Games People Play at the Dinner Table

With the holidays right around the corner, many people are already making lists of Christmas gifts and getting out the decorations, all while menu planning; or, just like every other “normal” person, not really thinking of this until the very last minute. The hardest part of the holidays is when everyone sits around the dinner table staring at each other, an empty plate in front of them, and a full belly. This is the time when you, as the hostess, have to come up with lively conversation so it doesn’t turn into politics or how Aunt Ethel is spending all of Grandma’s money before she passes away. This is where dinner games come in handy. They keep the kids at the table and not out the door to the local bar AND they keep the conversation from turning into a Hatfield/McCoy type war.
The Under the Plate Game – The hostess writes a phrase under the plate of each guest – something a little obscure, but usable in a conversation, like, “Well, butter my biscuits, I’ve had that happen to me.” The guest does not tell anyone else at the table his phrase, but attempts to use that phrase sometime during the meal. The last person to use his assigned phrase loses.
Who Am I – The group picks one person at the table to leave the room. While that person is gone, the remaining people at the table switch identities, with each member becoming someone else at the table. When the “guesser” comes back to the table, she must then guess who each person is by the way they act at the table. If there is wine involved, the “act” could get quite interesting, as some aunts and uncles get out their frustrations at each other.
The Cliché Game – This is a fun game where everyone at the table must name a cliché. “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush” can start, and then it goes to the next person, who must think up another cliché. Play runs around the table until someone cannot come up with a cliché. Funny arguments erupt over the validity of clichés and whether or not the dinner guest got the statement right.
Guess my Line – This is a fun game for movie buffs and book buffs. Like the Cliché Game, play goes around the table with each member stating a line from a movie, like “Nobody messes with baby,” or a book, like “I will not eat it in a boat.” The rest of the table then has to guess the name of the movie or book. Some can turn this into a drinking game with the person that guesses the line correctly pointing out who then gets to take a drink of their egg nog.
Confession – Have each person at the table write two things about themselves that everyone else at the table doesn’t know and place all slips of paper in a bowl. Take out a slip and read the phrase written, such as “I have a coconut bra in my drawer,” and guess who wrote the note! People learn hilarious and interesting things about the relatives at the dinner table.
Never Have I Ever – Prior to the party, create a list of 20 “never have I ever” cards. Make them fun and interesting like, “never have I ever got a speeding ticket” or “never have I ever made out in a movie theatre.” Each guest will then take a card from the pile and read the phrase out loud. If they haven’t ever gotten a speeding ticket, they then take a drink from their drink. Watch others at the table and if you spy someone else taking a drink, probe them a little bit more about their “story.” You’ll be amazed at the stories and the arguments coming from guests at others “never have I ever.”
You can sit around the holiday table feeling fat, waiting for the conversation to turn religious or political, neither of which will create fond memories of the holidays at your home, or you can turn to some fun games that not only keep your guests engaged, but keep the conversation going in the right direction!