How to make Xmas fun with very dull family

[Angelik]

After losing MiL in spring my DH invited his sister and DS (age 4) to us for Xmas. We are in South East. They're in NW. He has not had Xmas with his family for 12 years due to distance but largely because he didn't want to be in his alcoholic mum's company for too long. SiL did her own thing as a young woman and then with her own son. For context she has visited us maybe half a dozen times in 13years whilst we go up most school holidays.

Anyway, DH was really excited about his sister and nephew coming. Not only because of family ties but cos my family is very dull.

Now SiL is not coming. Citing work but really cos of new boyfriend. Dh is heartbroken and now not looking fwd to Xmas.

Leaving aside how bloody cross I am with my SiL who has form for this, how can I make my family flipping enjoy themselves?

What games/activities can we play? Mix of drinkers/non drinkers. Eldest 85. Youngest adult 30. I'm going to hide poxy tv controls.

I am happy to get very tipsy however!

Cards against humanity! I have played this with some extremely dull people before and managed to enjoy it. The more booze the better!

Quizzes always cheer everyone up in my family on Christmas Eve! Any kind. Or classic board games.

Cards Against Humanity is risky. It has the potential to offend as much as to amuse.
Code Names a better bet and won’t upset anyone.
Camel Up is also great fun.

Having been let down by family in the past I know how infuriating it can be!
Anyway, are we talking just Christmas Day or more days over the period. How many people in total? Any other children other than your DS?
(Sorry for all the questions just hoping to make a helpful suggestion )

I am clearly boring too as haven't heard of any of these.

Just Xmas day. 8 adults and my dc 8 and 5 years.

I have played cards against humanity. Bit much for kids though!

Do you have family photos, especially old ones - really old ones? Could be an opportunity to gather all the details of who's who, names, places, etc. The oldies will argue reminisce and contradict themselves while the younger ones can take note - maybe even video them so there's no squabbling later about which great uncle ran off to sea, etc.

It needs to be simple, oldies will groan as soon as you bring out a game. I don't think you can beat charades at Xmas. Everyone knows the rules, split into teams and get competitive, you need to inject the energy into it and get everyone to participate..

Have a theme like TV programmes that the kids and adults can enjoy.

I also recommend getting the family photos out :)

Well one idea that springs to mind is 'pass the brussell'. Don't know if you've seen them but it's a game like pass the parcel except it's shaped like a brussell'! (You can also get elf, Xmas pudding, penguin etc) Basically when you peel off each layer you either get a prize or something you have to do. Suits most ages I think. We had a mix last year and I was glad I'd had a drink as I had to sing a Christmas carol out the front door! Poor DS had to wrap himself up in anything he could find to look like a present!

One of the games that gets played every Xmas at my MiL’s by a wide age range is the “who am I?” game with posh if notes. You can tailor the characters to people’s ages. Simple but amusing.

My family love bingo
Buy a cheap bingo roller ball
Lots of dabber pens and cash/ novelty prizes. Good for all ages

Hot potato is fun very simple and makes everyone giggle here. Kids doing some kind of short puppet show/song is always nice for the oldies if the kids are that way inclined. A walk is an essential part of Christmas day in my house. I always really miss it if we don't fit one in, escaping the overwhelmingness of it all is good for the kids too I think.

I love a game.

Agree about quizzes.

Steal?

Charades?

Pictionary?

Thanks all.

PP is right that I have to inject the energy. But by Xmas my energy levels are zero! I will try harder and basically get Every one drunk where i can!

Like the sound of sprout game and dares!
Maybe this will be start of better Christmases (see trying already!)

We play the "frying pan game" don't know the proper name.

Split into 2 teams.

Each person writes on 3 separate pieces of paper the the name of an object place or famous/known to all players person.

All folded up and placed in pan.

First round teams alternate every minute and the team rep has to describe what is on the paper. Any they pass on goes back into to the pan.

2nd round you can only say one word

3rd round you act it out.

Add up the scores of those guessed correctly to declare winner.

We play a really stupid game with a pegs. Basically you try and attach a peg to someone else and see how long it takes then to notice. Extra bonus if you can get more than one on them!
e.g My brother in law, a strapping 35yo rugby player, has been known to crawl incognito under dining room table to peg my grandmothers slipper.

Surely with 8 adults you can find something to talk about?
No? I love charades, and the who am i? Game, as well. Aka the Rizla game.
Or Pictionary or Trivial Pursuit?

Tell your DH to get organising, or to lower his expectations, and enjoy the nice food and no work.

My family Xmases are so so boring. They are exactly the same every year. But I kind of like it. If we survive to Call the Midwife without me and my brother falling out, I call it a success.

UNO Jenga absolutely won over our usually placid family a few xmases ago.. it was heated but fun lol

Ooh! Get a card game called Ligretto. It's even more fun than Uno.

The Richard Osman book “World Cup of Everything” is good for that and is suitable for all ages - people get surprisingly passionate about their favourite chocolate bar or Disney film. I bought it because my DB and SIL are usually quite quiet in a group but it got them involved.

LOGO is pretty good across the ages too.

I love the idea of the peg game. I think we'll adopt that one.

We know @RandomMess 'frying pan game' as 'who's in the bag?'. It's great fun and you can have celebrities as well as family members. Once you've done the first round, the others are based on that so even if you don't know who the person is, you pick it up by round two. An optional 4th round is one action/pose.

Codenames is great. You have two teams (so everyone can play) and you have to get your team to guess all your words before the other team. You do that by saying how many words you want them to guess and then give a one word clue.

Something like Dobble is a great game for the kids which we then took over as adults once they went to bed. You can play it really gently or you can gang up on players. It's also quick.

Last year, our Christmas was made unexpectedly fun by everyone arming themselves with DS's Nerf guns and having shooting contests (targets, rather than one another, but the other way could also work). My quiet, elderly mother turned out to be a total demon.

On the other hand, I urge caution with Trivial Pursuit. My ILs' Christmas nearly involved GBH because of it about ten years ago -- we still speak of it in hushed tones...