Christmas is the time of year for having fun and enjoying yourself with those who are closest to you. Each year, families and groups of friends gather together to enjoy the festive period, give gifts, catch up with each other and take some time away from their busy lives to relax, unwind and socialize. Because of this, it’s no surprise that playing games is a very popular family tradition during the festive season.

Games tend to come out in abundance during Christmas, whether you’re playing traditional classic board games such as Chess or Monopoly with your grandparents, or want to get together with a group of your friends to play the latest console release. No matter which type of games you enjoy the most, it’s safe to say that most people are looking for fun, interesting game ideas to play with family and friends at this time of the year. We’ve listed just some of  the best game ideas to play this Christmas.

Bingo

Once a favourite with grandmas, bingo has become a modern game that everybody loves to play, even renowned rock stars such as Mick Jagger and Johnny Rotten! Playing bingo at Christmas can be huge fun for all the family, as the game is easy to follow and can be picked up by pretty much anybody, even the younger players.

You could even add a festive twist to the game by designing bingo cards and balls that have festive pictures, rather than the traditional numbers. Or, if you’re more the type of person who likes to play online and always has a gadget on the go.

Chess

For small get-togethers or a quiet festive night in with your partner or kids, chess can be a very fun game to play. A traditional game that goes back hundreds of years, chess is full of strategy and can also be very useful for brain training!

Although you can find a plethora of options when it comes to playing chess online or downloading chess apps to your smartphone or tablet, Christmas is all about spending time with those nearest and dearest to you, so a real chess set could be the perfect addition to your home this festive season. Or, for adult parties, why not consider getting a chess drinking game to make this traditional board game even more fun!

Poker

For those who are fans of casino games, there’s nothing like a good game of poker to get the festive season started. Playing poker with your family and friends can be heaps of fun, and you can do it at home with a pack of cards and chips, or even pay a visit to a local casino together.

When playing poker with friends and family at Christmas, the best thing is that you don’t have to play for money if you don’t want. If you’ve overspent on generous Christmas presents, poker is great in that it can be adapted to play at home without having to wager your money, but still have fun and enjoy the game.

Musical Chairs

If you have children, you’re probably going to want to incorporate some traditional kids’ party games into your Christmas celebrations and festive parties. Musical chairs can be an awesome game for getting in the Christmas spirit, and it doesn’t just have to be the little ones that take part as this game can be just as much fun if mum and dad join in too. Gather together fewer chairs than there are people and play short snippets of music (Christmas hits, of course!). Once the music stops, everybody has to scramble for a seat with the losers left standing. Keep removing a chair until there’s one left, and the person who sits down is the winner!

Contests and Quizzes

The sheer amount of pub quiz nights held across the UK goes to show just how much we Brits as a nation love our general knowledge. And, quizzes and contests can make for the perfect activity to play with friends and family during the Christmas period. With hundreds of different question and answer ideas available to use online or even quizzing apps such as QuizUp that you can use to play, putting together your own version of the great British pub quiz to play as a family after your Christmas dinner shouldn’t be too much of a difficult task, with plenty of fun included!

Treasure Hunt

The perfect Christmas game to keep the little ones happy, a treasure hunt isn’t just a good idea for Easter eggs – you can incorporate them into Christmas, too! Hide notes and hints around your home and send the kids (and even the adults, too!) to find the treasure at the end!

Charades

Last but not least, this festive favourite is a must around your Christmas dinner table or during family get-togethers over the festive period. Charades is easy to play, and often generates a lot of fun and laughter as the players try to imitate books, films, people and more using just hand actions! Charades is one of those games that could go on for hours and hours as there are so many different possibilities of what the answer could be, making it a perfect, inexpensive form of fun, memorable entertainment with your loved ones during the festive period.

What are your favourite games to play at Christmas? Let us know in the comments.