But let’s talk about what board games I’m going to be doing a list on first. I’m doing Gateway Plus Games. What does that mean? A gateway game is a game that you can introduce to anyone. Gateway plus is one that you introduce to people after that. These are for the people who are just getting into board games but maybe haven’t gotten far past the level of gateway games. They know and like games like Splendor, Catan, Ticket to Ride, and others. What’s the next level games to introduce?

Calico

This is a game I’ve talked about before and it’s barely a next level game. The game is very simple to play. You have two tiles in front of you can you put one onto your quilt. Then you take one of three tiles and put it in front of you. You do that until your quilts are full. But it’s challenging because of scoring. If you get a group of three of a color, you get a button. A certain size or shape of the same pattern, that’ll attract a cat. And then scoring pieces that want to match patterns and colors.

The game is way more challenging then you’d expect. And most of the time you are hoping that the one piece you really need will come out. There is a lot to worry about with what is going on, but it’s still a blast. The game can be a bit cutthroat feeling if someone takes a piece you need, but generally people want to optimize fo their own scoring.

Roll Player

You might have introduced your friends or family to Sagrada. That can be a slightly past gateway game depending on the set-up. But it’s generally quite friendly and fun dice drafting game. Roll Player steps that concept up just a little bit and makes it a whole lot nerdier. You’re still drafting dice, but now you’re using them to build a Dungeons and Dragons or other RPG character. And all you’re trying to do is match the stats to where you want them to be.

The game works really well and the Monster and Minions expansion adds in more to the game. Now you have to deal with monsters as well, which I think adds to the overall game. It makes it feel like you’re doing more. This one is gateway plus because there is just a little bit more going on with making money, buying cards, and casting spells. But it’s still easy to get into and for a friend who is a bit more nerdy.

Photosynthesis

Another more abstract game like Calico. Photosynthesis is all about growing trees, but in a very cutthroat way. Here you are planting trees, growing trees, and then when the trees mature harvesting them for points. But the game has a really clever mechanism to it. The sun rotates around the board, so you get light points (action points) to use based off of how many and sizes of your trees seeing the sun.

Where the game gets cutthroat is that you can block out the sun from other people. Two trees of the same height, if the sun is hitting one that one can block the other. Or larger trees have a bigger reach as to what they can block. This is going to be for that person who likes moving the robber around in Catan.

Hanamikoji

This is a two player only game, but it’s very thinky, and I think for a lot of gamers, especially maybe a chess gamer (which chess isn’t gateway) but someone looking to branch into more hobby board games, this will be a good puzzle. The game is extremely simple, you do four different actions each round. But each choice is to hard to make.

You either take a card to score, which is hidden, discard two face down, give your opponent the choice of three cards for winning favor or get two pairs of cards and your opponent picks one. The push and pull of trying to control the favor of the Geisha is really well done in this game and the game plays extremely fast.

Dice Throne

The final one is also two player and it’s on Kickstarter right now as a Marvel version. So if you have a big Marvel fan in your life you can get this for them. Otherwise, you can always pick up the fantasy version that is already out there. Pick two of your favorite duel packs and you can get playing right away. This is generally a two player head to head dice battling game, but you can play it more.

In fact, I really like the three player version where it is king of the hill. If you attack the person with most life you get a bonus. It’s a really good game with more strategy than you might think with Yahtzee style dice rolling. When you upgrade cards, how you push your luck and use cards to manipulate dice make this a more challenging and fun version of something like King of Tokyo, which I consider a Gateway Game.

What game would you get that is Gateway Plus? This is something that I see a lot that people want that next game on board game groups. And people give games like Scythe or Gloomhaven, or whatever their favorite game might be. I wanted to put together this Christmas list of ideas for you for friends who are interested in games, or games to ask for yourself if you’re just getting into the board game hobby.

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Dice Set – Now, I am going to primarily suggest that you get the normal 7 dice set which has a D20, D12, D10, D10 Percentile, D8, D6, and D4. These are the most common, and for games like D&D and Pathfinder. If you play other systems, you need to look at what dice those games use. The Fantasy Flight Star Wars RPG and Genesys use specific dice that you can use normal dice for, but having a couple of sets of those dice make the game easier for everyone as well.

