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There’s no shortage of fun Christmas games — but this is the one my family has played for 30 years.
It’s a lot like BINGO, but with a deck of playing cards, a PO-KE-NO board and a bunch of inexpensive Christmas gifts — the type of gifts you would find in a Christmas stocking or White Elephant exchange.
It’s simple, taps into your competitive nature and keeps the family entertained for an hour or two.
Here’s how it works.
First, you need the PO-KE-NO board game, which can be found on Amazon and in some department stores across the country — but you can also make your own DIY playing boards at home.
If going the DIY route, just make a simple BINGO board, but dedicate each space to a playing card of your choice (Ace of Spades, King of Clubs, 8 of Diamonds, 2 of Hearts, etc.).
It should be a 5x5 playing board (25 spaces total) and shouldn’t contain any duplicates.
Once you have the board, all you need is a deck of playing cards, some chips and some gifts or prizes.
From there, the game is simple. A dealer shuffles the playing cards and flips through the deck — calling out the cards one by one. If you have that card on your playing board, you place a chip on the space.
The goal of the game is to get a BINGO. Winners get to open a Christmas gift before a new round begins.
The BINGO could be as simple as getting five cards in a row, but we let the winner of the previous round choose what type of BINGO we’re looking for each round.
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Some ideas include outside four corners, inside four corners, outer box, inner box, center space, L-shape, T-shape, X-shape, I-shape, E-shape or double-BINGO (first to two BINGOs).
Some rounds even have multiple prizes if we decide to go with multiple BINGOs in that round — for example, prizes might be handed out for a regular BINGO, four corners and X-shape.
What types of prizes does this Christmas game include?
Growing up, my Mom was always in charge of the gifts.
She would keep them in a box labeled “Boy,” “Girl” or “Gender-Neutral” — that way winners could determine the type of gift they wanted to open.
Here are a few examples of the types of gifts she would add to the box:
- Toiletries (shampoo, body wash, deodorant, cologne, perfume, lotion, makeup, etc.)
- Treats (candy canes, Lifesavers storybooks, chocolate-covered pretzels, pistachios, etc.)
- Scented goods (candles, wall plug-ins, room sprays, car scents, etc.)
- Small toys (things you might find at a Dollar Tree or Target, good for younger kids)
- Gift cards to everyone’s favorite stores, restaurants, etc.
- Blankets and other things to keep you warm during winter
- School supplies and other arts and crafts items
- Kitchen supplies (this became a popular gift as me and my siblings started living on our own)
Now that me and my siblings are older, we treat the gifts more like a White Elephant exchange.
Since each of us bring 5-10 gifts to add to the box, there’s no way of knowing what might be included and there’s an added element of surprise (especially for my Mom) as to what each winner opens.
And yes, like most White Elephant exchanges, there is the ability to steal prizes.
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The way we do it is allow one steal per prize. When you win, you can either choose to open a new prize or steal someone else’s (if it hasn’t been stolen yet). Once stolen, that prize is locked.
If you have one of your prizes stolen, you get to pick a new one to open from the box — or steal someone else’s that isn’t locked.
How to make this Christmas game extra memorable
There’s one more element to this game that my family adopted back in 1994.
When all the prizes are gone, we do one more round of PO-KE-NO. But instead of looking for a BINGO, the goal is to fill your entire card with chips. The first one to do it wins the best prize of all.
You can decide what that prize is, but we chose something that would stay in the family for decades.
It was a toilet paper roll — and whoever won got to sign their name and date it.
My late Great Uncle Vic was the first one to do so in 1994 (the year I was born). I was lucky enough to sign it 13 years later in 2007 (with my late Grandpa because we tied) and, most recently, in 2024.
The toilet paper isn’t in the best shape, but it holds decades of memories — and many more to come.
In a season that can feel rushed and over-scheduled, family Christmas games have been our way of slowing down and being together — year after year.
And this Po-Ke-No game is one we all look forward to.
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The rules haven’t changed much, the prizes have evolved and the toilet paper roll is hanging on by a thread, but the laughter, competitiveness and tradition remain the same.
