Great Christmas Board Games

Some of my favorite times with my family are spent around a game table. It seems like a lost ritual in the American family, but it is alive and well in the Miller household. From Life to Clue to Monopoly, we've owned and played them all. Today I thought I would share a few of our current favorites, and one classic. They are all family friendly, pretty easy to master, and even after a number of times being played, remain fun. And they are infinitely quieter and, in my opinion, more fun than any video game around. First up is Ticket to Ride. We have the Germany edition. The basic premise is that you have to build a network of trains to criss-cross the country. There are a few different editions including the U.S. [Our first exposure to this series. Thanks Chris], Europe, and now Switzerland. A game with three or four people will take about an hour. You can get more info, or buy the game here. Next up is Carcassone. Players use tiles to build cities in the Medieval French city of Carcassone.You get points by controlling land, new cities, roads, and even monasteries. This is an easy game to learn and has a great balance of strategy and luck making it a good game for both young and old. For more info, or to buy, click here. Then there is Acquire. The object of this one is to build hotel chains that are bigger and worth more money than your competitors. If you want to teach the joys of capitalism, including stock ownerships and monopolistic practices, this is a great game, although it is tough to master. There is an element of chance inherent in Acquire, but this is a thinking game. A great game for young teenagers to play with the parents. You can acquire [pun intended] this great game from Funagain Games. Finally, the classic 60's type board game, Payday. You roll dice, go around a track, and do what the board tells you. Because you earn a salary, pay rent, and other bills, this game is also very real life. Now here is a real plus for people with young kids. You can limit the number of trips around the board if you only want to play for little bit before bedtime. Payday is available for under $15.00 at Boardgames.com. With the Christmas holidays upon us, all of these games are great gifts for the family and reasonably priced. Especially so if you consider how many times you will play the games. So now that you are stuffed to the gills with a great meal, and no doubt someone is thinking about shopping tomorrow, why not consider a board game or two. They are great ways to spend time with your kids, have a fantastic time, and not go broke. Believe me you won't be Sorry! Next up, a little post on some great card games.