Dice Tray/Dice Tower – These are not something that you need for playing an RPG, but they can be useful. Both of them are basically something that can add for rolling dice. It’s nice if you have a wood table or something like that to use a dice tray as they are often padded so it makes rolling dice less noisy. It also keeps an enthusiastic roller from rolling them off of the table. A dice tower doesn’t make it any quieter, but it does the rolling for you. And it’s kind of fun to hear or see it bonk down the dice tower until it’s rolled.

The Core D&D Books – This is for someone who is getting into RPG’s and wants to run a game, the core D&D books are going to be great for getting them up and running. You get the Players Handbook, Monster Manual, and Dungeon Master’s Guide. That’s enough to run as many games of D&D as you want. It’s possible that they already have some of them, but you can buy them separately or as a bundle. If they don’t have them, the bundles sometimes have cool covers. I wouldn’t spring this on someone who hasn’t expressed any interest in DM’ing though, because they might feel like you’re pressuring them into DM’ing.

Adventure Modules – Now, it might be that you have someone who likes D&D plays, as a player, fairly often, but is intimidated by running their own game from scratch. This is where you can use the adventure modules. The starter kit would be a great one to get them, but there are a lot of other adventures. Curse of Strahd is generally the best received one, and while I didn’t have the best time running it, I think that it is put together well and that my issue was more the group than it was the module itself. But you have a ton to choose from, so if you want dragons, you can get that, demons you can get that, or giants, that’s out there as well. This is where I’d encourage someone who likes D&D a lot to maybe thing about DM’ing by giving them an adventure module.

DM Screen – This one is definitely for the person who is the DM in you game, otherwise there’s no real need for it, but if they have a makeshift DM screen, get them an official one or a cool one off of Etsy. The basic one from Dungeons and Dragons/Wizards of the Coast is fine, and I have it and I like it, but there are some custom CNC cut wood ones that are amazing out there and if you want to bling out your game, a custom DM screen, some with built in dice towers, but those tend to be a bunch spendier.

Adventure Zone Comic Books – What, this isn’t an RPG, no, but it’s RPG related, and with all the RPG podcast information out there, and all the people who are doing them, even me for a while. But this takes one of the actual play podcasts that is extremely popular and turns it into a comic. Definitely good for someone who likes the podcast and got into D&D because of the podcast, or just loves the podcast. I’ve looked a little bit at the books, but the artwork is nice, and definitely looks like a fun time.

Legacy of Dragonholt – This is often put into an area between choose your own adventure and RPG and board game, but I think that it’d scratch the itch for people who like the ideas of RPG’s but aren’t ready to make the leap. The character creation is simple, the role playing piece is low in it, but it’s story driven, and you have a character that can do things. It works simply on you either being able to do something or not. It is also a game that can be played solo, so if there is someone in your life who doesn’t have a group or who can’t play as often as they would want, this would be a solid option as well, though, a serious min/maxing player will find this way to light.

There’s so much more out there. There are a lot of indie RPG’s that people can check out as well that give you more specific settings than fantasy. And I talked only about the basic Dungeons and Dragons books and adventures, but there are other books that add in more monsters, more character options and many other things. Overall, there is a ton out there for RPG’s right now, and it’s a hobby that is growing still, which is cool. If you have someone who you think might like an RPG, you can also just give the gift of running a game for them, maybe you have a relative who they are their friends want to try and RPG, but none of them want to run it, you can give the gift of running a few sessions.

What would you want for your pen and paper RPG collection? Is there something on the list that looks really cool?

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This list is basically the opposite of yesterday’s list which was focused on small games that are going to have a small footprint, small box, and generally a smaller price. Epic board games are going to generally be in a larger box and they are going to pack a lot into the game, so whether it’s in a fantasy world or a sci-fi setting, the game is going to feel big and epic. Also, stocking stuffers are going to be more apt to be games for a newer gamer, these, you are going to want to know the person likes board games.

