My family is all grown up. I’m the youngest out of my immediate family, so we have long tossed aside many of the younger games we enjoyed when I was a kid. Thank goodness for the recent boom in adult-targeted board games that put Hungry Hungry Hippos to shame, and I’m not talking about all the raunchy ones like Card Against Humanity either, just good ole mature fun. If your family is like mine, here are some entertainment ideas that your adult family can enjoy together this holiday season!
Now, not all of these suggestions are full of sexual innuendos or as crude as Cards Against Humanity (but sometimes my family takes a perfectly innocent game and fills it with a ton of drawings and jokes about male genitalia that would make any grandparent blush, it’s just how we do). Some of these would be great to play/watch with teenagers, other’s…not so much. These are recommendations that are easy to pick up (no complicated rules, tons of set-up, or multiple dice), sure to be fun, and some for when the evening is winding down.
Scrawl
This is like adult Pictionary meets telephone. The premise is that each person starts with a card giving them something to draw, once everyone has finished their drawing, all boards are rotated clockwise. The next round you are given a drawing from someone next to you. You will look at it and determine what it might be and write that down. You then pass your guess to the person next to you and they will then draw it from only what you wrote. This repeats until the boards make it back to the original artist. Then you laugh and have fun revealing the ridiculous drawings and how the drawing devolved from the original intent. There are some cards that are a little raunchy and some are idioms, I would recommend this to 16+ (only if your 16-year-old is pretty mature).
This game is great because it’s sure to get a good laugh from everyone involved and sometimes being a horrible artist makes the game that much more fun. I have played this game with several groups of friends and family members, and it is always an instant hit.
Where to Buy: You can get this on Amazon here, but it is also available at Target (and maybe other places too)!
Knowledge is Power
This is a game my family recently stumbled upon. It is more for preteens and up as it’s 100% family friendly. You will need a phone for each participating contestant (there may be some sharing that you can do if not everyone has their own phone, but I’m not sure).
The game starts with each participant picking out goofy characters to play as and taking a selfie that has a Snapchat-esque filter. You vote for categories at the beginning of each round and the one with the most votes is the category the question will come from (and then subsequent categories will be suggested based on the first pick so you won’t have to play with categories that don’t interest the family). You can then choose to sabotage other players to set them back before going into the question. You then answer the question and points are awarded based on who answers the fastest (quickest answer-er is given the most points). The game repeats this way with some added mini-games tossed in and a giant finale where even the player in dead last can rise to the top and take the gold. It’s a really fun game with whacky characters and is structured in a way that even the sore loser of the group will have fun slinging sabotages and possibly making up for it in the finale.
Available On: Playstation 4
Eight Crazy Nights
This is a hilarious animated Adam Sandler movie. Now I’m sure that just made you double take, but I promise it is a lot better than it sounds. Basically, the story follows Davie (voiced by Adam Sandler), a lost and broken man that could care less about the holiday season and ends up getting himself into some legal trouble which causes him to reconnect with old friends and weird acquaintances. It’s a bit crude, but nothing substantial, oh, it’s also full of songs… I know it sounds weird but it is hilarious, holiday-themed, and features the old Adam Sandler we all use to know and love, so give it a chance!
Available On: Free with Hulu Live TV Subscription, or for rent on most streaming services (like YouTube, iTunes, Prime Video, etc.).
Nailed It! Holiday!
Now, if you have seen the original Nailed It! seasons I’m sure you’ve already clicked away from this post and are frantically trying to find this season because Nailed It! is just that good. This holiday-themed season comes to Netflix on December 7th, 2018, making it a binge-worthy show to put on when the holidays are winding down (great alternative to a movie).
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, here is a pretty lackluster explanation because how could I possibly describe the silliness of it? This hilarious baking show puts three novice (downright horrible) bakers to the test to make different cakes and pastries. They are notoriously horrible and the judge commentary will have you cry laughing in no time. It is a great watch and you can start anywhere in the seasons (no crossover in episodes).
Still interested in more holiday baking shows? The Great British Baking Show has a holiday edition that just came out too!
Available On: Netflix
Overcooked
Now this game can be frustrating, but it is great to play in a group of four or to put on and switch teams every round. Basically, you are working together in a team to cook dishes and get them out, sounds simple, right? Yeah, no. The game forces you to only complete small steps out of the whole dish and work together. It even changes the layout of the kitchen on you suddenly to where you are forced to switch tasks. You are sure to burn something, setting the whole kitchen on fire. You will yell orders at each other and feel frantic, but thank goodness each round only lasts about 5 minutes! Great game for a large group and not a huge time commitment (could turn it off anytime).
Available On: Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One
5 Second Rule & 5 Second Rule Uncensored
This is another super simple board game to pick up and comes in two editions. The standard edition has rather tame questions that are completely family friendly and the other edition is… vulgar and for adults! Both are played the same way.
Essentially you grab a card, flip a timer, and ask a person to name 3… somethings. For example, name 3 brands of toothpaste. Sounds easy, but the pressure of five seconds really stumps some people and to spit out that many words in 5 seconds seems impossible. It is a simple but fun game that anyone can play!
I couldn’t find a trailer or gameplay to show off 5 Second Rule, so here’s Ellen playing it with Demi Lovato.
Where to Buy: You can purchase 5 Second Rule here and 5 Second Rule Uncensored here. They are also available at Target (and maybe more)!
I hope you enjoyed this, and let me know what your go-to entertainment is for when the family is over in the comments below!
For other holiday entertainment recommendations check out these posts:
Thank you so much for reading and I hope you enjoy the holidays!
Kitten Around the Kitchen 
Scrawl’s description reminds me of Telestrations, which I love!
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Oh yeah! Not far off, a bit different but similar for sure! 🙂
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