Holiday Game Guide 2022
One of my oldest memories is sitting around a game board with my great-grandpa playing checkers on Christmas. I used to always look forward to those visits during the holidays. Games are an amazing gift to give because you are gifting an experience. They also make a perfect gift for those people on your list that have everything. Sitting together and playing creates a shared experience that has the potential to create lasting memories that will be cherished for a lifetime.
With the holidays in full swing, I’m publishing a gift guide of my top picks. These are family friendly games and are all readily available. There is something for everyone on your list!
Catan (previously Settlers of Catan)
This was my gateway game into the world of strategy board games. The players collect resources to build their civilizations and gain points. The first player to a certain number wins. It’s actually quite simple to play and fun for a variety of ages.
I’ve chosen this as pandemics are on the brain still. Why not play through one as a team and save the world? This cooperative game has your team of different skill sets all working together to stop the spread of disease. Will you be victorious or fall victim to the plague?
This is one of my favorite games in the hidden identity genre. Think of the game mafia, then throw it back to facist Germany. This is best played with a group of 5 or more people. Another game in this same genre that I love is Chameleon.
In this game the players kick in the door, defeat the monsters, try to collect the best gear, avoid the bad stuff, and ultimately gain the most levels to win the game. There is a themed munchkin game for all most all genres of geekery.
This is a two-player game that looks very simple in the beginning but actually had a fair amount of strategy to it. However, it’s still low key enough to sit and enjoy a nice glass of wine and conversation as you play.
Plant seeds, grow trees, collect sun light, then harvest the wood, oh the sweet circle of botanical life. This game sounds easy, but it’s one of the most complex games on this guide. Your board-game geeks and strategy lovers will dig this game.
This is a classic. It plays very similarly to scrabble, making it extremely accessible and fun for most people. Plus it’s light and portable so you can take it anywhere you go.
I discovered this while at DragonCon in London. Triple Ace Games was demoing it and from my first game I was hooked. You sit along side the other players and bid on rocket ship parts. You then use your parts to assemble a steam-punk styled rocket ship. The first player to have a successful launch to the moon wins. The bidding mechanic in this game is what I love and what I think makes this game a fun and unique choice.
Colorama is a game that my 4 year old loves. There are 4 ways to play the game, all of them utilizing different ways to place or collect the colored tiles. It’s easy enough for a preschool age child, or my parents to enjoy! I love having a game to share with the tiny humans in my life.
So much nostalgia baked into this game for me. My Dad and I would play this when I was little and it is the game that really taught me strategy. I like the simplicity of the game and yet the tactical nature of it.
Okay, I’m deviating from the table top nature of the games I’m posting. However if you have friends and family scattered across the globe like me, this is an option to have a virtual game night. You buy this on Steam on your desktop. There are many party packs you can peruse. One person runs the game from his/her computer via video call. Everyone else enters the game code on the website using their mobile phones and boom! Hours of fun for everyone!
Collect as many nuts as you can before a cheeky squirrel steals them. This card game of chance is so easy my 3 year old can play and she loves it! You flip cards over from the draw pile, as long as it’s a nut you are safe. But if you draw a squirrel, it steals all your nuts. That’s it! Whoever has the most nuts at the end of the game wins.
I have saved my favorite for last. Anomia means fear of words. But there is no reason to fear this zany game. The players all have a deck of cards that they flip over one at a time to reveal a word (which is a category, ie fruit) and a symbol (circle). When a player flips a card that matches symbols with another player, both players must name something from the category on the opposite player’s deck. If it sounds a bit crazy, don’t worry, it is. And that is what I love about it. It combines speed, weird knowledge, funny sounds and crazy antics.
Happy Holidays!
-Erin