Analogue Fun this Christmas

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Everyone deserves superfast broadband, especially at Christmas. But that’s no reason to forget what the festive period is really about: getting together with the people you love. So, with that in mind, we’re suggesting some Christmas fun that doesn’t revolve around your router. Some involve presents, all involve Christmas presence. Read on for our easy-to-follow instructions.

Gift Wrap-Up
Great for Christmas Eve if you’ve still got a mountain of the kids’ presents to wrap. Get all the grown-ups together and divide them into pairs. Stand each pair in front of a present that needs wrapping, and get everyone to put one of their hands behind their back (you can tie them if you know your friends and family are a bunch of cheaters). Using only one hand each, the teams all race to wrap their present the quickest. Add a ribbon for an added challenge. Go go go!

Knotted
The more people for this one the better. Get everyone to stand together in a circle, and ask each person to hold the hands of two people not standing next to them. Sooner or later, you’ll all be in a huge human knot. The game is then to untangle yourselves without letting go of someone’s hand. It’s like reverse Twister, but with more handholding. Christmassy.

Sardines
One person runs off to hide while the rest of the group counts to 100. Then, everyone races to find whoever’s hiding, but, once they find them, they have to hide with them. Whatever space you’re hiding in becomes more and more crowded until you’re packed in like – you guessed it – commuters sardines. The last person to find the hiding group loses, and then it’s their turn to hide.

Bad Santa
Here’s a game you can play with your family and friends that leaves everyone with a present – just not necessarily a good one.
Agree a budget in advance (£5-£10 is about right). Everyone buys a present and wraps it. Put the presents into a bag, ‘Bad Santa’s Sack of Bad’, and in a separate bag put a numbered slip of paper for each present.
Everyone takes a number. Number 1 picks a present from Bad Santa’s Sack of Bad and unwraps it. Then number 2 takes a present or steals number 1’s present. If they steal, number 1 gets to pick again. After their turn, person number 3 goes, selecting an unopened present or stealing. Each time a gift is taken from someone they may select again. Some presents may be popular and get stolen repeatedly. However, at the fourth owner, it’s ‘frozen’ and can no longer be taken. This continues until everyone has a present. By the magic of Bad Santa, the present that person number 1 ends up with is officially the worst, and you can all mock – or commiserate, depending on the group dynamic.

Christmas Presence: The Game
Find out who’s the most attentive in your household with this festive game of enforced togetherness. Switch off your Plusnet router at the plug and wait for your loved ones to gather in confusion. Who’s going to notice the loss of their superfast fibre broadband first? Will it be Gran, in the middle of Season 2 of The Crown? Will it be Auntie Mabel, suddenly struggling to post photos of her dinner? Will it be little Bobby, suddenly losing connection on Xbox Live?

What Fun.

Let us know what family games you’ve got in store for this festive season and if you’ll be trying out any of the above.