Aeon’s End: War Eternal – This game actually doesn’t have a ton of pieces to it or a giant board at least. It’s a deck building game, but the game feels epic as you face off against an giant monster who is trying to destroy the town of Gravehold. You take on the roll of a breach mage who is casting spells to deal damage or out last the plans of the giant monster. To do this, you are building up a deck of cards, so it’s a pretty standard deck builder that way, but, in a twist, you never shuffle your deck, so if you are clever, you can pull off some interesting combos.

Betrayal at House on the Hill – This game is different from the first in that it has a sprawling footprint. You’re building out this massive haunted house, and eventually, there will be a twist when the haunt happens and someone is going to be a traitor. This game is a really thematic game that leans into the horror theme. The best way to describe it would be that you are playing through the movie Cabin in the Woods, if Cabin in the Woods was a mansion instead of a cabin. You never know what the haunt is going to be, because an omen card in a certain room is going to take you to a specific haunt. The game is a bit swingy in that someone can, with a bit of luck be very strong or the haunts can be a bit unbalanced, but it’s very thematic.

Blood Rage – With a name like that, how could it not be epic? In this game, you are taking your tribe of Viking warriors through combat and area control in order to get the most glory. However, beware where Ragnorak is happening, because that can knock your troops off the board. Blood Rage is, at it’s heart, a card drafting game where the cards you pick at the beginning of the age determine your strategy for that age. But it feels like it plays out on the table in a massive way, with big epic conflicts, monsters on the board, and the strategies are all based around different deities from Norse Mythology. The game looks cool on the table and the minis help give it it’s epic feel.

Cry Havoc – In what turns out to be a bit of a euro-style area control game, you really get to play through a giant cinematic game of different factions warring over the crystals. Humans are able to attack from different areas in support. The mechs can build up stronger technology and call in satellite support. The pilgrims are a peaceful alien race that just cares about growing as many crystals as possible. And the trogs are everywhere on the planet, because it’s their home world, and they’re trying to fight everyone off. In this game you’re getting points for crystals in the few rounds that you are playing and scoring. But it has a tricky bit of combat and interesting card play to be able to get to other areas, fight your battles, or in the case of the pilgrims, set-up your fortified areas. It looks cool and feels a bit like Avatar.

Dead of Winter – Dead of Winter is a survival zombie game where you are in charge of a group of survivors. You need to go out and find food, deal with zombies, get medicine to heal people, deal with crisis that are happening and complete a main objective. There is a ton to do in this game, plus, beyond that, you have your own goal you need to complete and there might be a traitor in your midst. All of that is great and epic feeling as you try and figure out who the traitor might be, but there are also crossroads cards which offer you tough decisions if the right conditions are met that makes this game feel even more epic.

Gloomhaven – This is, in my opinion, the ultimate big epic board game. It’s a massive box, massive footprint on the table, a ton of characters to play. Now, it comes with a large price tag, but the number of hours worth of play, it’s worth the price. Gloomhaven has a nice story to it, but it shines in the scenarios where you have to work with your teammates in your card play to get it really ticking, because the monsters hit back and they hit back hard. It’s a lot of strategy and it’s just fun to play, plus unlocking new characters keeps the game feeling fresh. It’s like a video game RPG, but on a board.

Mansions of Madness 2nd Edition – The only Lovecraftian game on this list, I considered Arkham Horror LCG, and while it does have a great story, it doesn’t feel quite as epic. Mansions of Madness though is an epic horror game in a box. You are using an app to drive the story and provide ambiance for the game. But that doesn’t take away from the board game piece, it just enhances it and can cause the game to be set-up differently each time you play a scenario. And there are tons of scenarios out there and expansions. You take on the role of an investigator who has been called in for something odd happening, but can you stop it in time or before you become too injured or insane to carry on?

Pandemic Legacy Season 1/Season 2 – I’m lumping both of them together, but both are pretty epic stories. As a Legacy game, it means that you have a limited number of plays through the story, but the story is good, and you feel like you get your value from them. You are playing what is basically Pandemic, a game where you are a member of the CDC going out to deal with diseases. The basic game is fairly epic, but when you add in an evolving story, it becomes more epic and challenging as you have to adapt to the strategies that the changes in the game is leading your towards. It’s fun to play through, even twice, like I’ve done, because there is a good story with it and a lot of story and interesting decisions.

