One of the most characteristic features of Christmas gatherings is the endless after-dinner conversation, a lunch that flows into afternoon tea, and then, while we're at it, we grab a few things and have dinner. To round off these after-dinner moments, beyond the conversations, a good board game always helps. There are games for all tastes and ages; you just need to consider who will be playing, what they like, and how much time they want to dedicate to it: "It's best if they are relatively short games, especially in families that aren't used to board games; 15 or 20-minute games work well," suggests Imma Marín, president of theGaming Institute.
A game for every family and group of friends
The recommendations on game boxes are a reliable indicator, but generally speaking, it's important to keep in mind that there are already suggestions for games to play with children from the age of 2 or 3, preferably cooperative games: they aren't yet ready to win or lose, so everyone wins or loses, and you should help them achieve that. Until the age of 6 or 7, it's best to avoid competitive games because they get upset: even if they understand the dynamics, they don't have enough strategy and it hurts them to lose. "We're not rushing things; everything has its time," Marín points out, and reminds us that there are games for groups of varying sizes and all kinds of themes: word games, strategy games, thinking games, or games to test skills: "There are games for everyone to have fun, not just for accompanying the children and for them to enjoy themselves."
PROPOSALS
Game: Woolfy
Players: From 2 or 3 years old
Duration: 15 or 20 minutes
Let's play? A cooperative game where you must prevent the wolf from eating the three little pigs.
Game: The Fruit Tree
Players: From 2 or 3 years old
Duration: 10 to 15 minutes
Let's play?There is a crow and four trees laden with fruit: apples, pears, cherries… and the goal is for everyone to pick the fruit from the trees before the crow arrives.
Game:Caught
Players:Ages 5 and up.
Duration:About 20 minutes.
Let's play?It has a series of clues—whether it's wearing glasses or a necklace—and the goal is to discover which fox ate the cake before a fox figure crosses the entire park. On each turn, you must decide whether to reveal a clue or raise a suspect.
Woman game:A cooperative and deductive game. A kind ofWho's Whowhere the figures are hidden and play together to discover clues.
Game:Cakes
Players:Ages 6 and up.
Duration:About 15 minutes.
Let's play?Depending on the cards drawn, a multi-tiered cake tower must be built. Younger children build the towers on the table, while adults build them by hand.
Woman game:A fun skill game that everyone enjoys.
Game:Little Bees Buzz Buzz
Players:From 6 or 7 years old.
Duration:About 15 minutes.
Let's play?There are eight bees of different colors hiding under the hive. You must remember where they are hidden so that when it's time to draw the cards and a bee of a specific color comes up, if you remember where it is, you can keep it.
Woman game:A type of Memory game with volume; the bees measure about three centimeters.
Game:War of Myths. There are basic, moderate, and more difficult levels.
Players:For playing with teenagers, from 12 or 13 years old.
Duration:About 15 minutes. If you play with expansions it can take up to 40.
Let's play?Each pack of cards is a Sherlock Holmes adventure. Once you've played, you'll know what it's about and you can give it as a gift.
Woman game:They are fun, and they come in different levels: simple, moderate, and complicated.
Game:Micro Macro
Players:For playing with teenagers. Ages 10 and up.
Duration:Between 15 and 45 minutes per case.
Let's play?He has a large map, like a tablecloth, that unfolds on the table. The drawing is of a black and white city, where he will have to find the evildoer and catch him using the clues he is given.
Woman game:It has seven or eight missions. It's a deduction game that you'll all have to solve together. A kind ofWhere's Wally?at stake.
Game:Hitster
Players:Large families or gatherings with friends. They are usually organized in teams.
Duration:Between 20 and 60 minutes.
Let's play?You'll need a mobile phone and Spotify. The cards have a QR code that plays music, and you have to guess the year the song was released. If you also guess the artist and the title, you earn a point. Each new song must be placed chronologically in relation to the previous ones.
Woman game:It's fun, perfect for a New Year's Eve party. Everyone ends up singing and dancing to the songs. There are different versions: basic, party, rock, temacles, soundtracks or celebration.
Game:Dixit
Players:For large groups. It's fun to play when you're a good group; up to 12 people can play, or you can organize yourselves into pairs up to 24.
Duration:Approximately half an hour.
Let's play?Each player has seven cards with allegorical and imaginative images. The person who starts the game looks at the cards and says a word or concept—a person, movie, book, etc.—that the card inspires, and places it face down. The rest of the players then choose one of their cards based on the word, the one that best fits the word. All the cards are shuffled and turned face down so everyone can point to the card they think belongs to the person who said the word. Whoever guesses correctly wins a point, and if no one guesses the correct card, the point goes to the person who said the word.
Woman game:Nobody wins or loses, everyone progresses. The best part is that it sparks lots of conversations about the meaning behind the chosen words. You can have the basic game, which has about eighty cards, or buy expansions with different cards.
Zero arguments
We all know about the bad reputation of in-laws, although sometimes they aren't the problem. However, some people would prefer to avoid family gatherings and commitments because there's always tension, and arguments inevitably arise every year. This inconvenience can be avoided by following a few simple guidelines. Mireia Cabero, a psychologist, psychotherapist, and lecturer in the Psychology and Education Department at the Open University of Catalonia (UOC), offers some basic tips for enjoying meals with family and friends.
1. Decide how you want the meeting to be and where you want to position yourself. If you're clear that you'll do everything possible to make it a peaceful, serene celebration where you can have a good time, decide what suits you best and establish your roadmap. Set the red lines you don't want to cross, when you'll choose silence, what comments you won't tolerate, what you'll respond to neutrally, or if you'd prefer to speak another day. Preparation is about intention, and once at the meeting, it's important to be aware of your communication goals.
2. Avoid anything you know will spark an argument. If you know certain topics cause tension, don't bring them up. The more you understand the dynamics with the people you'll be sharing the meal with, the better you'll be able to manage situations, at least in terms of your responses.
3. Everyone at the table shares responsibility for what happens. Sometimes all it takes is one person to do something different for the whole system to change, especially if people are willing to see a change in the dynamics.
4. Make a pact with guests, individually or publicly, to behave appropriately. The host can have honest conversations beforehand to ensure a calm atmosphere. They can also suggest it or even state it explicitly, perhaps as a toast—because this year we're showing we can have a good time without arguing—or jokingly, but making it clear that no arguments are welcome. A collective awareness can be helpful in preventing conflicts.
