One player. A whole living room of advice.
A Christmas game for the family, played on the living room TV
After dinner, with the wrapping paper still on the floor, put a game show on the TV. One player picks a mystery box and opens the rest round by round, while the Banker phones in with offers and the whole family takes sides. Inside the boxes: real presents, IOUs, treats and a lump of coal or two. Whatever is in the last box the player holds, they keep.
Make the family game · $4.99TV, laptop, tablet or phone · $4.99 once · unlimited replays
Putting it on the big screen
The game runs in a web browser, so any screen that can show a browser can host it. The simplest setup is a laptop with an HDMI cable into the TV. No laptop? Mirror an iPhone or iPad with AirPlay to an Apple TV or a compatible TV, or cast an Android phone with Chromecast or your TV's own screen mirroring. Turn the volume up: the ringing phone and the music are half the atmosphere.
Hand the player the device and let them tap, or let them point at the TV and do the tapping for them. Everyone else gets the most important job of the evening, which is giving terrible advice. Expect a lot of "NO GIFT!" shouted at the screen by people who have nothing to lose.
Setting up the family game
Whoever plays Santa does the setup, ideally once the kids are in bed. Pick the number of boxes, choose a few vibes (cozy, foodie, outdoorsy, for kids) and the game fills every box and the Banker's three offers for you. Then go through them: keep what you can give, rewrite anything that doesn't fit your family, and type in the real presents or a clue to where they're hidden. Pay once, and the link lands in your inbox. Add a PIN if the kids are known to borrow your phone.
Playing with kids
- Choose 10 boxes for little ones. It's still four rounds and three Banker calls, just quicker.
- Read the boxes out loud. Non-readers love the colors: each tier has its own, so they know a Grand when they see one.
- Make the coal funny. A rock with googly eyes or a photo of a pony gets a bigger laugh than a disappointment.
- Put something real in every box. Kids take the result seriously. Small IOUs like a stay-up-late pass make every box worth having.
- One game each stops arguments. A sibling can be the Banker's biggest fan while they wait their turn.
Ideas for a family game night
Kid-friendly boxes from the game's catalog, from Coal to Grand.
- A rock with googly eyes His name is Gary. Be nice to Gary · Coal
- A photo of a pony The pony itself was not available · Coal
- A snowball (melted) It was perfect when it went in the box · Coal
- Stay-up-late pass Thirty extra minutes past bedtime · Treat
- Living room sleepover Blanket fort, flashlights and a movie · Treat
- Cookie decorating night Sprinkles everywhere. Worth it · Treat
- A small Lego set The building is half the gift · Treat
- Video game hour One full hour, no "just one more" fights · Treat
- Zoo or aquarium day Tickets for the whole family · Great
- The big Lego set A thousand pieces and a whole weekend · Great
- Theme park trip Rides, churros and a family photo · Grand
- The game console Plugged in, controllers charged · Grand
Four rounds, on the living room TV
- 01Pick
They choose one mystery box and keep it shut.
- 02Open
Round by round, they open the other boxes. Every gift revealed is one they can no longer win.
- 03Resist
The Banker calls three times with an offer you wrote. GIFT, or NO GIFT?
- 04Reveal
Keep or swap, then the last box opens. That gift is theirs.
Grown-ups can play too
It isn't only for children. Make one for Grandma with a framed photo book, a lunch out and a day of help in the garden. Make one for your brother with a gag gift in every Coal box. Make one for your partner and let the kids play the part of the cheering audience. Every game sends its result to the person who made it, so you can play several in a row and know who won what.
Other Christmas games for the family
Group games for the rest of the holidays. Most need paper, a timer and a willing crowd.
- Christmas charades: act out holiday movies and songs without a word.
- Christmas Pictionary: draw reindeer, chimneys and the Grinch against the clock.
- Hunt the pickle: hide a pickle ornament in the tree; whoever spots it first gets a small prize.
- Minute to Win It: one-minute challenges like stacking cups or moving candy with a straw.
- Holiday movie trivia: questions about the films the family watches every year.
- Snowball toss: balled-up socks thrown into buckets for points.
Filling the boxes? Spin the gift idea generator and filter by "For kids".
Other ways to use it
For a game made for one special person on Christmas morning, see the Christmas gift game. If you're building up to one big surprise, the gift reveal game explains how. And next time someone in the family has a birthday, there's the birthday gift game.
Questions, answered
What is a good Christmas game for the whole family?
One that a single person plays and everyone else can shout at. In Gift or No Gift one player picks a mystery box and opens the rest on the TV, while the room argues over every offer from the Banker and every KEEP or SWAP. Grandparents and toddlers can follow it without learning any rules.
How do we play it on the TV?
Plug a laptop into the TV with an HDMI cable and open the link, or mirror a phone or tablet with AirPlay, Chromecast or your TV's screen mirroring. The game fills the screen in landscape, with sound.
Can several kids play?
Each game has one player at a time. You can make one game per child, each with their own boxes and their own big present, or let them take turns on the same game: replays are unlimited and reshuffled, but the gifts inside stay the same.
What age is it for?
Kids who can tap a screen can play, with a grown-up reading the boxes out loud for the little ones. Pick 10 boxes for a shorter game. Grown-up ideas are never suggested unless you choose them.
How much is it?
$4.99 per game, paid once. No subscription, no app, no account for the players. We fill the boxes from 192 ideas and you change whatever you want before paying.
Can relatives who are far away watch?
Yes. Play it on a video call with the screen shared, or send the link to a grandparent so they can play their own game at home and call you during the Banker's offers.
Tonight's game show, starring your family
Fill the boxes, plug in the TV and let the shouting begin.
Make the family game$4.99, once · no subscription · unlimited replays