Root – These are cute woodland creatures, they won’t be epic, will they? Yes, they will in this asymmetric game where players take on the roles of different factions of woodland creatures. Maybe you are the vagabond who is getting new items to be able to do more things or planning out your long term strategy as the Eyrie who need their orders to be carried out in a certain way and things will go poorly if they aren’t. Or maybe you are the Woodland Alliance who don’t start with much, but need to create a strong position on the board. And then there is the Marquise de Cat and his cat troops who are trying to keep control on the areas and expand their power. It’s big, it’s epic, and everyone feels really unique in the game.

Skulk Hollow – By far the smallest game on the list and only a two player game, it still feels epic. You have the foxen heroes who all of a sudden have to deal with a guardian. The guardian of the realm probably isn’t a bad guy, but with the foxen folk there now, they seem like one. One player plays as the guardian and the other as foxen folk, each with their own goals. The foxen folk always want to take down the guardian, but the guardian might be trying to get certain tokens out or maybe kill the leader of the foxen folk, or just kill as many foxen folk as they can. The game plays fast, but it packs a punch for what it does.

Star Wars: Rebellion – The original trilogy in a box, it’s going to be epic. Again a two player game where one person is the empire trying to find that darn rebel base. The other player, as the rebels is trying to complete missions in order to subvert the empires evil plans. It’s a good cat and mouse game with all the big players that you’d expect from a Star Wars game. It’s been close basically every time I’ve played it and while the rebels can be a bit trickier to play and this is a longer game, it is engaging the whole time and not too hard. The asymmetry is pretty limited and that makes teaching the game easier than the previous two ones, even with the different character goals.

Sword and Sorcery – Another big dungeon crawl with a lot of characters, Sword and Sorcery takes you on a tighter story than Gloomhaven does, but in what is more of a dice chucking game. The story is cool, and the monsters, while limited, offer a good variety of challenges. What makes this game especially unique is the death mechanic, where if you die, you aren’t out of the game, you have limited things you can do, but you can also respawn as long as you have enough soul gems. There are a ton of characters to play, and while the story is quite linear, I do feel like it’s a game that I could play through again with different characters and the game would feel different.

T.I.M.E. Stories – This game is basically time cops as you try and police the time stream, going to Earth in different eras as well as to completely different worlds. It’s an interesting game because you run through different stories, which are expansions for the game. T.I.M.E. Stories, for everything, is the most expensive game on the list, but it’s worth checking out. The story in the base game is interesting, and it only starts to show you the plug and play nature of the system. Each story, also, has it’s own epic feel, and you get to run through the story, making better decisions each time or maybe finally going down that rabbit trail that you probably shouldn’t have gone down.

Village Attacks – Maybe, as compared to the rest of the games, you want to play the bad guys. In Village Attacks, you and a team of other monsters has to deal with pesky villagers who are coming to your lair with their pitchforks and torches. You need to protect yourself, because that’s very rude of them to attack you. Can you survive the onslaught of monsters coming? It’s a fun cooperative game and very challenging as there are so many villagers. I had a blast playing it at GenCon, and I’m super excited to get my kickstarter copy. If you want to get this game, you need to check out the possibility of a late pledge from the kickstarter.

XenoShyft: Onslaught – Sometimes you just want to squish some bugs. XenoShyft is basically Starship Troopers where you have to defend this mining facility from all sorts of waves of bugs. This is another deck building game, and it’s a tough deck building game, but you always feel like you’re getting better and have a chance. The cool and unique part of the game is the fact that you can play your cards to help other people, because sometimes you might have a lot of weapons that you can’t use, but someone else might need them, so you have to balance it out to make sure that there isn’t a weak link. This is a tough game to win, but a ton of fun.

