Turn Back Time With These Traditional Christmas Games

Tomorrow is the anniversary of Jane Austen’s birthday. To celebrate, we’ve rounded up some party games that were popular during her lifetime. Plus, we take a look at some of the different ways you can personalise Stikins ® name labels.

Travel Back In Time This Christmas With Regency Parlour Games

Austen wrote her novels during the Regency era (c. 1811-1820). With only a few days left until Christmas, we decided to find out what kind of games might be played by the characters of Austen’s books (or even Austen herself). So, if you’re looking for something new (or old!) to do this Christmas, why not try one of these Regency parlour games…   

Blind Man’s Buff: one player was blindfolded. The others took turns tapping the blindfolded player (who had to guess their identity) OR the blindfolded player had to catch and identify another player. Other versions included:

• Buffy Gruffy: players sat on chairs in a circle. The blindfolded player picked a chair (using their knees) and asked three questions. The chosen player responded in a disguised voice and the blindfolded player had to guess their identity.
• Jacob! Where Are You?: the blindfolded player had to catch one specific player (Jacob). To help (or hinder) their efforts, Jacob had to carry a bell, ringing it whenever the blindfolded player called “Jacob! Where are you?”.
• Buffy with the Stick: the blindfolded player had a stick. The other players joined hands and circled the blindfolded player once, while singing. The blindfolded player held up the stick and the player it pointed at had to step forward, take the other end of the stick, and grunt three times. The blindfolded player then tried to guess their identity.
• Are You There Moriarty?: two blindfolded players were given rolled up newspapers. The first asked “Are you there Moriarty?” and the other answered “Yes”. Both players then tried to strike the other with their newspaper. The first player to be hit was out and another player took their place.

Shadow Buff: one player (it) stood in front of a wall or curtain with the other players and a bright light behind them. The other players took turns walking in front of the light (and disguising their shadow), while it tried to guess their identity.

Puss, Puss in the corner!: four players stood in each corner of a room while a fifth (Puss) stood in the middle. When Puss called “Puss, puss in the corner”, the four players had to swap places while Puss tried to steal a corner.

Hunt The Slipper: one player (customer) gave the other players a shoe and turned their back. The other players (cobblers) hid the shoe amongst themselves while the customer counted to ten. The customer had to guess which cobbler had the shoe.

Steal the White Loaf: one player (it) stood with their back to the others, with a “treasure” on the floor behind them. Players had to steal the treasure but, if it turned and saw someone moving, that player became it.

The Toilette: one player was Lord/Lady, while the others were assigned items from the toilette (items used for dressing and grooming like a comb, mirror etc). The Lord/Lady called for an item and that player stepped forward to trade places with the Lord/Lady. If they didn’t, they paid a forfeit. When the Lord/Lady called “All my toilette”, all players had to swap seats (and remember their new item).

The Courtiers: one player became King/Queen and the remaining players were courtiers. The courtiers had to copy the monarch’s movements without laughing.

Musical Magic: one player left the room, while the others selected a task for them to perform. The first player tried to guess that task guided by music, which got louder when they moved closer to the required object or action and softer when they moved away.

The Elements: players sat in a circle. One player threw a handkerchief to another and called out an element. The second player named a creature of that element before the first player could count to ten (which they did as quickly as they could). Failure to name a correct creature (or calling a creature already named) resulted in a forfeit. If the calling player named Fire, the receiving player remained silent because no creature lives in fire.

Buzz!: any number of players (except seven) sat in a circle; starting at “one”, each player called out the next number in sequence – unless the number divided by seven, in which case they called out “Buzz”. Anyone who broke the sequence (or hesitated) paid a forfeit.

The Laughing Game: players sat in a circle; the first player said “Ha”, the second “Ha Ha”, the third “Ha Ha Ha” and so on. If a player laughed or smiled, they were out.

Feather Shuttlecock: players formed a circle and one player threw a feather, tissue, or balloon into the air. The player closest to the item had to blow the item back into the air. Any player that let the item touch them or the ground was out.

Cup of Sand: a cup or small bowl was filled with sand, rice, sugar, or flour and a toothpick (topped with a small flag) was placed on top. Players had to knock out some of the contents without making the flag fall.

Perfect Your Name Labels Personalisation With Our Top Tips

There are many ways to personalise your name labels. Here are our top tips for perfect personalisation.

1. Keep Things Short And Sweet
   We offer 22 characters per line BUT the font size reduces as you add more characters so 15-20 works best.
   For a bigger font size always use two lines UNLESS you only need 12 characters or fewer.
   If you need to include longer names, use initials to keep things neat. For example, “Wordsworth-Attenborough” needs 23 characters (spaces count towards your total!). However, you could use “W-A”, “W-Attenborough”, or “Wordsworth-A”.

2. Keep Circumstances In Mind
   Think about where your name labels will be used and by whom. Most name labels are used in schools where a name is enough to find the owner of a lost item. When items go further afield, contact information (like a mobile number) can help items to make their way back home.
   Some people go by a different name to their given name. Remember to include nicknames (alone or with given names) to ensure items can be returned. 

3. Keep Things In The Family
   While we can’t split packs between different names, you can create a pack to share by:

• Requesting a surname (or initial and surname).
• Requesting a blank line above your surname so you can add the name you need with a laundry pen.
• Entering two names and cutting the labels in half.
• Entering both names and sharing nicely!

We also offer a 10% discount when you order three or more packs. Your three packs can be all the same, all different, or any combination you like. If you don’t need three packs yourself, you can join up with friends and family to order together.