Christmas Entertainment: Guess Who Bottle Game

As my family started to get older, we decided instead of giving so many gifts, or having a gift exchange we would bring a nice bottle of wine to the host’s house, as a gift for the adults in the group. To make it more fun we started playing the Guess Who Bottle Game.

During the first few times we played this game, we would assign each person the task to pick out a bottle which was a clue about themselves. For example, there is a wine called “Middle Sister.” Since I am the middle of five siblings that would be an appropriate choice, although maybe a little too easy, for me to bring.

After a few years this became really hard to do, believe it or not. So we changed it to bringing whatever wine (as long as it’s a good one) you want, and attach a typed written note (so you can’t guess from the handwriting). This note can be a clue, a poem, a riddle, joke or saying. Then everyone had to guess who brought the bottle based on the contents of the note. Here’s one that I used.

How to Play the Guess Who Bottle Game

Each bottle should be wrapped. When guests arrive the bottles are tagged with a number. A matching number also goes into a basket for later. When you are ready to play each participant chooses a number from the basket and is given the corresponding bottle. Then you take turns unwrapping the bottles and trying to guess who brought it. It doesn’t take too much time, although that does depend on how many people actually play, and everyone goes home with a nice bottle of wine to enjoy. This second method could be done with any kind of gift. Then it could just be called the Guess Who game.

Do you play and games at your house during the holidays? What other traditions to you celebrate?