Ever played the old game of “Hot Potato”? Well, here’s a new twist on the game that you could use for a little fun at your Christmas gathering. I call it “It’s More Blessed to Give Than to Receive.” Wrap a small gift that anyone could enjoy—maybe some candy or fancy hot cocoa, if you have no diabetics in the group. Or you could use a wrapped gift card. It just needs to be something that’s not breakable or heavy. If you want to make it difficult to pass along, just for fun, you could wrap something like a throw that isn’t rolled up and isn’t in a box.

​When you’re ready to play the game, have everyone get in a circle. Then start up some Christmas music. Whenever the music starts, the person holding the mystery gift must pass it to the right. When you hit the “pause” button, whoever is left holding the gift is out. (If two people are holding onto it when the music stops, just start up the music again. Neither person will be out.) The last person left gets to keep the gift. Keep the players guessing by sometimes letting the music go on for a while and other times a shorter time.
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You don’t want to play this game to serious music, such as “O Holy Night” and “Silent Night.” Use some light-hearted music, such as “Deck the Halls” and “Winter Wonderland.” If you don’t have suitable Christmas music, below is a youtube video you could use.

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