AD – collaborative post but all thoughts are my own
Apart from the food and the presents of course, one thing I absolutely LOVE about the festive season is having more time to play games. I love games; whether that’s gaming on the PlayStation alone or playing games with family, it can be such a great activity for many reasons.
When I’m stressed or need to switch off, I find playing games on the PlayStation really relaxing. I’ve been known to spend 6 hours straight playing The Last of Us or Red Dead Redemption because I find getting absorbed into these worlds SO therapeutic.
However I also love game nights with friends and family. We don’t tend to sit around and watch films together, my family. But get out a deck of cards or some board games as we’re there! It’s such a great bonding activity and a great way to get off your phone for a few hours too.
With the festive season here already, it’s time to start chilling out a bit and dedicating a bit more time to relaxation and quality time with family. I book myself a week off over Christmas and you can bet I’ll be playing a lot of games during that time!
Here are 8 fun games to play either alone or with friends over the festive season:
Chess
I was recently sent this gorgeous chess board and my boyfriend and I have been playing a lot of it since. It’s something nice and relaxing to do, away from a screen, when he gets back from work. Although chess is obviously very tactical, it’s still a great game to get your teeth into!
Card games
You can’t beat a card game can you? Whether it’s snap (a great game to play with kids), Rummy or Uno, card games can take up a good few hours of your time and make for a great night in. If you fancy playing some cards but don’t have anyone to play with, check out Solitaire.org for a range of card games you can play online!
The Sims
Oh my gosh, The Sims. Back in the day of The Sims 1, I would spend 12 hours straight playing that game. I absolutely ADORE The Sims and when I was a teenager, I’d sometimes spend all Christmas Day playing. When I get a new laptop next year, I’ll definitely be getting The Sims again. It’s the PERFECT game to play over the festive season for relaxation.
Hidden objects and Match 3 games
Back to Solitaire.org, I particularly loved the hidden objects categories of games; they’re so frustrating when you can’t find something that’s right in front of your face but they’re great quick games which don’t require much brain power to get stuck into on your commute or lunch break! I enjoyed playing Garden Secrets (pictured below) and China Temple!
Another category of games on Solitaire.org were the Match 3 games. I find these type of games SO addictive, so I was playing Treasures of Atlantis (also pictured below) for quite a while! Anything with different coloured bubbles you either have to match up or remove altogether I tend to find really relaxing!
Sudoku, crosswords or word searches
Another great range of games from Solitaire.org are logic puzzles, where you’ll find things like Sudoku, crosswords, word searches and TONS MORE. For anyone that likes logic games, there’s something in here for you. The best thing is is that they’re completely free, so if you’re on a budget (and let’s face it, who isn’t around Christmas) you don’t have to spend loads on puzzle books! If you run out of ideas for puzzle games, you can also try the new Strands NYT puzzle game that has been booming in popularity.
Trivial pursuit
My family and I love a game of trivial pursuit over Christmas, despite the fact that playing this game always makes us all realize how little we REALLY know! Trivial pursuit can get ultra competitive too, so if you’re a competitive family, then watch out when you play this!
Monopoly
You can’t have Christmas without someone throwing the monopoly board up in the air in a fit of rage can you? Monopoly is an absolute classic and again, if you’re a competitive family, then you’ll enjoy a hard fought game of Monopoly to see who can come out on top!
