There are few things I love more than a house full of people during the holidays. It’s a staple of every major Christmas movie — the Griswolds, Four Christmases, the McCallisters in Home Alone — and it’s something I look forward to all year long. Coming up with things to do as a family is easy, but finding things that work for all ages — and all attention spans — can be tough. So before you start trying to reserve space at a restaurant or pull everyone out of their cozy jammies to go ice skating, try shopping for gifts and games the whole family can enjoy.
From sentimental options to fun, laugh-out-loud games, the items on this list work as both a family activity and a great gift to give as a group. Show up to your grandma’s house with the Mind the Gap trivia game and let her effortlessly school you on 1940s movie trivia. Give your mom the beautiful Christmas family journal on this list so you can all spend a fun evening reminiscing and getting the warm fuzzies. Or simply put on your coziest sweater and meet everybody outside around the bonfire for some great holiday togetherness. The holidays are meant to be a time to be together — and this list will just help enhance that time.
A Family Gaming Console
You don’t have to know how to play video games to enjoy the family bonding that happens with the Nex Playground Game System. You don’t need any controllers or sensors or wearables — just your own arms and hands to set off the motion learning system for all the games. Every age will enjoy this, and it comes with five games already built in (you can purchase more with a pass). Another bonus: it’s just this one piece. Perfect for storage and traveling between houses, and so much fun for extended family to play together. (Fruit Ninja will really get you feeling competitive.)
The Sweetest Family Game
This game looks silly, and it is — but that’s what makes it so fun for extended family. Tippy the Magic Dragon is not overly complicated, it doesn’t have a million rules, and even the littlest kids can play it. It’s like a little balance game, and Tippy looks like she’s really floating in the air. It’s perfect for setting on a table, especially during the holidays when space is limited, and letting people tinker with it at their leisure.
The Prettiest Christmas Puzzle
I love a puzzle, and the holiday season is always the perfect time to leave one out on the coffee table. Galison puzzles are top notch — no cheap edges here making it hard to put the pieces together, and the designs are just beautiful. I’m personally obsessed with this Joy Laforme Gingerbread Cottage puzzle, and it’s such a sweet little scene.
The Best Trivia Game For Multiple Generations
When you have multiple generations together for the holidays, it’s the perfect time to break out Mind the Gap. This trivia game has Boomers, Gen Xers, Millennials, and more competing against each other to answer trivia questions about their own eras — and each other’s. It’s a hilariously good time and grandparents will especially love jumping into it.
The Most Heartwarming Christmas Book To Read Aloud
I’ve read many Christmas books out loud to my kids and their cousins, but nothing quite gets me in the feels as much as Santa’s First Christmas, written by Mac Barnett and illustrated by Sydney Smith. Not only is the story itself so sweet — the elves realize Santa never gets to really celebrate his own Christmas — but when you read it, you’ll find some laugh-out-loud moments and lots of perfect pauses and writing. It’s just so good.
*The* Strategy Game For Word Enthusiasts
If you combined Boggle and Yahtzee, you’d get Yahtzee Words. This is one of those games that really bridges any gap between big kids and grandparents, and it’s just competitive enough to not leave anyone upset or angry at the end.
The Perfect Family Baking Tools
Who doesn’t love baking holiday cookies? My pro-tip is to make the dough ahead of time, and let the extended family all get in on the decorating and cookie cutting instead of doing it solo. I love these holiday linzer cookie cutters, and it feels like the perfect activity to pull out for multiple generations. Everyone can have a job, and everyone can share their favorite cookie memories from childhood (including the one you’re all making right now.
The Coolest Building Set For A Group
A good LEGO set is the perfect quiet family activity. Whether you’ve got a bunch of X-Men enthusiasts in your house (if you do, can I send my husband over?) or not, this enormous X-Mansion set has lots of pieces so you can give the LEGO fans in your house their own little section to work on. Put on a Christmas movie, pour some cocoa, and get to building.
The Best Karaoke Machine
Another all-ages-on-deck idea? Karaoke. Feel free to make up some fun little themes or rules, like only singing songs from the year each of you were born or singing only TV theme songs, but man, what I would’ve given to have a karaoke night with my granddad. This one comes with two wireless microphones, lights, and plenty of technology to make it as easy as possible to sing your heart out to each other.
