixit
Dixit is the best game to give as a Christmas present. It is super easy to learn and takes only up to 30 minutes. All players get a bunch of beautifully designed cards. In his turn, a player plays one of his cards face down and describes the card in a way he sees fit. The other players choose among their own cards a card that, more or less, fits that description, and play that card also face down. The cards get shuffled played face up. The players, with the exception of the initial player, have to guess which card is the intital player’s card. The scoring system is designed in such a way that you want some players to guess correctly, but not all. The trick is to give a description that some players get, but not everyone. To be honest, the points in Dixit are not that important. That is why you should avoid this error. The game is about creative associations and descriptions. It is really fun to see what your fellow players associate with certain cards. In addition, partly because Dixit is not about winning, it is a game also for young kids and non-diehard gamers. Dixit is fun and not that competitive, that’s why we consider it the best Christmas present.