There are so many epic games out there. If you want a longer game that you can play a lot, there are a lot of good options out there. I’d recommend starting with some of the smaller ones on the list, XenoShyft: Onslaught, Pandemic Legacy, or Aeon’s End. But if they already like epic games, and you want to splurge, Gloomhaven is a game that you can’t go wrong with. Yes, it won’t be for everyone, but it is a massive epic game and unless you want a ton of dice rolling, which Gloomhaven doesn’t offer.

Is there an epic game out there that you really love? Or is there one that is really epic that you want to get?

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Stocking Stuffers are going to be small games, though a few of them might be slightly too large for a small stocking, but they are going to be smaller games and hopefully slightly cheaper options for you as well. These games are not going to be big and grandiose, but hopefully you’ll find a good range of games for the people in your lives. This list isn’t in a best to worst or vice-a-versa order, just alphabetical

Age of War – This game will easily fit into a stocking. It is a simple little dice game where you are trying to collect fortresses by rolling combinations on the dice. If you get a set, you can lock them in, but if not, someone can try and steal it from you, though it’s a little bit trickier. This game is very simple and small. It’s a good game for people who like a bit of dice rolling, but don’t want anything too thinky.

Boss Monster – A game that’s a bit bigger than Age of War, but it’s still easy to play. Each person is a monster in a 8-bit video game and you are trying to set-up your dungeon and lair so that you can defeat all the heroes who are coming from the town. But you also have to be able to attract them. But if they don’t die in your dungeon, you don’t want to take too much damage. This is for someone who likes a lot of nerdy things and retro video games being one of them. There are good nods to other nerdy things on the cards.

Cat Cafe – Your crazy cat lady aunt will love you for this game, though you’ll probably have to teach it to her. It’s a bit more complex than some roll and writes, but in the game, you are creating your own cat towers to attract cats to you. You score in various ways by placing mice toys together or by getting food dishes or other things your cats would love. This is a good game for the whole family.

Criss Cross – Another roll and write, you might see a third on the list, but Criss Cross is a little game, but a good one for people who like to puzzle out the best score. In Criss Cross you are rolling dice and everyone is placing the symbols rolled onto their own board, but you have to remember that you are scoring both columns and rows, so you don’t want to have too many of them that score zero. It’s a very small game and easy to play multiple times.

Gloom – This is completely different than the other games, because Gloom is a story telling game. In it you are taking turns playing down cards to either make your opponents characters lives go better, or to make yours go worst until you can kill off your whole family. You are telling the horrible things that are happening to them as you play card. This has a nice dark humor to the game, and it just ends up being silly fun for a potentially dark theme. Plus, the cards are clear plastic, so that they stack on top of previous cards and you can see through.

Hanabi – A card driven game, Hanabi is unique because the cards aren’t facing you. Your hand of cards is facing your opponents and they are giving clues to help you play down your cards. You are all trying to work together to get stacks of fireworks from 1 to 5 of their colors, but if you play down the wrong number or the wrong color, you lose a fuse, and you don’t want it to blow up in your face. It’s a unique idea and it works well for a small box game.

Hanamikoji – This is a great game to get for your significant other, if they enjoy gaming. It’s a two player only abstract game where you are trying to win favors of various Geisha. But to do so, you must give them gifts using four actions that you can take. And your opponent has the same four actions. When you use them and the choices you make are what work well in this thinky game. It plays fast, though, and generally I’ve found that people want to play again after the first game.

Just One – Okay, you’ll need a large stocking for this one. The game isn’t that huge, but it’s larger than most. A cooperative word based party game, this one is great for your family if you are sick and tired of playing the same party games over and over again from the 90’s or you’ve read every single Apples to Apples and Cards Against Humanity card. In Just One, one person is it, and you are all trying to get them to guess a word, but you can only write down a one word clue. If you match with someone, though, both clues are hidden. It’s a super fun game that takes the place of a lot of other party games.

Onirim – Maybe you have a family member who likes to play solitaire games, probably including solitaire, but they haven’t jumped into modern board games. Onirim is a great game for a solitaire player with simple rules in the base game, and a lot of challenge as you are playing cards, it’s one of the best purely solo games out there. The artwork is unique, but I like it, and the game is small, just a bunch of cards, so it won’t feel like too much.

