Christmas Games for the Whole Family, Ages 5 to 85

The best Christmas games for the whole family share three traits: they need little or no reading, they let a five-year-old and an eighty-five-year-old play as equals, and they are over before anyone gets restless. A few pictures, a little luck, and a lot of talking will carry a Christmas table further than any strategy game.

The quick answer: play Spot It! Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on Christmas Eve, Flip 7 or Sushi Go! on Christmas morning, and Just One or Ticket to Ride: First Journey after dinner. With young kids in the mix, Outfoxed! lets the whole family win or lose together.

Prices below are list prices from the publisher or its store, checked at the time of writing.

What makes a Christmas game work for ages 5 to 85?

The age span is the whole challenge. A game has to be simple enough for a kindergartner and interesting enough for a grandparent who has played cards for sixty years. The ones that work have a few things in common.

• Pictures over words. Early readers can match pictures. Small rulebook text is hard on older eyes too.
• Short turns, or no turns. Games where everyone plays at once keep the youngest from wandering off.
• Teams or cooperation. Pair a child with a grandparent and the age gap turns into a partnership.
• A real chance for everyone. A little luck lets a seven-year-old beat an uncle without anyone going easy.

Our guide to board games for all ages goes deeper on why mixed-age tables work and what to skip.

Christmas family games at a glance

What should a family play on Christmas Eve?

Christmas Eve has a waiting feeling. Kids are wound up, adults are wrapping, and the evening needs something that fills an hour without a big setup.

Spot It! Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Spot It! Rudolph is the classic matching game with characters from the old stop-motion special. Any two cards share exactly one picture, and the first player to spot it and call it out wins the card. There is nothing to read. The publisher rates it 8 and up, but matching pictures is a skill many younger kids have, and a quick-eyed child often beats the adults. It plays 2 to 8 in about fifteen minutes, with a list price of about $15. The Op sells through retailers, so look for it at your local game store.

Monikers: Family Edition

Monikers: Family Edition is a team guessing game played in three rounds with the same cards. First you describe a name any way you like, then you get one word, then only charades. It plays 2 to 12 or more, ages 6 and up, in about thirty minutes, for about $25. The charades round is where grandparents and kids end up laughing at the same thing.

Hues and Cues

Hues and Cues is a calm color game. One player picks a square from a board of colors and gives a one-word clue, and everyone else places a marker where they think it is. Then comes a second, two-word clue. Kids who cannot read yet can still point at colors. It plays 3 to 10, ages 8 and up, in about thirty minutes, with a list price of about $26.

What games work on Christmas morning?

Christmas morning games have one job: be quick. There are gifts to open, breakfast to cook, and calls to make. The best morning games are new boxes that come out of the wrapping paper and go straight onto the coffee table.

Flip 7

Flip 7 is a push-your-luck card game. Flip cards one at a time and add them up. Flip a number you already have and you bust for the round. It plays 3 or more, ages 8 and up, in about twenty minutes, with a list price of about $8. The Op also sells a Grinch Edition at about the same price, though holiday editions sell out. Our free Flip 7 course has a five-minute teach.

Sushi Go!

Sushi Go! is a card drafting game in a tin. Everyone picks one card and passes the rest, building sets of sushi for points. It plays 2 to 5, ages 8 and up, in about fifteen minutes, for about $17 at Gamewright. It is small enough for a stocking and quick enough to play twice before the cinnamon rolls are ready. Our free Sushi Go! course covers the rules and how to teach it.

Outfoxed!

Outfoxed! from Gamewright is a cooperative whodunit. A fox has stolen a pot pie, and the players work together to roll dice, gather clues, and name the thief before it escapes. It plays 2 to 4, ages 5 and up, in about twenty minutes, for about $26. Because everyone is on one team, a five-year-old never loses alone.

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What should the family play after Christmas dinner?

After dinner, people are full and slow. This is the time for games that seat a crowd and let people join or leave.

Just One

Just One is cooperative. One person guesses a mystery word while everyone else writes a one-word clue. Matching clues get erased before the guesser sees them, so the obvious answer cancels out. It plays 3 to 7, ages 8 and up, in about twenty minutes, for about $25. Younger kids can team up with an adult to write a clue.

Ticket to Ride: First Journey

Ticket to Ride: First Journey is the family version of the classic train game. Players collect train cards, claim routes across a map of the United States, and connect cities on their tickets. Routes are shorter than in the full game, and the first player to finish six tickets wins. It plays 2 to 4, ages 6 and up, in about thirty minutes, for about $30. Our free Ticket to Ride course is the next step when the kids want the full game.

Herd Mentality

Herd Mentality asks a question and rewards everyone who gives the same answer as the majority. The odd one out gets the pink cow. It plays 4 to 20, ages 10 and up, in about twenty minutes, for about $25. Big Potato also sells a Christmas Expansion with 100 festive questions for about $13. With younger kids, pair them with an adult and let the team answer together.

For more games that bridge a sixty-year gap, see our list of games to play with grandparents.

Are there Christmas games that need no box?

Yes, and they are worth keeping in your pocket for the car ride or the wait before dinner.

• I spy, ornament edition. One person picks an ornament on the tree and gives one clue at a time until someone finds it.
• Christmas movie charades. Write holiday movie titles on slips of paper and act them out in teams. Kids can act; grandparents often know the titles.
• Name that carol. Hum a carol and let the room race to name it.

How do you run a family game when ages are this far apart?

• Team up across generations. Put the youngest with the oldest. The child brings speed, the grandparent brings patience.
• Teach by playing. Play one open round with all cards face up, then start for real.
• Seat the youngest next to the teacher. They will need a little help, and it should not come from across the table.
• Stop while it is fun. One more round is better than one round too many.

Got a game you have never played under the tree? Our guide to learning a board game you got for Christmas helps you teach it before the pie comes out.

The game is the reason. The people are the point.

FAQ

What is the best Christmas game for the whole family?

Just One works for the widest range of ages at a big table, and Spot It! Rudolph is the best quick holiday-themed pick. Both teach in a minute.

What Christmas games can a 5-year-old play with adults?

Outfoxed! is rated 5 and up and is cooperative, so the whole family wins or loses together. Picture-matching games like Spot It! and charades also work well for young kids.

What is a good game for Christmas morning?

Something short that comes out of the wrapping paper ready to play, like Flip 7 or Sushi Go!. Both take about fifteen to twenty minutes and teach in a few.

How many people can play these Christmas games?

Herd Mentality seats up to 20, Monikers: Family Edition seats 12 or more, and Hues and Cues seats up to 10. For a smaller group, Sushi Go! and Outfoxed! are best.

One more idea for the holidays

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