My Top 5 Board/Party Games for Christmas

For us as a family, Christmas Day isn’t just about watching Christmas telly and indulging in way too much food. We love a good party game and we usually pick one up every year. There are hundreds out there, with dozens of variations of the classics. I wanted to give you my top five party games that you might not have tried, that you might love as a family.

Note: Some of these have player requirements but I’ll let you know what they are!

Linkee

Linkee has been a strong favourite of ours for years as it doesn’t get old. More so a quiz, you each get a notepad and pencil and someone will be the Question Master. One at a time, a card is read out by the QM with four statements. You just need to fill in the blanks and work out the link between all four answers. The first one to get the link gains the card (which will have a letter on the back) and the first person/team to spell ‘Linkee’ wins!

This game is suitable for two or more players and a teams option is available.

Catan

Catan is an incredibly popular game, but it’s a long one (just like Monopoly on that front). If you’re into pretending to be settlers, attempting to develop holdings with the ability to trade and acquire resources, then Catan’s your game! The first person to reach 10 victory points wins!

This game requires a minimum of three players, but can take up to 6!

Exploding Kittens

This is a card game that not many people have heard of but it’s brilliant! All it requires is the deck of cards faced down and your only aim is to avoid the exploding kitten card. It’s a game of pure chance but you can use the other cards in your hand or the ones that you pull out of the deck to avoid it. It’s a great way to play tactically thanks to the cards available to help. It’s a good quick game to play amongst friends!

It’s recommended that two-five players take part at a time, but three are recommended to avoid a short game.

Poetry for Neanderthals

Created by the same guys that made Exploding Kittens, this is a great play on Charades! In teams, you’re given a card with two words on it. It’s then down to you to hint to your team mate what the word is just by using one-syllable words (just to mimmic a cave man). It’s a super easy game and can be played for as long or as little as you want to play.

This game is a team game, which must be in equal numbers.

Monopoly: Cheaters Edition

If you’re a fan of one of the biggest board games out there but are always being accused of cheating, you’ll love the Cheaters Edition. With rules being bent and new props being involved, this edition will blow your mind. If you’re a natural cheater, there’s no doubt you’ll be ace at this!

Just like other Monopoly games, two plus players are recommended.