Get Your Game On This Holiday Season! 
Author: Emily Bradshaw
December 23, 2020

There’s no question that this year the holidays will look and feel much different than what we’re used to. With gatherings restricted for most Canadians, celebrations will be smaller and more intimate. 
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Whether for a solo celebration or with close family, we’ve got some great game options to keep your holidays merry and bright. 

Party of One 

If you will be playing solo this holiday season, check out these great games for one that are sure to bring a little festive into the mix. 

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Unlock! 
Ages 10+ / Players: 1 – 6 / ​Play time: 60 minutes 

Unlock! is a cooperative card game inspired by escape rooms that uses a simple system which allows you to search scenes, combine objects, and solve riddles. Play Unlock! to embark on great adventures, while seated at a table using only cards and a companion app that can provide clues, check codes, monitor time remaining, etc. 

Multiple scenarios available, including Unlock! Star Wars! 

Games for Two 

Whether for you and your partner, a close friend or a child, we’ve got some great games for two that will make every day feel like a celebration! ​

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Tea for 2  
Ages 10+ / Players: 2 / ​Play time: 30 minutes ​

A boiling hot card game for your tea party in Wonderland! A subtle blend of battle and deck building. Use your cards wisely, buy them sensibly, and enrich your deck to win! Defy time with your hourglasses, feast on strawberry pies, and keep the flamingo by your side. And a happy unbirthday to you! 

Ice Team  
Ages 8+ / Players: 2 / ​Play time: 20 minutes ​

At the head of your Bear team, take part in a frantic race and try to bring back the largest number of fish on arrival. Warning: on this fragile, slippy ice floe, all shots are allowed! 

Jaipur
Ages 12+ / Players: 2 / ​Play time: 30 minutes ​

You are one of the two most powerful traders in the city of Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan, but that’s not enough for you because only the merchant with two “seals of excellence” will have the privilege of being invited to the Maharaja’s court. You are therefore going to have to do better than your direct competitor by buying, exchanging, and selling at better prices, all while keeping an eye on both your camel herds. 

Klask
Ages 8+ / Players: 2 / ​Play time: 10 minutes ​

Forget table football and table hockey and make way for Klask: the new trendy game combining skill, tactics and speed! The game board is shaped like a ball field with two holes functioning as goals in each end of the field. Your gaming piece is a black magnet. Shoot the ball past the obstacles and your opponent and into the goal hole: Klask! 

Family Games 

Here are our top family games to keep them entertained during those relaxed and cozy winter days and nights. 

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Catan  
Ages 10+ / Players: 3 – 4 / ​Play time: 45 – 90 minutes ​

Picture yourself in the era of discoveries: after a long voyage of great deprivation, your ships have finally reached the coast of an uncharted island. Its name shall be CATAN! But you are not the only discoverer. Other fearless seafarers have also landed on the shores of CATAN: the race to settle the island has begun! 

Azul  
Ages 8+ / Players: 2 – 4 / ​Play time: 30 – 45 minutes ​

In the game Azul, players take turns drafting colored tiles from suppliers to their player board. Later in the round, players score points based on how they’ve placed their tiles to decorate the palace. Extra points are scored for specific patterns and completing sets; wasted supplies harm the player’s score. The player with the most points at the end of the game wins. 

Carcassonne
Ages 7+ / Players: 2 – 5 / ​Play time: 45 minutes ​

Carcassonne is the perfect introduction to the modern world of board games. With its simple rules (place a tile, place a meeple, score points), beautifully illustrated tiles, and iconic components, this modern classic should be part of everyone’s collection.

Dixit
Ages 8+ / Players: 3 – 6 / ​Play time: 30 minutes ​

Each round, one player selects a card from his or her hand, thinks up a sentence, and plays the card facedown, telling the others the sentence conjured by the card. The other players all choose cards that they think match that sentence and play them facedown. The cards are shuffled and then revealed. Players secretly vote for the card that best matches the narrator’s story, and player whose cards are chosen score a number of points. 

Spot It!
Ages 6+ / Players: 2 – 8 / ​Play time: 15 minutes ​

Test your observational skills and hone your reflexes with the award-winning gameplay of Spot It! Classic, a game of lightning-fast choices for a group of two to eight players. With dozens of awards and possible versions married to elegant gameplay, Spot It! has become a global phenomenon. 

Holiday Video Party 

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And while we may not be able to come together physically, there’s always the option to celebrate with loved ones via videoconferencing. With Connect & Play, it’s possible to enjoy a selection of our most popular titles with family and friends far and wide. 

In whatever way you will be spending the 2020 holiday season, from our family to yours we wish you health, happiness, peace, love and lots and lots of game time!