When my kids were young there was nothing better than the element of surprise in a game. With that in mind, we’ve created our newest game Don’t Smack It.
Today, we’ll be sharing our Christmas edition, Don’t Smack Santa. We’re so excited because kids young and old will love this simple game. I know because even though my kids are now teenagers they got very competitive when they play tested this one for me.
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What You Need for Don’t Smack It
To play, you’ll need the special cards that come with each edition. We like to print our games on card stock so the cards have some sturdiness to them. This helps with dexterity and durability so the game can last a long time. It also makes the cards opaque so the element of surprise is there.
For Don’t Smack Santa there are three types of cards. First are the smacking cards. These have a different background to them and are put in the middle of the playing area. Next are the reindeer cards. Last are the Santa cards.
Playing Don’t Smack It
To start, you place all the smacking cards in the middle so there are the same number of cards as there are players, making sure that there is a Santa card.
Next, you shuffle the Don’t Smack It cards and deal them into piles for each player. It is okay with there are players with more cards than others. Players leave the cards in a pile face down in front of them.
To start, the first player flips over her top card. If it is a reindeer, she says “reindeer” and play moves on to the next player.
That player will then flip over his top card. Again, if it is a reindeer card, he says “reindeer” and play moves on. On the other hand, if it is a Santa card, he says “Santa.” Now all players smack a card in the middle with their hands. The player who smacks Santa is in trouble and gets a point.
When everyone settle back down, play starts again with the player to the left of the player who flipped over the Santa card.
Again, if the card flipped over is a reindeer, play moves on. If the card is another Santa card, everyone smacks a card in the middle.
If everyone’s piles runs out before someone wins, then shuffle the cards and re-deal them out and continue the game.
Note: it is best to move the smack it cards around so that Santa is in a different position each time. Otherwise, players get to know where he is and it makes it easier to not smack Santa.
Winning Don’t Smack It
The game is over when one player gets three points. This player doesn’t win. In Don’t Smack Santa, this player has to clean the stables while the other players get to have hot cocoa and cookies.
Variations
To make Don’t Smack It even more fun we created a few more ways to play with the cards. First there is a variation that plays a little like memory match. The second is a solo variation for those times when someone wants to play but there’s no one available to play with.
A Smacking Good Time
As I said, my kids loved this game when they were little and still like is now that they are almost all grown. It is easy to play and kids can even play on their own (although you might want to be close by if there are any disputes). We also have several variations and more are coming. You can get all of them in the Family Game Shelf shop so that you can play all year long.
And if you’re looking for more Family Game Shelf original games check out Whacky Putt the indoor mini golf dice game as well as others here. Be sure to check out our shop here to see all of our games to make it the best family game night ever.
If you’re looking for more Christmas games check out our Big List of the Best Christmas games here.
Don’t Smack It Editions
Don’t Smack It Mermaid – don’t be the player who gets caught in the seaweed
More to holiday and fun themes coming so you can play all year long!
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