A Complete Cocktail Kit
OK, so maybe this one isn't for all ages, but when you're just hanging with the of-age members of your family and want to play bartender, the Tito’s Read It & Sip Cocktail Kit from Cocktail Courier is too good. It has everything — and I mean everything — you need to make four different kinds of cocktails, including one that uses a Twizzler for a straw. It’s such a fun way to experiment with drinks, and then everyone gets an extra fancy beverage. Win-win.
The Cutest Matching Holiday Pajamas
Holiday pajamas have become the norm over the years, but matching family pajamas are 100% worth it. Take a picture of everyone in their sweet jammies, make sure you all wear them for Christmas Eve, put them on to watch a Christmas movie. Whatever you’re doing in them, just know that the grandparents in their matching version are loving every second.
The Best Movie Night Spot
Of course you can have a cozy movie night or Christmas story time without special beds, but like...why? Make this an unforgettable family memory with the FUNBOY Kids Sleepover Beds. If you've got a bunch of cousins spending the night, want to make an ultra cozy room for the kids, or just want to let them all lounge after opening presents, these are so fun. They can fit kids well into their tweens, and they seriously can take a beating — they are meant to last through little kid wear and tear, you know? Bonus: they deflate easily and can be popped into bags and stored away.
The Dancing Game Your Teens Will Love
For those with a bunch of TikTok-loving tweens and teens in the house (and 30-something moms, let’s be real), break out this game. Make It Dance is a hilarious mix-and-match game where players have to create a dance based off of the parameters the cards give them, so they’ll pull a song choice — like Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” and then pull a persona that they have to dance as, like a vampire. Other players get to judge, and it’s just such a fun game, especially for the dancers in your family.
The Game Where You Learn About Your Family
Family-themed trivia? Obviously you’ve got to play this one over the holidays. By answering questions about each other, like “What is my favorite restaurant?”, players can move forward in Do You Really Know Your Family? and even do silly little challenges to get ahead. The real fun is finding out some things about your family — and discovering what things you’ve been totally wrong about.
The Arguing Game That’s Actually Fun
Another fun social game, Debatable is all about arguing — but like, for fun. With holiday-themed debates like “Is Die Hard a Christmas movie?” you’re bound to hear some passionate opinions from your family members.
The Best Fire Pit
Some of my favorite family moments have been around a bonfire, and the Solo Stove is the one you need. Not only is it portable and easy to move wherever you want it to be, it also has this smokeless technology that keeps everyone from smelling like a straight up forest fire when they go to bed. I personally love the rounded lip on top — it just feels a little safer when kiddos are around — and it’s easy to make a fire inside of it without worrying about it spreading or getting too far. Even the smallest outdoor spaces can accommodate this baby.
A Family Date Night In A Box
You don’t have to go on Christmas Day, but there are so many great movies out right now — from Wicked to Gladiator II, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever to Moana 2 — and it’s such a fun family activity. Sneak in some of those linzer cookies in your bag.
The Sweetest Family Christmas Journal
My sentimental heart is obsessed with this idea, and I think this is a great gift for the matriarch of the family — but you all have to do it together. It’s a beautifully bound Christmas-themed family journal where you can write down memories, what’s happening this year, and more family lore. Don’t think of it as only for filling with future Christmases. Spend some time while you’re all together reminiscing about old family Christmas memories and stories you all hold so dear. Write them down, take some pictures, and fill up that book.
The Silliest Card Game For All Ages
This is, hands down, our favorite card game in our family. It's silly, everyone starts getting super loud, and it's a quick one to play if you're trying to find something easy that doesn't require a ton of rules. Players slap the cards down and everyone takes turns saying one word in the lineup of words — Taco, Cat, Goat, Cheese, Pizza. But if the card you slap down has the word you say printed on the front, you want to be the first one to throw your hand down. The whole goal is to get rid of all the cards in your hand, which means the slapping gets a little intense and hilarious.
The Cookbook To Inspire Your Own Family Traditions
Babs Costello is everyone’s internet grandma for a reason, and her Celebrate With Babs book is full of recipes and traditions that will inspire your own family. Go through it together and choose some new traditions, talk about your own, and pick a few recipes to cook together in the kitchen. What’s the point in everyone being together for the holidays if you aren’t going to have a Hallmark movie moment over the stove?
Above all, the holidays are about togetherness, whether you have any of these gifts or not. But one or a few of these can sure help everyone feel a little closer.
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