Whenever we get to this time of year, I am asked time and time again about games as presents for friends and family. Many folks want to find a game that will get their family playing again and that isn’t too complex. I have made a short list of great family games Games and Stuff stocks that should get your friends and family involved in your hobby.

Apples to Apples – This card game, suitable for groups of four to ten, is a fun, fast paced game that tries to determine how well you know the others that are playing. The game consists of two stacks of apple cards, green and red. Green Apple cards are adjectives, words like Amazing, Horrific, or Funny. Red Apple cards are nouns, words like Unicorns, Volcanoes, or a Sword. Each player is given a hand of Red Apple cards. At the start of the game, the first player will pull a Green Apple card, read the word aloud then place the card on the table. The other players must then find one card in their hand of Red Apple cards they think is best described by the word announced by the first player. They lay that card face down on the table. The first player then mixes up the face down cards, turns them over then chooses which card they believe is the one that best matches the Green Apple card. Whoever dropped the card the first player has chosen as a match wins that round of the game.

As you can see, this matching and though- provoking game will appeal to just about everyone. The game comes in several different varieties, including a kid’s version and a junior version, besides the party box. This is a must-have for any gamer who enjoys the occasional relaxed gathering and wants to play without stressing out ‘non-gamers’.

Dixit – Yet another in a line of social card games, Dixit really raises the bar for the others with its use of absolutely stunning art, great rules and beautiful playing pieces. Each player is given a hand of cards, all of which look like original works of art. The first player will choose a card from their hand and lay it face down on the table while saying a sentence, word or just making a noise. Then the others place a card from their hand face down on the table that they feel matches the phrase, word or noise the first player said. The cards are mixed up and then turned over. All of the players but the first then vote on which card they feel best matches what the first player said. Points are handed out through a unique ruling that I will not give away here, and then it is the next player’s turn to be the ‘storyteller’ of the round.  Play continues until the deck of cards is used up and the player with the most points wins.

This game uses pretty little wooden bunnies skipping along a paved, stone track to keep track of points, and the artwork on the cards is phenomenal. If your friends think Apples to Apples is too literal or your family likes other social, matching games like Apples to Apples, then this game is definitely for them.

Settlers of Catan – The most popular of all of the current hobby games, Settlers of Catan takes place on a mythical island as the players become explorers and tradesmen who populate this unknown land. Players vie to build settlements, roads and cities through the use of various resources they get from the island, including grain, wool, ore and bricks. The players try to cut off other players’ resources and land while expanding their own roads and resources. The player with the most points (gained from his or her tribe’s development) at the end of the game wins.

There is a reason this is the most popular hobby game in the world. It is well-designed, looks beautiful, and is fairly easy to teach other players. If you are looking for a game to get a new person to enter the gaming hobby, or a family member who wants to know about your passion, then this is the game to get.

Small World – New to the hobby game shelf, but one I think is destined to become a top seller and very popular is ‘Small World’. In this game of map conquest and resource management strategy, you do not become the head of a particular race, instead you chart out the destinies of several races as they blossom, conquer and then die out. The players vie for territory on a lovely map with races that each are given a special trait. So for example, you do not just play dwarves, you may get fire-breathing dwarves or dragon-riding dwarves (the traits are separate from the races, and each race is given a trait randomly as it comes onto the table). Players vie for races and use them to take over sections of the map. The more sections you have, the more gold you make. The person with the most gold at the end of the game is the winner.

This is another game that is so fun and simple even your usual ‘non-gamers’ can get wrapped up in it. Its fantasy feel with subtle strategy makes it a game worth giving to just about anyone. Look to hand this present off to new or veteran gamers as well as friends or family who want to know more about your hobby.

Smash or Trash – Another newbie to the social party game list, ‘Smash or Trash’ is a fun and funny game allowing you to become Weird Al Yankovic while groovin’ to some of your favorite tunes. Players each take a ‘Songs’ card and finds a song from the card they know and like. Songs on each card are from the 70’s through today and if you can’t find a song you like on the first card, you may draw again until you find a song you like. After all the players have a song, each player then draws a subject card. You must now change the song you have chosen to be about the subject you have chosen. You have a set amount of time to write a verse or two and get ready to perform it. In a demo game of this, I took the song “Who could it be now?” and was given the subject of ‘straw wrappers’:

“What can it be lying on the floor,
Pick it up, don’t want it there no more.
While its there I can’t sleep at night,
Sweep it up and I will be alright."

“Straw Wrapper oh no. Straw Wrappers gotta go. Straw Wrappers ohhh…”

Play continues with each of the players performing their song (it can be simply spoken by those who are not vocally inclined to sing). Voting is done by the group on the best for points and play continues for a certain number of rounds depending on how many players there are. The player with the most points at the end of the game is the winner. There are several rules variants for those who want to play but do not sing, including the ability to only judge like Simon Cowell.

Definitely not a game for most hard core gamers, this is a game a lot of families or groups of friends can have a lot of fun with between other games. I would recommend this to be a present for a family who is very outgoing or a friend who likes to have games for social gatherings.

Now, these are only five of the many games we offer for the holiday season. Other great family or group games include ‘Ticket to Ride’, a great, build-a-railroad game that kids from 9 to 90 can play. ‘Unspeakable Words’ offers a great spelling game mixed with Cthulhu-esque humor that is still great for kids. ‘Wits & Wagers’ is a trivia game that mixes great trivia questions with gambling that is another family hit. These, and many more, can be found even if you are not near us. Give us a call or email and we would be happy to assist you in finding a great game to give away this season. Also, before I end this, let me remind you to find a “Toys for Tots” or “Christmas Angel” tree this season and make some unfortunate child’s holiday a little brighter this year with a new toy. There are going to be a lot of folks who do without this season, and anything you can do to help the kids is a bonus not only to them but yourself as well. Have a great holiday.

Matthew Boles is the store manager of Games and Stuff. He dances wildly around the shop when he thinks noone's looking.