Five Best Holiday Games—for Kids and Adults

So, recession, depression, economic crunch or crisis, whatever you want to call it, those high-end ways of entertaining ourselves need to be cut in half or put on the shelf for the time being. But that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun. For less than the price of one entree at a fancy restaurant, adults can play these games with other adults, or with their kids, and get back to the real point in life—having fun. Plus, these games can be played again and again. That foie gras you had last night can only live on in your memory. 1.) Nerf Cosmic Keep Away by Hasbro It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s a, well, not any type of ball we’ve ever seen, and that’s what makes it so much fun—screaming fun. And funny. This ball comes with electronic, colorful wristbands which the ball gives commands to—if the ball says blue, the person wearing the blue wristband has to make a move. Three games can be played with Cosmic Keep Away: Keep Away; One-Minute Keep Away; and Team Countdown, where one team has to complete twenty passes by keeping the ball away from the other team. If you’re in the mood for laughing so hard your stomach hurts—this is the toy for you. Perfect for the beer drinking crowd and the apple juice drinkers—but don’t mix the two, please. $27 – Nerf Cosmic Keep Away 2.) Hollywood Dominoes by Parker Brothers If you haven’t rediscovered dominoes as an adult, then, baby, hop on the bandwagon. The twist on this particular game is cute, of course. Who doesn’t want to be a star—at least for fifteen minutes?! And even though you can’t rub shoulders with the likes of Demi Moore, Selma Hayak, Ashton Kutcher, Charlize Theron, Penelope Cruz, Bruce Willis and other A – List Celebrities, you can play their game—they’ve created and endorsed this game. But back to dominoes. If you love canasta, or you’re a bridge fanatic, or you just want something different to do other than watch TV, dominoes might just be the perfect alternative for you. Expect at least two hours of a hugely good time. $38 – Hollywood Dominoes Premier Edition 3.) Pink Ouija Board by Parker Brothers Yes! Yes! Yes, yes, yes! Yelled Meg Ryan in “When Harry Met Sally,” and it’s what we tried to do when we were in high school and asked the Ouija board if one of us would die that night. Remember those creepy evenings when the little Ouija disk moved across the board to point out our early demise? Well, years later we’re still alive, and now we have kids of our own (and some of them even have kids of their own)… and it’s time to share the doom and gloom and have some fun! For those who never had the luxury of finding out when they would die by the magic of the Ouija Board, it’s never too late to learn. Simply set the board game down, place your hands on the disk, and think hard about getting an answer to a mysterious question (most of us ask about death, of course!). And if death isn’t your thing, this particular Ouija board is pink, which might very well leave you asking: “Will the next love of my life appear soon?” You’ll want that the disk moves to Yes! Yes! Yes, yes, yes! p.s. Good for the beer gang on down, but if the apple juice gang plays, make sure to search for cute questions—leave death to those who can handle it. $41 – Ouija Board – Pink 4.) Cranium Wow Game by cranium Oh, the tub of the mighty purple clay! You might be the lucky player who draws one of the 600 cards that tells you to build a “cheeseburger in paradise” in sixty seconds; or you’ll have to pretend to make up a bed in one minute, tops, with nothing but air to use as your material; or you’ll have a glorious sixty minutes to sketch a nose dive. The sky’s the limit when it comes to you acting out, sketching, sculpting the absurd, in hopes that someone will understand your clues to the answer. Cranium is fun, but this edition is really swank, because of the plastic figurines that come with their own wigs, which move across the board every time you get your team to finally understand that that funny thing you’re trying to build with the clay is a roller derby queen. Any kid, from grown up to toddlers, can draw and sculpt. In fact, most of the kids will do a better job than you, so watch out! $30 – Cranium Wow Game 5.) Partini by Parker Brothers One might think that, because of the title of this game, it was meant to be played drinking Martinis. And don’t let us stop you, because it would be hilarious to be a bit tipsy and watch someone else who’s a little tipsy trying to toss a ball into a cup from a strange angle before you do. But it’s just as fun doing this with the kids while you’re all high on soda pop and life. There are so many games in this one game that you can host a family Partini marathon. Mime your way, hum your way, act your way through the holidays and have a blast. $28 – PARTINI