The Best Games For Christmas

Christmas is arriving and that means so is the family! It's not often the whole clan is together and what better way than keeping everyone entertained than with a little bit of competition. Ok, it might lead to a bit of familial banter, but whipping out a game to play is a sure way to create a Christmas to remember.

Charades -

It's a classic, it requires plenty of effort, which is good for upping the energy levels after a heavy lunch, and best of all it makes one lucky individual at a time the centre of everyone else's attention. It's also good for larger gatherings as it can be played in teams. To ensure fairness have everyone write down one book, film, play, song etc. and pop it in two hats, preferably Christmas hats, one for each team. This way even the most devilish of in-laws will only be able to enter one unfathomably difficult charade. Christmas '01 brings back haunting memories of attempting to perform Bloodsucking Killerclowns from Outer Space, it didn't go well.

Who Am I? -

Another quality entry that will have guests guffawing as Gran tries to figure out that she's Lady Gaga. Once again grab the Christmas hat, names of famous people, real or fictional is up to you, obviously you can use categories if you like - Disney Princesses for example is always a good one. Then each player picks out a name without looking at it and cello tapes it to their face. Everyone knows who you are except you. The name of the game is to ask questions that can only be answered with a 'yes' or 'no'. If you get a yes, you ask another question and so on until you get a no, then it's the next persons turn. The idea is to be the quickest to figure out who you are and avoid at all costs being the last. Introduce forfeits for greater intensity!

Trivial Pursuit -

Oh Triv! The intellectual uncle of board games, which if you have an intellectual uncle is likely to leave you feeling a little less smug about your extensive knowledge of Friends. Nevertheless, great as a team game, boys against girls is usually a good split, it creates a somewhat vivid spirit of competition. There is the danger of dozing elder members of the family waking up just in time to answer the opposing team's question, but this is good as it adds a random factor to the contest. It also speeds up the game, which is a useful as depending on which version you have things can drag on. Don't be surprised if the contest is made null and void as fatigue and a growing sense of not caring that the capital of Honduras is Tegucigalpa takes over.

Twister -

Oh my Twister, less a game of skill more a game of inappropriateness and potential injury. Best for families without issues regarding personal space, Twister is about getting down and squirming about into often impossible positions with three others in a very confined space. The idea is to be the last person standing, when I say standing I mean posed awkwardly, a mixture of a bullet dodging Neo and a crab emerging from a car after a particularly long and arduous road trip across Eastern Europe. Inevitably hilarity does ensue, though also as likely is a trip to A&E as auntie Beryl forgets the last time she attempted the spits was 1967.

If the Queens Speech or a brisk walk isn't your family's post Crimbo lunch thing then this collection of games may well be. Be sure not to take it too seriously and that health and safety guidelines are followed at all times and you're pretty much guaranteed to have a laugh. And all whilst wearing a hat from a cracker, superb!

Dave Fowler researches and writes on family matters and general interest topics for the Christmas gifts retailer Find Me A Gift.