I finally got round to learning Christmas Lights ready to teach it to you at my December events if you fancy trying it. It’s a card game in a small box – the theme is very relatable. We have got the Christmas lights out and we need to get them untangled and replace any broken bulbs.
It’s one of those games that seems tricky at first glance but is actually pretty straightforward. Once you’ve played a round or two you’ll have it.
You play with your cards facing away from you, so your first challenge is to work out what cards you have – you can do that by swapping cards or giving cards away in exchange for clues. Ask wise questions to get the best info! I am still very much a work in progress on this one – often I feel like I’ve basically asked ‘Do I have cards?’ and you definitely need cleverer questions than that.
Then you just play your cards in the order shown on your lights card. (The first person to complete two of these wins!)
You also have broken bulbs which can serve as place holders until you get the right colour bulb and wild cards.
Playing wild cards prompts events which definitely add to the game. Not me forcing my son to play then laughing like a drain when he had to discard his whole hand!
Wilds and broken bulbs count in case of a tie.
Everyone gets a character card which serves to indicate the starting player. These are a bit poor to be honest as they don’t seem to serve any other function and even the heading on them doesn’t add any flavour text. It feels like a missed opportunity.
However, it comes with a booklet full of additional games and some extra cards for these bonus games. So, possibly characters may come into play in other game modes.
At two players we did more swapping cards than trading information but it was still a fun and nicely Christmas themed game.
I’d love to try it with more players as I think it would be even more fun. Definitely planning to get the whole family playing it over Christmas.
I got my copy for £10.49 from Chaos Cards
Plays 2-6
Age 6+
