• Play games at your next holiday dinner party to add an engaging twist to the get-together.decoration for holiday image by araraadt from Fotolia.com
  
  While much of the time spent at a holiday dinner party is usually taken up with eating and opening gifts, hosts may also enliven the occasion with organized games for guests to play. Choosing just the right games can provide hours of entertainment for everyone.
  
  

Dirty Santa

• Dirty Santa is a gift exchange that provides the opportunity for everyone to receive a gift at the party, without the high cost of purchasing a gift for each person in attendance. Guests each bring one gift, generally ranging from $20-$30 in cost; the host determines the limit. Everyone participating will draw a number to determine the order in which gifts are opened. A guest chooses which gift she would like to open and does so in front of everyone. After opening that gift, she can decide to keep the gift, or to take a gift from someone else who has already opened one. If someone's gift is taken, he may then take a gift from someone else or open a different one. The game continues until everyone has opened and received a gift. In the instance in which the first person to open a gift does not want it, she would have to wait until someone took it from her in order to open another. This game can also be played for holidays such as Valentine's Day or Easter.
  
  

Holiday Trivia

• Playing Holiday Trivia gets guests competing to determine who knows the most about the holiday being celebrated. Hosts can choose from a number of themes; these can include Name That Tune, Holiday Movies, or questions about the history of the holiday. For Valentine's Day, questions about love and relationships could be the focus. Guests are divided into teams, and one person acts as host, asking questions and keeping a tally of the points each team earns. For a smaller party, guests can play as individuals.
  
  

Customs from Around the World

• Hosting a holiday party with an Around-the-World theme can provide guests with information regarding traditions in nations other than the United States. An Around-the-World-themed dinner party can be used to learn about cuisines and cultures for a number of holidays outside the U.S.The host can determine how many nations to feature, and each guest can choose a nation to represent. Guests can bring dishes that are unique to the nation they select and provide information regarding the customs of their chosen nation.