Parade – This game can be a bit hard to find, but if you can get your hands on it, it’s an interesting card collection game where you are trying to get as few cards and as few points as possible. But, in a twist, if you get the most of a certain color/suit, those cards only count as a single point. It’s an abstract little game, but the Alice in Wonderland artwork will draw people in.

Say Bye to the Villains – If the person likes hard games, this will be a good option. Say Bye to the Villains is a very hard game, I haven’t beaten it, but a ton of fun. You are all Samurai who have 10 days to prepare to fight a group of villains at the end of that time each of you will face off against one. You can prepare by improving your stats or scouting out the villains. This game works well, because it’s cooperative and you feel like you can’t get everything done that you need to. Extremely tough, good variety in the game, and if you are looking for a challenge it’ll be a good choice.

Second Chance – We’re back to roll and writes, but Second Chance is a great one for it, and a simpler one. In this game, two cards are flipped and you have to draw in the shape shown of one of them on your board. The person who has the fewest spaces left at the end of the game wins. However, to keep it from being the same, each person has a unique starting shape, and if you use larger shapes, you might run out of room faster, but you get a bonus spot. If you can’t fill in one of the shapes, you get a second chance, and if you can use that new shape, that is just for you, you can keep playing. The game has a nice art feel to it and works well in large groups. Another game that you will play multiple times in a single sitting.

Stipulations – Another party game is making the list, and this one will easily fit in a stocking. Too many party games either need to have a ton of cards, Apples to Apples/Cards Against Humanity, because you go through them quickly, or they have large pieces like Catch Phrase, but Stipulations is a fun game in a small package. In the game the person who is it picks a dream job, super power, life time supply or fulfilled dream that then other players write a stipulation for. It’s a good creative game, and one that you can make as dirty or as clean as you want, so you can always play with anyone.

Unlock! – Any of the Unlock games, or the Exit games, would work in this spot, but if you have someone who loves escape rooms, give them an escape room in a box. Unlock puts you into a situation that you have to combine cards, solve riddles and other puzzles and figure out the solution before time runs out. And then when it does, you can still finish, you just get fewer points, but you can watch the clock count down and get stressed out. If you are looking for that escape room experience but on a budget, it works well with groups too, probably up to 6 players maximum, though I think 4 is the ideal number.

Alright, I don’t know how many that was, but it’s a good variety of games that you can stick in people stockings. If you want, you can probably find one for everyone in your family. Board games are fun to give and get over the holidays because you can then turn them into a family activity if you want.

Which game would you want to get in your stocking? Which one would you be most apt to give?

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Because of this, I’ve seen a lot of Christmas movies in my day — enough, you might say, for me to start noticing some patterns. There are three types of Christmas movie, as I see it: old stand-by, cheesy Hallmark-style, and contemporary classic. What follows is my (by no means comprehensive) list of what each type needs in order to be truly great.

Old Stand-by

• More elaborate song and dance numbers than is advisable within 90 minutes
• Ladies who have perfect hourglass figures, impeccably coiffed hair, and pristine makeup at all times (even at bedtime)
• Bing Crosby
• Costumes that anyone who has even the slightest interest in clothes will be dying to wear
• Red lipstick. ALL THE RED LIPSTICK.
• A suspiciously thin plot
• The most Santa-y Santa that ever was
• An unfortunate misunderstanding
• Sparkles and spangles for days
• Old-timey slang that makes you go “Say whaaaa?”
• Pratfalls

Cheesy Hallmark-style

• An uptight businesswoman who visits a tiny town (her hometown or otherwise) to “recapture the Christmas spirit”
• A struggling town/small business/Christmas tree farm just waiting for someone to rescue it
• An improbably cute single man who is the proprietor of said establishment
• Snow that just happens to fall at exactly the right moment
• Winter clothing that is far too stylish to actually keep our heroine warm
• An old man dressed as Santa who may or may not actually be Santa (he’s definitely Santa, though)
• A boss with not an ounce of Christmas spirit or plain old sympathy
• So many festive sweaters. And flannel. Flannel all around!
• A romance that happens so quickly it’d make a Disney princess blush
• Getting a boyfriend or getting proposed to just in time for Christmas
• The tastiest-looking hot cocoa you could hope to imagine
• A scene where the protagonists get snowed in together
• “Wait…is that really [insert name of semi-popular actor whom you haven’t seen in anything for the last five years]??

