Christmas is a time for love, togetherness, peace… and absolutely losing the head over a board game someone definitely cheated at.
If you’re brave enough to gather the family around the table after a big feed dinner, here are the Top 10 Christmas games that promise at least one dramatic walk-out to “make tea”.
Our top games are definitely ones to unite and divide the family this Christmas!
1. Monopoly
The undisputed champion of family fallouts.
What starts as “a quick game” ends six hours later with someone owning half of Waterford, another person refusing to trade out of principle, and one uncle insisting the rules are “wrong”.
Expect grudges that last until Easter.
2. The Game of Life
A lovely reminder that your cousin got married, had kids and bought a house before the age of 30.
Perfect for passive-aggressive comments like:
“Ah sure, that’s life.”
Exactly. And it’s cruel.
3. Cards Against Humanity
Ideal for discovering things about your family you can never un-hear.
Grandparents should be approached with caution.
Best played after dessert and before the priest calls over.
4. Pie Face
Pure chaos in a box.
Simple rules: turn the handle, pray, and accept your fate.
Perfect for siblings, cousins, and anyone you wouldn’t mind seeing covered in cream. Bonus points if photos are taken.
5. Pictionary
Reveals two things very quickly:
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Who can’t draw
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Who takes drawing far too seriously
Shouting is encouraged. Artistic interpretations are not.
6. Twister
A terrible idea that nobody learns from.
Works best when someone says, “I’m grand, I’m flexible,” five minutes before collapsing in a heap.
Health & Safety officially leaves the room at this point.
7. Trivial Pursuit
Designed to prove that one family member knows everything and will remind you of it.
Expect arguments over questions like:
“That’s not how I remember it.”
“This card is wrong.”
“It depends on the year.”
8. Uno
Simple. Harmless. Wrong.
The moment a +4 card is played, friendships end.
Someone always forgets to say “UNO” and someone else always enjoys pointing it out far too much.
9. Charades
A festive classic that turns grown adults into wild-eyed mimes.
Guaranteed confusion, dramatic gestures and at least one person shouting the wrong answer with total confidence.
10. Jenga
Not just a game – a test of nerves.
The tension increases with every block.
When the tower falls, someone will swear it “wasn’t their fault” and someone else will strongly disagree.
And remember….
Family games at Christmas aren’t about winning.
They’re about memories, laughter, mild emotional damage and stories that will be told every year after.
So grab a game, gather the family, and remember:
If everyone is still speaking by Stephens’ Day, you didn’t play hard enough.
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