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Something to do at a party with 15-25 yos?


PeterPan
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The whole dynamic of our Christmas has changed from little kids to GROWN kids, and I'm looking for something we could do at a family Christmas party that would keep some pizzazz going now that we're not doing gifts. As I'm typing this, I realized games might be cool! I was assuming some kind of craft project? Ok, I'm so caught in a time warp, lol. 

So it's a big family get together and all the kids are now in that 15-25 range with probably 20 of them (including spouses, dates, sig others) and genders about half and half. If the guys don't want to do it, that's their problem. They usually sit around and talk hunting anyway, lol. What would the girls (10-12 of them) like to do? It can cost maybe $10-15 each if it needs to. They have a lot of spirit, so in the summers they've done matching t-shirts. Could we somehow decorate sweatshirts? Mugs? Nobody needs mugs, mercy. Make ornaments? Something totally different I'm not thinking of?

Any ideas? 

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Minute to Win It Games -- there are a bunch of them online.  We did them last year with everything from adults to little kids.  We divided into two teams, and anyone who didn't feel like playing or cheering their team on was welcome to sit out.  

The game that was the surprising hit was "Cotton Balls".  divide into two teams; each person has one straw, and each team had a small bowl of cotton balls.  Each person had to suction up a cotton ball on the end of their straw and walk  run it to the end of  long dining table, dropping it into a second, empty bowl.  We had done about four games prior to this one, and took one look at the bowls full of cotton balls, and decided to count out twenty cotton balls per team (about two balls per person, so everyone had two turns) and call it good!  The first team to move all their cotton balls won. The older folks had a harder time with it because it requires sucking in air while moving, so the kiddies excelled at the game, evening the odds a bit.  :-) 

Edited by Halftime Hope
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18 minutes ago, prairiewindmomma said:

Minute to Win It games

Ok, that's something I totally had not thought of!!

15 minutes ago, Lecka said:

I like to get out a puzzle.  

Ooo you're right, I've had one out the last couple years and it lures them in! I could put out a new one. Actually, I think my error there, hmm, was making the table too small. If I put it out on a bigger table, more people could work on it, duh. It's usually just me, so I do puzzles on a smaller able. That's really smart!

17 minutes ago, alisoncooks said:

Build a gingerbread house from a kit. 

Play that Saran Wrap-oven mitt game. 

Ooo, like!! I'm seeing knives coming out for that saran wrap, lol. 

 

24 minutes ago, regentrude said:

The young women I know would simply want to talk. I've never been to a party where there wasn't plenty of animated conversation and where planed "activities" would have intruded on that.

Very true! 

12 minutes ago, Halftime Hope said:

The game that was the surprising hit was "Cotton Balls". 

Fun!

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I remember a big Christmas party we had one year. I had set out stuff so kids could make easy ornaments - card stock cutouts, glitter, various other things.  When the kids abandoned that to go play (which did not take long), most of the teens and adults wandered over there. It was really fun to see the dads, in particular, messing around with glue sticks and glitter!  It was just a fun ice-breaker. Mostly people ate, drank, and talked.  

As a very shy introvert, I don't like to play games much.  But I am happy to watch other people play, as long as I am not pressured to play.  I was like that even as a younger person, so it's not just 'cause I'm old now. :-)

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21 minutes ago, marbel said:

As a very shy introvert, I don't like to play games much.  But I am happy to watch other people play, as long as I am not pressured to play. 

Good point!

22 minutes ago, marbel said:

I had set out stuff so kids could make easy ornaments

I'm gonna have to ply my mind with this, might be fun. 

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I’d go with putting out simple charade/word guessing type games and ornament making things, but not pressuring everyone to play/decorate.  I agree with regentrude that sometimes those things just take away from what I want to do, which is talk to everyone.  But some people would rather be doing something with their hands while they talk, or would rather play as a way to interact, so I’d prepare for both types of people.

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I second the "Make an easy ornament" idea.   We live overseas so when we head stateside for the holidays (about every 2-3 years), we are in a rented home, so with few things of our own.  Two years ago I went to Michael's and picked up (on sale!  70%off the week before Christmas!) foam ornament kits--a whole bunch for little $$.  We didn't need to provide anything additional except scissors.  Choices for everyone, easy enough to work on while chatting, very cute to hang up and decorate our rented spaces, cheap enough that no one felt obligated to hold on to it if they didn't want to.  It turned out to be a big success! 🙂

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Pictionary, but with a large easel and dry erase board.  Two big teams.  You can also have the teams make up what the other team has to draw and have it themed by rounds.  So, each team might come up with three Christmas Carols, three types of breakfast foods, three countries, etc.  

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I was thinking a cookie decorating station that can be visited as desired.

Pictionary as described by Hoggirl

Catchphrase, if you have it.  We don't play in teams or keep score.  We just pass it around and everyone plays together.

Play outside.  If there's snow, build a snowman, or build a living room out of snow.  If it's dry, play some sort of a tossing game and other yard games.  Then, come in for some hot chocolate or hot apple cider.

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58 minutes ago, Hoggirl said:

Pictionary, but with a large easel and dry erase board.  Two big teams.  You can also have the teams make up what the other team has to draw and have it themed by rounds.  So, each team might come up with three Christmas Carols, three types of breakfast foods, three countries, etc.  

Oh that's hilarious. A big easel with paper or a whiteboard in the living room would definitely draw people, lol.

15 minutes ago, Suzanne in ABQ said:

Play outside.

Ooo there's an idea!

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