Christmas Eve Games
You dont often imagine playing games on Christmas Eve, but playing a game or two can be a lot of fun. One fun game is ideally suited for nervous children, but could also be for adults, if you want to add some fun for gift giving. For children, this is a way to make that open one gift on Christmas Eve rule a small more exciting and make it last a small longer. You make a hunt with clues, so the children have to follow the clues to find their gift. As a replacement for of the gift being under the tree, for example, you might place it somewhere else, but the children will follow clues to find it. For this game, you can use anything to write your clues on. You could use Christmas cards in their envelopes that you had extras of, you might cut out Christmas tree shapes for this, or you might want to use ornaments.
Whichever method you choose, write a clue on each of your items and leave those around the house. You initiation by handing each child the first clue. It might say, you sleep here every night and the children will run to their beds. On their pillow you have placed another clue that might say, moms eggs go better with this and the children head to the spice cabinet, where they find another clue on the salt. The final clue (and depending on the ages of your children and their tolerance, you might have only 5 clues for this game, or many more) will be the gift itself. To make it extra fun, have the gift be under the tree. Your children wont see that appearance!
If you have a large gathering on Christmas Eve, try a group game. Have everyone get in a group and the first person will initiation with, in my Christmas stocking there is an apple and the next person will add, in my Christmas stocking there is an apple and a boot. Each person will continue on, remembering the previous items and the adding one of their own, and all in alphabetical order. If you miss an item, youre out of the game and the winner is the person who successfully remembers all the stocking items over and over again each time they have to recite the items and add to the list. Looking for a small physical activity on Christmas Eve?
How about a rousing game of musical chairs using Christmas music? This one can be particularly fun if you use upbeat and well-known Christmas music. Use songs everyone knows and demand they sing along and dance even as they run around the chairs. This adds a fun constituent because you are likely to have at least one person who gets so caught up in the music and dancing they dont realize the music has stopped. This game is played like any traditional game of musical chairs with the loser being the one who doesnt get a preside over when the music stops.
Since the huge event on Christmas Eve is Santas arrival, play a game of wheres Santa? In this game, everyone sits in a group and one person is chosen to be Rudolph. That person leaves the room for a minute. A Santa is chosen among those left in the room. Rudolph returns and starts hunting for Santa. Rudolph should stand in the focal point of the group and try to figure out which person is Santa. Santa, meanwhile, winks at other people in the group. If someone gets winked at, they yell, ho ho ho. Once Rudolph figures out where Santa is, another Rudolph and another Santa are chosen and the game continues. By Christmas Eve, your Christmas cards have been on show for a few weeks, so maybe its time to play a game with them. Have someone set up a laundry basket, or a gift box a few feet away (the space depends on the age of your players and ability). Have them try to toss the cards into the box or basket. This sounds simple, but different cards of different weights and styles will react differently and can be harder than expected to get into the box or basket.