Holiday Hills is a charmingly chaotic little holiday romp, in which the players are a part of the Tinsel Taskforce (which sounds like a holiday Netflix special starring Vanessa Hudgins), commissioned by the Mayor to slap some sparkle on the town before the Winter Festival.
You and your elf sidekick hop in a sleigh, cruise down a path around Jingle Bell Square, and throw dice-shaped presents under trees. You’ve got 2 paths to choose from where one generally gives you dice presents and the other allows you to place those presents under a tree. You’ll also gain ornaments, candy canes, and string lights to decorate the trees you place.
If a tree has all four sides filled, the owner of the tree gets 8 points. And if a tree has 4 dice presents underneath it, that’s an additional 10 points. However, you may place your decorations on anyone’s tree. You might help them towards those 8 points, BUT whoever contributes the most decorations to a tree gets the highest rolled dice present points. On top of that, you’re aiming to fill objective card goals to gain even more points. It’s a point salad extravaganza!
This is a lighter game than I usually reach for. I tend to like my games with at least a hint of existential angst and a 40 minute rules explanation. But Holiday Hills has some substance beneath its sparkle. It’s quick, breezy, and- dare I say- strategic. Beneath the glitter is a thoughtful game.
You only get one lap (around the board). One shot. One opportunity. To seize everything you ever wanted. Would you capture it (those presents), or just let it slip?
Isn’t that, in some way, a metaphor for life? You can rush to the end and earn some bonus points (or in life, perhaps a slightly better 401k…yeah, nailing this metaphor)- but you’ll miss opportunities. You’ve got to use that lap well. Every decision has weight. It’s not heavy strategy, but it’s heavier than it looks. Like a fruitcake.
The “one-lap” mechanic is great and takes me back to the days of The Game of Life. It forces efficiency and planning while still being forgiving enough for casual players. You can go as far as you want each turn, but once you pass something, it’s gone. The dice placement matters and provides a fun, thoughtful optimization puzzle. The objective cards give good short and long term goals, adding texture to the game. And the production is just a sheer holiday delight.
The physicality of the game really is a large part of its charm. The 3D trees, ornaments, and handfuls of dice presents call out to something childlike. And in an age of digital everything, Holiday Hills is delightfully tactile. Joy often lives in small, physical things like placing a tiny candy cane on a tiny tree.
I would be remiss not to mention that it’s messy. You’ll knock things over. You’ll groan as ornaments skitter across the board. But again: isn’t that just…life? Beautiful, chaotic and…ok I’m stretching this a little too far.
Holiday Hills is easily the most substantial holiday game I’ve played. It offers enough decision making and depth to keep you engaged the entire game but it’s still warm and cozy. It’s clever, accessible, and refreshingly sincere. It asks players not just to decorate, but to prioritize. To weigh joy against efficiency.
If you like holiday games at all, you’ll probably like this one. I’ll happily play this each Christmas. It’s got more meat on its bones than any of the Christmas games I’ve played and it’ll have your entire family dropping their presents to come see the glorious production on your table. Whether you like decking the halls, the trees, or your uncle that just stole points from you, Holiday Hills is a delightfully strategic ride worth taking.