10 Holiday Activities That Will Keep Everyone In The Family Entertained

Cookies and crafts! Happy holidays from New York Life Insurance Company.

1. Get crackers with games inside!

PIMLOTTco / Via etsy.com

These adorable ones include bingo boards and come with bingo call-outs too. Have the oldest and youngest relatives call the numbers together!

2. Add a page to a holiday scrapbook.

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This is a great annual tradition -- you get to watch everyone grow up over the years, AND it builds a priceless keepsake.

3. Hold a generational sweater swap!

Slongood, (CC BY 2.0) / Via Flickr: dhslibrary

Conduct a seasonal hand-me-down-a-thon where uncles, aunts, cousins, grandparents, and grandchildren all pass down their tackiest holiday sweaters. Wear the sweater you get next year, but be prepared to swap again!

4. Work on dessert together.

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The adults can work together to bake delicious brownies, and the kids can be in charge of decorating! Everyone gets to eat the yummy creations though!

5. Try a pen-and-paper game while waiting for dinner.

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Have one person write a sentence and the next illustrate beneath it.

Then, fold the paper so the original sentence is hidden, and have someone describe the picture in a sentence below it.

Fold again so the first drawing is hidden, and have another person illustrate the sentence shown.

For a generational twist, instead of having them write sentences, show the pictures to the youngest family members and have them describe what they think is happening to an older participant, who will draw down what they're hearing! It will get silly -- and fun! -- in no time.

6. Try a holiday-themed scavenger hunt.

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Pair people from different generations! Try this version, which comes with a letter from Mrs. Claus for people to find.

7. Paint your family as gingerbread men.

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Get these little guys here. Draw names out of a hat to choose who paints whom, but keep them secret. Then try to guess if you're looking at a gingerbread Great Aunt Vicky or Baby Luke.

8. Try karaokaroling.

Singing Machine / Via amazon.com

Take caroling to the next level with a karaoke machine -- you could even assign duet partners so you'll finally get to see your conservative grandpa and your neo-goth cousin rock "White Christmas" like you've always wanted.

9. Have everyone decorate their own placemats!

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This DIY only calls for three supplies, so the kids' table can work alongside the grown-ups.

10. Host a cookie decorating contest.

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Create age brackets. Anyone too old or young to participate becomes a judge! Instead of ranking the cookies, create fun awards for each submission like "Best Use of Sprinkles" and "Most Toppings, Overall."

The only thing better than decorating beautiful cookies with family is eating them afterward.