Put On Your Game Face

BY SYDNI ELLIS

Nothing causes amiable sibling rivalry, friendly competition, and deep belly laughs like family game night. Playing board games with the family was one of my favorite traditions as a kid, and we still gather as adults to challenge each other to a round of Trivial Pursuit or something new. It’s the easiest way to break the ice with new friends or get the whole family — yes, aunts, uncles, cousins, and grandparents, too — bonding and smiling at holiday gatherings. Keep reading for a few of our favorites that are family-friendly, easy to figure out, and tons of fun. Plus, the perfect snack to pair with each one.

Trivia Game

Trivia is the best way to show off the random snippets of knowledge you’ve gathered over the years. I Should Have Known That is an entertaining trivia game for players 14 and up, which features random questions that will drive you crazy trying to remember the answers, like which hand the Statue of Liberty holds the torch and how long Sleeping Beauty slept. This game would still be appropriate for kids if they team up with someone older to even the score. Chips and salsa, queso, or guacamole make for a great trivia night snack.

Drawing Game

I love Telestrations, which can accommodate up to eight players of all ages. This game (a drawing version of the old whisper game, Telephone) involves one player drawing a picture, then passing it to the next player, who writes down a phrase describing what they think the drawing is. Then, the next player draws a picture based on what the previous player wrote, and so on. When it gets back to the player who drew the original drawing, they can show the progression to everyone. Players will laugh about how closely (or not) the final guess matches up to what they drew. Pretzels or popcorn are perfect during this entertaining game.

Mystery Game

If you think Clue is fun, just wait until you play Unsolved Case Files: Who Murdered Harmony Ashcroft? Put on your detective hats and dive into this interesting role-playing game for fans of true crime. You play a detective tasked with solving a decades-old murder and have to find three separate clues to crack open the case. You will investigate more than 50 evidence photos and documents, including newspaper articles, phone records, evidence reports, fingerprint cards, legal documents, witness statements, and suspect interrogations. After you think you’ve solved each clue, you input your information into an online website, which will only let you move on when you get the correct answer. Great for couples, groups, and parties with kids 13 and up. To get in the detective spirit, serve mini donuts, fruit, and coffee or hot chocolate.

Card Game

I have yet to meet someone who doesn’t like Exploding Kittens, a card game for kids at least seven years old. This game has some strategy, but it mostly boils down to chance, giving kids and adults equal opportunities to win or get blown up by an exploding kitten. The game is super simple. The last one standing after everyone else has drawn an exploding kitten wins. All other cards help you avoid or lower your risk of drawing an exploding kitten (like peeking at the next three cards or shuffling the deck). This game moves quickly, so sore losers can try their luck in the next round. Serve this with a board filled with cheese, cucumbers, carrots, crackers, strawberries, grapes, and even candy, like gummy bears and M&Ms.