Just about everyone loves to play games of some sort. Some people love to play video games, some people card games, and still other people love to get down with some good ‘ole fashioned Trivial Pursuit. So it’s easy to see why there are a lot of people out there calling themselves “gamers.” We personally love all of these games and a lot more, but unfortunately, we don’t have a lot of time to play them. That’s a problem we think a lot of people have as well.

There’s just too much going on with our daily lives to be able to gather with our friends and family members for a little bit of tabletop fun. Fortunately, holidays are making it easier for many of us to enjoy games more often. No, people aren’t being given days off so they can play games, but there are a few days on the calendar during which people can call in sick to go hang with friends.

We should know because we did the research on this subject and found a ton of games that we’re going to call in sick so we can enjoy them. Just be sure not to tell our bosses. With that being said, allow us to introduce the 10 Best Game Holidays To Enjoy While Sitting Around A Table. Let’s check them out, shall we?

National Trivia Day

National Trivia Day is a holiday that’s observed annually on January 4th. It’s a day for people to gather together with coworkers, friends, and family members to enjoy a little bit of trivia. There are a ton of different trivia board games out there. Not only is there the game Trivial Pursuit, but there are also the games Gensmak!,

Lyrically Correct (In the 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s music editions), Wit’s End, and Death by Trivia. If people can’t get a group together, they can also find a wide variety of trivia-based game apps on their phones. Now remind me, what was the capital of South Dakota again?

Dungeons & Dragons Day

On January 26th, 1974, approximately 1,000 copies of a new game were released by TSR (Tactical Studies Rules) that would turn the gaming world on its head. This game was D&D and the first print would sell out in only 10 months.

That’s why January 26th will always be known as Dungeons and Dragons Day. It’s a day for people to get around the table and has some role-playing fun with their friends while rolling polyhedral dice. Will you be a raging barbarian, a devout paladin, or a Wild Magic Sorcerer? Let us know!

International TableTop Day

The first Saturday in June is always observed as International TableTop Day. This is a holiday that encourages people to play their favorite tabletop games. This can be RPG games, card games, classic board games such as Life or Sorry!, strategy games, or just about any other type of game that can be enjoyed around a table. Everyone observing this day should make sure that they bring plenty of snacks for the table because we imagine that people are going to be playing well into the wee hours of the night on this day.

Gary Gygax Day

Some people might think that Gary Gygax Day is a redundant holiday on our list. That’s because Mr. Gygax, along with Dave Arneson, invented Dungeons and Dragons. But we don’t think it is a redundant holiday. After all, Gary not only created D&D but also created a list of other games as well. These include a medieval miniature wargame called Chainmail, Advanced Dungeons and Dragons, Boot Hill, Top Secret, and several more. This day, which falls on Gary’s birthday (July 27th), is a great day to play any of these games.

Video Games Day

Video Games Day is a holiday that falls on July 8th and is the perfect day for people to veg out in front of their computer monitor or their TV playing games all day. It doesn’t matter if a person wants to play Red Dead Redemption 2, God of War, Resident Evil 4, or Grand Theft Auto VI, all that matters is that the wireless controller is charged and there are plenty of snacks available. We personally like to play some retro games such as Street Fighter, Mortal Combat, or Super Mario Bros., but everyone can play whatever game floats their proverbial boat.

According To Hoyle Day

This holiday is for all of those “rules lawyers” out there who like to pick through the rule set of any game and tell all of the other players what they’re doing wrong. It doesn’t matter what people play on this game, all that matters is that they take the time to enjoy playing it. Just be sure to know the rules beforehand when you play this game on August 29th. After all, the rules lawyer is always watching.

National Chess Day

National Chess Day is observed every second Saturday in October and it’s the perfect day for people to prove to their friends and family that they are indeed a Grandmaster of the game. This is the perfect day to challenge coworkers to a game of chess as well, or if there’s no one to play with, can study some of the best chess games in history. May we suggest studying Geller vs. Euwe (Zurich, 1953) or Kasparov vs. Topalov (Wijk aan Zee, 1999)?

National Dice Day

Sometimes people just want to throw dice and that’s why National Dice Day is really beginning to become popular. This day is observed annually on December 4th and encourages people to play one of the many dice games that currently exist or make up their own dice game. We personally prefer a good game of Craps, but different people have different tastes, so a game of Liar’s Dice, Yahtzee, Farkle, or Drop Dead might be in order.

Games Day

Games Day might seem like a catch-all category for a variety of different games, and now that we think about it, then it probably is. Well, that shouldn’t matter to real gamers though. There are plenty of ways to enjoy this day. And since it falls just 5 days before Christmas, it’s a good excuse to get together with friends, coworkers, and family members for some fun game action. May we suggest a good game of Axis & Allies, Risk Legacy, or Cthulhu Wars?

National Card Playing Day

This holiday is observed just 3-days after Christmas, so it’s just another excuse to extend the holiday fun and give us all an excuse to spend more time with the people we love. This is a great day for people to play a variety of different card games including (but not limited to) Poker, Blackjack, Go Fish, Old Maid, War, Gin Rummy, Klondike, Bridge, Hearts, Spades, or even a rousing game of Solitaire. Just make sure that you don’t deal off the bottom of the deck and you’ll be fine.

Well, that does it for us today. We hope that everyone reading this article will consider observing at least one or two of these holidays dedicated to games. We spend a lot of our time taking care of children, going to work, doing housework, and finishing chores that we forget that we also need to have a little bit of fun in our lives as well. These holidays are the perfect excuse to do just that, so get out there and start playing some games!