If you’re like me, family gatherings during the holidays offer ambivalent experiences. On one hand, you get to see relatives you only see a few times a year. On the other hand, making small talk is very much the cultural norm and undesirable. What do you do if small talking isn’t your thing, but you still want to engage with family and friends?
There’s an answer – games. Board games, card games, video games. Games are an awesome way to spend the holidays.
Why should Christians play games, you might be wondering. First, small talk is awful – that has to be made clear. Secondly, and more importantly, when Christians get together in community, fellowship takes place. Love is given, received, and we get to experience life together as God desires.
“Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.” (Proverbs 27:17)
We sharpen one another in good company. While words of wisdom offer their benefit, so too can games that test our knowledge, wit, and ability to cooperate. Games are a way to test trust, communication, and are great for people getting to know one another. Family or otherwise. Not everyone is up for deep conversations, especially during the holidays, but not everyone is up for small talk either. Games are then a nice middle ground. The deep thinkers get to puzzle over the game, and the small talkers can still make idle chat and jokes.
If you are looking for ways to spend the Christmas season gaming, then consider the games on this list – fun for the family, the congregation, or even just the neighbors. Here are 6 of the best Christian Christmas party games:
1. Outburst Bible Edition
Similar in design to the hit game Family Feud, Outburst Bible Edition requires a team to elect one person to announce the topic. This person reads the topic from a card. Examples could be “10 Books of the Old Testament” or “Animals in the Bible”. The group then has to provide answers within 60-seconds - monitored by a timer. Answering on the spot is sure to be a challenge for most, but that just means people may blurt out hilariously wrong answers.
Whether throwing a get-together for family or fellow churchgoers, this game is sure to build some relationships, while also building knowledge of the Bible. If you think you would dominate in a game like this, grab a timer. Here is your topic – 10 names for Jesus. Go!
2. Just Dance or Dance Central
These two video games are two of a kind and were once very popular in a number of households. For those lucky enough to still have them, these games work great for group activities and burning off calories too. The selection of music in these games is secular, but most if not all the music is clean (check the game settings and ratings to be sure). Secular music means that you can even snag some of your neighbors who aren’t Christian to participate in this fun activity. Maybe not everyone can boast about having superb dance moves, but we can at least laugh at ourselves as we try to imitate the dancers on the screen.
Children will enjoy getting to move around and dance to their favorite hits. Parents will enjoy making fun of themselves and embarrassing the kids. There’s plenty of fun to go around. The only potential snafu, the high-impact movements may be a bit much for our grandparents. Though they could always watch and laugh from the sidelines, or they could take to stage and do their own thing, ignoring the game entirely. That’d be a sight to see!
3. Pictionary
For anyone unfamiliar with the game Pictionary, the game runs like this – one person draws a picture, and another person or a group guess what the picture represents. Every correct answer scores a point. Depending on how the game is played, there could be collective group playing, while everyone takes turns drawing the picture. Another way to play that is more competitive, is splitting the group into two or more teams. Players draw images for the opposing team to solve.
Christians can add their flavor of faith to the game by drawing Bible scenes. Consider the Nativity, Exodus, Garden of Eden, and David in the Lions’ Den as examples.
If you want to play this game dirty and make things hard for the other team, pick a scene that isn’t as well-known. Just know, they may do the same for you!
4. Scene It
This is an acting game that goes by various names in various circles. The process is still the same. Participants are told what the scene is and must then become something in the scene. These are the actors. Anyone watching is a viewer. Their job is to guess what the actors are portraying. This game isn’t too difficult if actors are also making sounds, such as imitating an animal. To increase difficulty, have the actors perform silently.
Teams rotate after each round. This is less of a competitive game, and more so about generating laughs. Also, Christians can make this game their own by portraying Bible scenes, much like Pictionary.
5. The Story Game
This is another game that comes from acting circles. The objective is to generate a story as a group. Everyone forms a circle. One person then begins the story with something like, “Once upon a time...” The person beside them then adds the next part, “...there was a boy named Jesus.” The story continues until everyone has gone or until someone gives a final, “The end.” A game like this is best done with a mixture of people who are serious, funny, and creative. Getting people together with these characteristics is bound to make a one-of-a-kind story.
6. Bible Trivia
A quick internet search will turn up a great many options for Bible trivia. This is a great activity for smaller groups to test their knowledge of Scripture. Whether adult or child, a game like this can serve as an awesome refresher or could lead you to learn some new facts too.
How much do you know? Find some trivia and put your smarts to the test. You might be surprised by just how much you know, or by how much you don’t!
A Game-Filled Holiday
The Christmas season is one filled with food, laughter, and good company, hopefully. One sure way to make the fun times more special is to pull out a good ol’ board game and dominate the competition. Or you could simply aim to have fun. Either way, a game-filled holiday is bound to score more laughs, smiles, and enjoyment than would be present otherwise.
Games, while great for competition, help us to build relationships with one another. As Scripture says, iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17). Games are a great opportunity for sharpening. Parents get to know their children better. Children learn more about their folks. Lovers can squabble and laugh. Siblings can rile the other. Everyone can benefit. Just don’t be too competitive...or a sore loser.
Games are whatever we make them. This season, decide to make the most of the party games on this list.
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/monkeybusinessimages
Aaron D'Anthony Brown is a freelance writer, hip-hop dance teacher, and visual artist, living in Virginia. He currently contributes to Salem Web Network’s Crosswalk platform and supports various clients through the freelancing website Upwork. He's an outside-the-box thinker with a penchant for challenging the status quo.
Get in touch with him at aarondanthony.com and check out his debut short story anthology Honey Dreams on Amazon and Barnes and Noble.