There’s no doubt about it - games bring people together.
Whether you play games every week ('sup Game Night) or once a year at your holiday get-together, games liven up the party and make a night feel complete. Or at the very least, they can give you an easy way to get to know your long lost uncle who showed up just in time for gifts.
Playing games is also good for your health.
Board games increase cognitive function and lower blood pressure, and physical games get you moving and on your feet.
With the holidays just around the corner, we’re here to share some of our favorite games no matter how you celebrate the season.
The Best Games For Game Night
Shut The Box
A fast-paced game originally played by fisherman off the coast of Normandy, France, this game was a great way to end a day after hours on the sea.
It’s appropriate for all ages, and gameplay is quick.
Shut The Box is a single-player or multiplayer game you can pick up easily.
Pro-Tip: Competition is great, but let's face it - the box is hard to beat. Have everyone chant "Shut...The...Box! Shut...The...Box!" (foot-stomping and clapping also helps) whenever anyone is within one roll of winning and this quiet little dice game will get lively fast.
Glow in the Dark Bocce
Feeling full of sugar cookies and holiday cheer? There's no better time to head outside for a rousing game of light up glow-in-the-dark bocce.
Bundle up if you have to - it's worth it!
Our set allows for multiple players, so don’t be shy about inviting others to join you.
Find a park or play in the backyard and enjoy a fun way to work off all that stuffing.
Pro-Tip: Flat ground and easy rolls are overrated. Take your nighttime bocce to a whole new level by incorporating some bushes, obstacles, and sloping terrain for a little extra challenge in the dark.
Heads Up
A game made famous by Ellen DeGeneres, this action-packed game will leave you and your family in stitches.
From celebrities to silly accents, all you have to do is guess the card on your head using clues from other players.
Playable with as few as one other person (and up to 100+), the game is a phone app so you can play anywhere you've got a phone - but trust us, it's one of the few times a phone will actually make you more social with your friends.
Pro-Tip: The app has a camera mode where you can record everyone's antics as they act out charades and generally embarrass themselves. Play now and then gather around to relive the hilarious moments later.
Vintage Board Games
Some of the best games to play are the ones you played as a kid.
Clue. Sorry. Life. Mouse Trap. Settlers of Cataan. Risk.
Whatever you’ve got in your basement, haul it upstairs and lay it out on the living room floor.
Chances are nostalgia will take over and everyone will want to join in and play a round.
Extra Pro-tip: Blankets.
Whatever game you end up playing this holiday, don’t forget to add a blanket to the mix.
You can play on top of one, snuggled beneath one, or toss all the board games aside and turn Game Night into Fort Night. Your living room will be a blanket-covered castle in no time.
Our cozy and extra-big Taos Blanket is a perfect game-night companion!