NO CHRISTMAS PARTY would be complete without party games and bringing home potluck dishes. But along with the annual Paskong Bedista that will ultimately have you celebrating the holiday the Bedan way, one of the most anticipated activities during the merriest time of the month are Christmas parties!
As Santa’s helpers, we’ve compiled creative Christmas party games that will add a dash of extra fun to your holiday spirit. These games will ensure that your festivities will be one for the books!
Trip to Mendiola
Can you imagine a Christmas Party without this staple? We couldn’t, so we modified the classic ‘Trip to Jerusalem’ game with a Bedan twist!
The game “Trip to Mendiola” functions as the same game where it originates from, but instead of one player getting eliminated, two players will be ultimately cut from the group of players: one without a chair and one holding a stuffed toy (preferably a lion plushie) that will be simultaneously passed around following the music. The lone survivor will win a prize, but the reward will depend on what your block or class has agreed on.
The Boat is Sing-king!
Since when have you sang your favorite song? Well, if you haven’t unleashed your true Filipino superpower yet, you will when you get to play this game at your party while being challenged to do some heavy lifting.
Similiar to the nostalgic game “Newspaper Dance,” this game is done with Christmas music playing in the background and vast pieces of newspaper lying on the floor. Once everyone is dancing, the host will announce: “The boat is sinking, group yourselves into…” and mention the number of people the group has to form. As the original rules go, the said group number should be able to fit on the paper, while folding the newspaper as the game’s difficulty increases. The twist here is how players are tasked to sing a few lines of the song before the group can step out of the newspaper.
Santa Says
A Christmas-y take on “Simon Says,” this game is a fusion of that classic game and “Truth or Dare.” It focuses on your hearing abilities but, most importantly, breaking the ice and getting you out of your comfort zone to fully embrace the holiday spirit!
Each player shall take turns to assume the role of Santa to give directions. Once “Santa” tells them to do something, the remaining players will act fast to follow the instructions. But if one player fails to do what Santa says, they’re out! As an added consequence, you are required to answer truthfully or do a dare. Who knows? You might discover that you are at the top of your blockmate’s Christmas Wishlist *wink wink*.
A Bedan’s Mystery Hunt
Ready to solve riddles and explore the sumptuous areas of San Beda? We made this game to challenge you mentally and physically! It is a great way to explore the campus, challenge your riddle-solving skills, and get that cardio up before noche buena this Christmas!
The game will be played using riddles as hints on which parts of the San Beda campus the players should go to. The first riddle will be given to the players, and once they manage to solve the given hint, they will find another hidden clue and move on to the next place. The first group that deciphers all the given clues wins!
Rudolph’s Tail
How long is Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer’s tail? Some say it’s short, some say it’s long, and some say that Rudolph didn’t even have a tail! But in this game, we can identify how long the tail is.
The game is played depending on how many players want to join. Usually, this game is played by a group of two. It is played by taking all your belongings, such as pens, socks, paper, and other things, down to your last penny to make a line that should be longer than the other group. The items you put on the line should be Christmas-colored, meaning they must have a dash of red, green, or yellow. Note that the host can make it harder by including a time limit. The group with the longest “tail” wins!
WRAP it up!
Everybody deserves a well-deserved gift after all the hard work these past few months, right? And as the old saying goes, “You get to appreciate things more when you work hard for it.” This last game is a good illustration of the quoted line.
Participants are each given a mystery box with a gift inside. The person who can wrap the box the fastest will be the person allowed to open and claim the myserty gift. This game is the jolly time to show your black belt in gift wrapping.
With every old and new game added to our next Christmas Party, never forget that each game will not be a cheer if you are in a “grinchy” mood. May your presence be the present that everyone deserves, and may your holiday spirit rub off on every person you meet. Go “sleigh” and be at your best holiday cheer!
(with Lawrence Rosales and Prince Piolo Tagarino)
Artwork by: Jannine Salinas