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The Family That Plays Together... {2015 Holiday Gift Guide}

Thursday, November 12

This year, for the first time, I am participating in the 4 Gifts blogging series! Not sure what 4 Gifts is about? There are 4 categories and the idea is that you buy something from each category. The categories are: Want, Need, Wear and Read. Hopefully our lists will help to take some of the guess work out of Christmas shopping for you! And for something super fun, there's a GIVEAWAY too! The giveaway will go on for the next 4 weeks and each week you'll have more chances to enter. Be sure to scroll down & enter for your chance to win! This week, we are kicking things off with the WANT category, and for our family this means new games to play together!


These 10 favorite family games would make perfect gifts this Christmas holiday season. Board games, card games, children's games, games the adults will enjoy... there is something for everyone in this collection. Give a gift that keeps on giving by bringing families together to play and make precious memories.

Nothing brings families together like a good, old-fashioned Family Game Night.


In our family, playing games together is an important part of any gathering... and also just everyday life! We also love to have game nights with friends, and one particular couple always introduces us to the best games! So, each Christmas we try to add a new board game or family game to our collection. It is a great way to give a gift that will lead to lots of great memories and encourage family time! Here are some of our favorites from the past year that I would definitely suggest adding to your collection.

These unique card games are both fun to play and easy to pack for entertainment on-the-go while traveling!



These 10 favorite family games would make perfect gifts this Christmas holiday season. Board games, card games, children's games, games the adults will enjoy... there is something for everyone in this collection. Give a gift that keeps on giving by bringing families together to play and make precious memories.


Duck Duck Bruce is without a doubt the best game we have for playing with Aiden when other adults want to join in. It is a super cute game that our extended family loves as well! It is currently out of print, but you can still find more reasonable priced copies used if you search. Sushi Go! is a game that is fun and different from any other game I have played for sure. And you cannot go wrong with happy, smiling sushi. Deer in the Headlights is our go-to game when we need something that doesn't require a lot of strategy. It is just plain fun!


Games that require both a little strategy or planning and a little luck tend to be popular in our family!

These 10 favorite family games would make perfect gifts this Christmas holiday season. Board games, card games, children's games, games the adults will enjoy... there is something for everyone in this collection. Give a gift that keeps on giving by bringing families together to play and make precious memories.
Machi Koro | Splendor | Qwirkle

Machi Koro is hands-down our favorite game right now. It isn't one that younger players will be able to join in on, but it is perfect for when the grown-ups want to play something engaging. Splendor is a game that was instantly a hit with it's interesting mix of cards and tokens. It is a very visually appealing game. Qwirkle is great a game that requires your brain to process a little differently as you use tiles to build a grid by both shape and color. 

Having a variety of games for different ages and audiences makes it easy to please a variety of guests!


These 10 favorite family games would make perfect gifts this Christmas holiday season. Board games, card games, children's games, games the adults will enjoy... there is something for everyone in this collection. Give a gift that keeps on giving by bringing families together to play and make precious memories.

Settlers of Catan is a well-loved game for me and my siblings. My mom, however, banned it from her house because it drives her crazy, ha! Catan nights are some of my favorite game nights! Swap! was the absolute hit last Christmas. It is a pretty easy game that moves fast and brings lots of laughs. I love Phase 10, but I have trouble finding people to play with me because it takes so long! Phase 10 Twist keeps the play moving along so there is the fun of the original without quite as much waiting. Surprise Slides is one kid game I really don't mind playing. Any parent knows that some games get to where you simply cannot play one more time. This one is a fun one that we really enjoy.


These 10 favorite family games would make perfect gifts this Christmas holiday season. Board games, card games, children's games, games the adults will enjoy... there is something for everyone in this collection. Give a gift that keeps on giving by bringing families together to play and make precious memories.

Don't forget to include charitable giving on your lists this Christmas season!


For the past few years we have kept the gift-giving part of this season to a minimum. We prefer to focus our resources, both time and finances, on creating memories and focusing on the Christ child and the gift of salvation that has already been freely given to us! While we don't cut out gifts completely, one of the things I really want to focus on this year is making sure that we are thinking outside our family and friends when it comes to giving this Christmas season. I love this 4 Gifts idea for my own family, but I wanted to find ways to tie in each gift category with a service project or charitable giving. For the WANT theme, we are packing a box for Operation Christmas Child

Our church is participating as a congregation, and it is heart-warming to see the display set up with all of the boxes outside the sanctuary. If you are not familiar with Operation Christmas Child you can read more here. I plan to share more about our experience with this fun and meaningful project in a later post! I did want to point out something awesome that I found today, though! They suggest that you can write a letter to include in your box, but if you are working with a preschool child to pack the box that can be challenging. This year they have fun coloring pages that you can print and have your child color and record a little bit about themselves. Check them out here! 

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Now for the GIVEAWAY!


 4 Gifts Christmas Giveaway! Target Gift Card, World Market Gift Card, and More!
$130 Target Gift Card  ||  $25 World Market Gift Card  ||  Lace Arm Warmers - Forgotten Cotton  ||  Personalized Cutting Board (9x12") - Laserworkz  ||  Gypsy Dreamcatcher Necklace - Gypsies Box Jewelry  ||  $30 Credit for Keep Collective with Kassie  ||  Adult Coloring Book - This Girl's Doodles

14 comments :

  1. Nice ones! Too bad I cannot enter cos I don't have Target here...

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  2. These look great. Some of them will even work well for my kids, and they're on the younger side.Thank you for sharing.

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  3. Great giveaway! I love learning about new games, too--I feel like I'm always the last to find out about what's trending but have a few families to shop for this year--these suggestions will come in handy :) XOXO

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  4. Settlers of Catan is what I'm getting my BF for Christmas! He wants it so bad, haha.

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  5. We love games and have played a number of these - my husband and brother always get at least one new game every Christmas. Have you played Dixit? It sounds like your family would like it, it's really fun and good for all ages!

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  6. This is Huge! Thanks for the giveaway. Thanks for co-hosting Faith and Fellowship Today.
    Followed you from Susannah's Blog.
    God Bless

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  7. Awesome Games! I'll be looking into these for our family! Thanks!

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  8. A lot of new ones I haven't heard of on here! My daughter isn't quite old enough to understand games yet, but I have a stash of them already set aside for when she does!

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  9. I have honestly never played one of those games! Great suggestions. =) I have a feeling any attempt of card games in our house wouldn't end well... baby destroyer!

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  10. I think the new Phase 10 game would be a hit in our home!! All of these look so fun though. Thanks for introducing me to some new great games for the family!

    Just a side note, most of the Instagram links for the giveaway don't work.

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  11. What a great giveaway. Will certainly bless someone this holiday season!

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  12. I love the idea of buying four gifts in four categories. I think it would make the meaning less on how many gifts we receive.

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  13. Settlers of Catan is a family favorite! I'll have to check out some of the other games you mentioned.

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