Each year, when a chill sets in and the smell of hot chocolate wafts dreamily in the background, we know that Listmas isn’t far away. Of course, it also means that the end-of-year holidays are on the horizon; but it wouldn’t be the holidays in the blogosphere without Listmas! For over a decade, we’ve been marking the end of the year with Listmas, a celebration that’s all about making lists (and checking them twice, y’know for typos) and then sharing them here. During Listmas, the types and subjects of lists are completely up to whoever is making them. Our Listmas celebrations usually revolve around a series of topics focused on a particular theme of the holidays, and this year our theme is “friends and family.”

Gatherings are commonplace around the holidays. Whether one is visiting people they see every day or folks they’ve not seen in many days (or months or years), the point is to enjoy good company and toast the joys of friendship and family. This Listmas, we’re clinking our glasses and saying cheers to similar connections in games, because friendships, familial relationships, and the evolution of each often permeate the games we play. From watching the Donkey Kong family develop and work together over time, to amassing and keeping the peace among a formidable crew in the Mass Effect games, we play these games, and keep playing them, because we thrive in witnessing and making these bonds. Throughout December, each week we’ll be making lists borne out of our “friend and family” theme; here’s our schedule:

• Week of 12/1 – Our favorite teammates/companions
• Week of 12/8 – Most memorable in-game friendships and families
• Week of 12/15 – The best villain duos/alliances
• Week of 12/22 – Characters we’d like to spend the holidays with

The last week of December will be our wildcard week, where any list is a good list. Join us here all next month, when you’re not among friends and family yourself, to take in or comment upon a fun gaming list or three. Happy Listmas, one and all!

P. S. Be sure to stick around after Listmas, because in January, we’ll be covering our 2024 games of the year and most anticipated games of 2025. Goodness how time flies!

Lede image captured by author during PS4 playthrough of Mass Effect Legendary Edition (© BioWare).