If you’re anything at all like me, you love getting the whole family together to bond over a good card/board game during the holidays or turning Wine Wednesdays with your college friends to laugh away your stress, then look no further! As a game enthusiast (having been given a game for the holiday since I was a baby and participating in family tradition game nights), I have played my fair share of innocent fun to raunchy adult games, and all those in between. If you’re thinking of what to do during your Thanksgiving or Christmas get-togethers, scroll below!
1.) Drunk, Stoned, or Stupid
I received this game as a Secret Santa gift from my good friend last Christmas, having no idea how much of a hit it would become at college or at home. This card game has a tendency to create a little tension, however it’s all in good fun! Each person has a small piece of paper with each participates name on it——-these will be used to cast your vote for which person you believe the card best describes. Each card states a short phrase (e.g. Will make a really good cougar someday, Gets a popcorn bucket out of the trash for free, etc.) that is to be read aloud and left for game players to think about before secretly selecting one of the pieces of paper with the name of the participate that it best describes—–fold the paper and place into the cover of the game, a cup, or a hat. One person is expected to be the “judge” and read off all the votes aloud (you’re allowed to vote for yourself) and count up who has the most + give the card to the winner (Repeat for new round). Depending on how you choose to play, whoever receives seven cards first can be named the loser or winner!
2.) That’s What She Said
I’m convinced that if you enjoy the series The Office then you’re sure to love this game. That’s What She Said is a spin off of Cards Against Humanity, but a much better version (in my opinion, of course). If you are a religious CAH player then you know that it doesn’t take long to be familiar with all of the cards and not have as much fun because the game becomes pretty predictable. Well no worries, because this game has less memorable cards (dramatic rather?) that in turn are much dirtier and more comical in the end. My family and I “accidentally” missed Christmas Eve Mass last year to try out this new game, and let me tell you: it was the best decision ever (that involved lots of drinks spit out from laughter and happy tears). Start each participate starts off with seven white cards (e.g. A girls gotta eat, I hate getting wet when I do this, etc.) and one places a stack of the red cards in the center of the table/floor. Select a judge who then reads aloud a red card. Players then examine their hand and choose their favorite, placing them face down in the middle. Like CAH, the judge then reads the card options to everyone and selects the one they like best. That player then becomes the new judge and reads the next red card to everyone. Whichever players receives seven first wins.
3.) Codenames
I’ve only played this game once at a family Christmas party, however it may just be my favorite game now. The thing about Codenames is that it requires you to think a little, however leaves room for laughter as well. Ideally, two teams of two will set out six rows of five playing cards out like shown in the picture (three rows facing one team, three rows facing the other). One team will be selected as blue and the other red while given corresponding cards with those colors. Although my memory of this game is faded, what I do remember is as a player, you’re trying to get your teammate to guess your clue. The goal of the game is to connect as many of the cards laid out as you can only using one word. For example, there are several cards associated with water below, so a legitiment clue may be “water”—–where the teammate would then hopefully guess “stream” and “bottle.” If your teammate guesses them right, you cover the cards they answered correctly with your team’s colored card. However, if they guess it wrong, you place a black card over the incorrect answered card. This goes back and fourth until all the cards are covered. The team with the most cards win!
3.) What Do You Meme
In our day and age, who doesn’t love a good meme? Lucky for you, there’s a game to satisfy that craving! This game is very straightforward yet has potential to be extremely humorous if you pick the right people to play with and get lucky with your cards. Each player gets seven cards and the meme cards are set out in the middle. A judge for the round gets to choose a meme and place it on the table/floor for everyone to see. Players then select one card out of their hand to place face down near the judge for them to review. Once the judge has read each card aloud and chosen their favorite option, the winner gets to pick the new meme card to present for the new round and keep the card they laid. Although the game is funny as is, I suggest trying a round where each player is given a small piece of paper and must brainstorm their own caption for the meme. This way you’re able to use your creativity more and laughs while most likely be much louder!