Drinking games are a surefire way to break the ice during those yearly family reunions. After chugging a few drinks down, inhibitions usually lower and things start to get loose. Make Christmas more cheerful for your family these years by introducing them to some fun drinking games. It can get you closer to your relatives, clear the air of awkwardness, and if they’re drunk enough they’ll probably forget to ask you about your personal life.

Here are 8 drinking games that will make your Christmas family reunion a little bit less awkward.

Players: Three or more
Instructions:
1. Gather your family around the TV and put on A Charlie Brown Christmas.
2. Make sure everyone is holding a drink.
3. Every time Vince Guaraldi Trio’s “Christmastime is Here” plays, everyone takes a chug of their drink.
4. The first person to start crying has to prepare the next batch of drinks.

Players: Five or more works best
Instructions:
1. Somebody starts the game off by naming something Christmas-related that starts with the letter “A”
2. The person next to the first player must repeat what was said and add a Christmas related word that starts with the letter “B”
3. The game goes on and on until somebody takes too long or messes up. That person must chug down his drink.

Needed: A Jenga set
Players: Five or more works best
Instructions:
1. Explain to the rules to the oldies in the game
2. In case you didn’t know, the rules of Jenga are:
a. Pull a piece out of any part of the structure except the first 2 levels and the last 2 levels
b. If the structure collapses, the game is over
5. The person who causes the collapse must chug down a tall glass of beer.

For this one, you”ll need a lot of alcohol.
Players: You could play this by yourself or invite some other relatives to join in.
Instructions:
Take a drink every time
– Someone doesn’t really understand the gift.
– An exchange is clearly unequal.
– Someone suggests keeping the wrapping paper.
– Someone fakes liking a gift.
– Someone asks for a receipt.
– Someone doesn’t bother to hide the fact they hate their gift.

Needed: Liquor, Shot Glasses
Players: 5 or more works best
Instructions:
1. Each person has a filled shot glass lined up in front of them.
2. A person starts to sing the first line of a Christmas jingle
3. The person to his left must continue the next line of the song
4. If a person takes too long, or, you know, fails, than he must take the shot lined up for him.
5. The person after him must continue where the game left off, if he fails, too, than he drinks as well.
6. This continues until someone continues the song.
7. The game is over when everyone is drunk. (This game will require one really competitive family member who will push the rest of you to keep singing, rather than keep drinking.)

Players: 5 or more works best
Instructions:
1. Sit and in a circle and go around in the clockwise direction saying “kris kringle” at a fast pace.
2. Whoever fails must take a chug—you know how it works.
3. At any point of the game, you may turn the circle around to the counter-clockwise direction by saying “Christmas Drinks.”
4. Each player can only say “Christmas Drinks” a total of three times throughout the entire game. Enjoy!

Players: 2 or more
Instructions:
1. If a person joins, he cannot quit (this could be a great way to teach your younger, but legal-age cousins about commitment).
2. Everyone must reveal if he is left- or right-handed
3. If you catch a person drinking with his dominant hand, shout “Buffalo.”
4. If a person is called out and is drinking with his dominant hand, then he must chug down the whole drink at hand.
5. If the person calling “Buffalo” out makes a mistake, then he must chug down his whole drink.
* The original rules of the game state, that once you join, you’re considered part of the game for a lifetime. And, this is a great game to play with game #8.

Players: You could play this by yourself (if you’re that person in your family) or invite some other relatives to join in.
Instructions: Walk around and be normal as you would during your Christmas party, talk to some relatives, and observe your surroundings all while holding a drink in your hand.
Drink when:
– You see someone wearing a Christmas hat or antlers
– Someone asks you about your relationship status
– Someone asks you if you’ve been naughty or nice
– Someone starts crying
– Someone asks how old you are now
– Someone pretends to like a gift
– A child annoys you
– Something breaks
– You see a relative super drunk

There you go. Merry Christmas! We hope you have a fun family reunion. Or, at least a very hazy one. If you have more games or tips, please post them in the comments.