Contemporary Classic

• Compelling yet morally questionable romantic relationships
• A crotchety old man who comes around in the end
• Big-name actors (starring in roles that may or may not be a total departure from literally everything else they’ve done)
• The most jaded adults and most adorable kids you have ever seen in your life
• Someone being forced to wear an elf costume/sing Christmas carols/otherwise begrudgingly engage in Christmassy activities
• An old flame and/or unrequited love
• Christmas traditions that you have definitely never heard of
• A somewhat blase soundtrack that somehow manages to be charming
• An abundance of comfy-looking yet stylish sweaters
• Elements that are somehow already dated (they let that kid just run right through security at the airport?? Inconceivable!)
• A reminder that, no matter how uptight, jaded, or tired out you are, Christmas will always come through for you

So there you have it, folks! The necessary components of any bona-fide Christmas film. Based on my criteria (and, okay, sure, the images), you can probably tell which movies I’m talking about — but what are your favorites? Would you add anything to my lists? Share the merriment in the comments!

For extra fun: I have to admit, I co-opted a few of my items for the Cheesy Hallmark-style list from Addie Zierman, one of my favorite bloggers, who cooked up a Hallmark Christmas Movie Bingo game last year. Check it out here! Be sure to take a gander at her blog as well, as it is utterly fantastic (albeit vastly different from this one!).

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I think that is a really interesting line to walk, and I wanted to get it up on the website now, just for Christmas ideas, so I’m doing a double post today. The reason that it’s interesting is that there is kind of a gap and an idea that kids can’t really pick up on harder concepts, but allowing a kid to try more complicated games than Chutes and Ladders or Candyland will probably be helpful for them in learning as well as they have to tackle ideas and concepts in more fun ways than learning it through a text book. So, without much further ado, here are five board games that I think work great for families with younger (Elementary) kids and won’t bore the parent to death:

1. Ticket to Ride

This game has long been my go to game for family time. Ticket to Ride is a card collecting, color matching game where you try and connect routes across the country. It is a fast one to pick up, and the game can play differently every time that you play it. It’s good for kids because you are mainly trying to match the colors of cards in your hand so that you can play train routes. It’s also good, as it is a competitive game, but isn’t a cut throat game.

2. Catan

Catan is another good game to play with kids. The concepts are simple as you collect resources to build stuff. And while you can get competitive with it, the game generally works with everyone playing the board more so than competing against each other. Catan changes every time it is played as well, so while kids can pick it up pretty quickly. The one downside to Catan is that it is hard to predict exactly how long the game is going to take. If it starts taking too long, you can just play to a lower number of victory points. It varies a lot from game to game though.

3. Castle Panic

A tower defense game, this game has fun pieces, simple rules and strategy and is cooperative. It gives the family as a whole something that they can play together, and for a cooperative game, it isn’t nearly as tough as some. This means that while there is strategy, if you don’t play the ideal strategy because you are letting a kid take the lead, that is okay, you aren’t going to lose every time you let them take the lead. I like this game a lot as an option for kids because it really does help teach strategy, but in a fun way with fun pieces.

4. Forbidden Desert or Forbidden Island

These games are cooperative again. You are either looking for pieces of your crashed plane or trying to find missing treasure. The trick is, the pieces of the crashed plane as in the desert and keep on getting buried, and the treasure is on an island that is actively sinking. I’ve only played Forbidden Island, but Forbidden Desert seems more enjoyable. It adds in one piece of complexity that will make the game more interesting generally. They both come with other ways to up the difficulty as well which will make it feel like there is more pressure. These games are probably the fastest on the list as well, so that is to their advantage.

