I pinched these ideas last year
Buck's Fizz after breakfast when we are prepping dinner, ranging from mostly juice to rather stronger
Silly/funny crackers/after dinner game. Moustache crackers were a hit and Name that tune game with kazoos.
One of the surprise hits is a puzzle which arrives Christmas Eve in a goodie bag. The puzzle goes on kitchen table and gets done over the Christmas break with everyone helping out at different times. Mary Berry does this in her kitchen so that makes me feel like Queen of my kitchen
Christmas Eve goodies, really only stuff I would buy anyway but it just spreads things out a bit (in a home bargains Christmas pudding bin bag last year):
Christmas Eve we have got into the habit of lighting the fire pit and sitting out for a couple of hours drinking hot chocolate and toasting marshmallows before bed.
Present Lucky Dip – scratch card, oversized inflatable, tea towel,
Wind Up toy race
It has to be mean Santa! Fill a sack with a number of wrapped items from the pound shop. Add a couple of "nice" gifts of higher value. Now you all sit round and take turns to throw the dice. If you throw a 6 you take a gift from the sack and unwrap it so everyone can see what you've got. If you throw a 1 it entitles you to steal a present from someone. This continues until all the presents in the sack have been opened by which time there has been much stealing of the most coveted gifts. It's very amusing and teens in particular love it. [We normally spend about £15 in the pound shop-you need to be a bit inventive. Invariably I have things in my present drawer that find their way into the sack so it isn't too £££ in the end.]
When we play this, we generally get fairly cheap presents from the pound shop and some charity shops - a mix of shapes and sizes is best, as the point isn't so much the game, but the fun of trying to win the presents and then take them off people. I also get some bags of sweets and small boxes of chocolates. The best time was playing it with a few friends on NYE (so some drink had been taken ) - there was one particular present that everyone seemed desperate to win and it changed hands loads of times. When it was finally opened, it was a royal wedding fridge magnet from years ago!!
Our rules are a pile of wrapped presents in the middle of the table (I try and get about 3 per person). Everyone takes it in turns to throw the dice - if you get a 6, you take a present. This carries on till all the presents have gone - some people will have lots, others may not have any!
Then, set a timer for 15 minutes, and go round again taking turns throwing the dice. Now you get to take presents from other people when you throw a 6, which we find is where the most fun is - trying to take presents that others think might be good and get rid of ones you think might be rubbish. After 15 minutes, everyone opens their presents and then you get another 10 minutes throwing the dice, trying to get a 6 so you can get the decent presents.