5. Ghostbusters

A cooperative game as well, this time you can play the iconic characters from the original Ghostbusters movies as they battle various ghosts completing different story arcs. The mechanics are simple, there are limited number of actions that you can do, and it comes with a ton of minis. Kids will enjoying playing a game where there are a bunch of little figures that they can move around on the board, and the main mechanic is just rolling dice. I’ve only played this one once, and I am sure that Kristen and I messed up some rules, but it plays fairly quickly, and there isn’t a ton of downtime between turns.

What are games that you think work well with kids? I have a few more that I could have added to the list, like Tsuro or Zombie Dice, but these are some bigger board games that use more strategy that would work well with younger kids.

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“What a great day. Eight days ’til Christmas! I feel like celebrating.”

“And look at that…I’m already dressed for it!”

“But what should I do?”

“I’ve got it!”

“It’s family picture time!”

“Probably better gather some other folks who are already dressed for the occasion. Hey, guys!”

“You look perfect, Soranik. Come with me, please!”

“Hey there, Mera! Come on down, we’re gonna do something fun!”

“Heya, Daredevil! We’re doing a Christmas photo. Wanna come?”

“Er…sorry…silly of me to forget you can’t see me waving…my bad.”

“Okay, everybody; tall folks in the back!”

“Sorry…not you, little guy.”

“Now, everybody act like you like each other…heh heh…”

“Looks pretty good! But something’s missing…”

“Ah! You’re right, Mini-Link…we need more light!”

“Ooh, this looks promising.”

“Gaaaaaaaah! So bright!!”

“There…much better!”

“Sorry, Louise…you’re cute, but we’d never be able to see everyone behind you!”

“Alright…everybody ready?”

“MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!”

Love and laser beams,

The Nerdologists

Mostly, I’m just admiring them, but the more I browse, the more I’m feeling the desire to nerdify our overall decorating scheme a bit. Thankfully, there are tons of possibilities!

There’s the ever-popular DIY:

The awesome fandom stuff:

And the downright silly:

As you can see, the options for creating A Very Nerdy Christmas are many and wondrous. So go forth and spread the nerdy holiday cheer!

And remember, if anyone tells you to tone it down, just take a page from our good friend Wilf’s book:

And now, please excuse me while I go make myself some Game of Thrones paper snowflakes and hang them haphazardly around the house. Huzzah!

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Never fear! There are other ways to show the nerdy love without having to wade through waves of humanity, risk your neck on the open road, or spend all your hard-earned moolah. Yes, I’m talking about crafting!

“But handmade gifts are so lame!” you say. “Nobody ever wants that crap!” To which I say, you’re probably thinking that way because of bad memories associated with the macaroni portraits and construction-paper-based oddities of our youth. But I encourage you to dream a little bigger. With resources like Pinterest and Ravelry and the scads of great crafting blogs out there, crafting is easier and more accessible (and less corny) than ever. Even novice crafters can find something that appeals to them and learn new skills to create a finished product they’re proud to give to someone.

One of my favorites for this purpose is crochet and knitting. There are patterns for anything you can think of, from Doctor Who scarves to plushies to cat-ear hats. And even if you’ve never knit a stitch in your life, there are plenty of step-by-step videos on YouTube for any technique you could wish to learn. Best of all, many patterns online are free, or a few bucks at most.

If crochet and knitting aren’t your thing, you could try your hand at some old-fashioned artwork. Make some fan art of your friend’s favorite character, or do a hand-lettered or calligraphy version of your brother’s favorite book quote. If you’ve got a steady hand and a good eye, there are tons of possibilities here!

If neither of those are hitting the right notes for you, there’s lots of options for constructable gifts. Build a dice tray for your favorite D&D player, make comic book magnets, or put together a hobbit hole terrarium!

And of course, there’s the ever-popular food gift! Bake some Star Wars sugar cookies, make a batch of lembas bread (my personal favorite), or put together a kit for making a nerdy cocktail (Sonic Screwdriver, anyone?).

These are just a few ideas to get your creative DIY juices flowing. But don’t stop here! Go forth and find what inspires you, or make something up from scratch. We’d love to hear about your ideas — share about your handiwork in the comments! Or if you’re not making handmade gifts this year, tell us about the best handmade and/or nerdy gift you’ve ever received.

Happy giving!

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