Digital Detox at Christmas: Swap Screens for Jigsaws and Old-Fashioned Games

Christmas has a funny way of pulling everyone into the same room, then splitting us straight back apart again. One person is “just replying” to a message. Someone else is filming the sprouts. A teenager is half present, half scrolling. Before you know it, you’ve got a full house and a quiet room.

If that sounds familiar, a digital detox at Christmas can be the simplest reset. Not the preachy kind. Not the “phones are evil” kind. Just a few gentle boundaries that help everyone actually be there.

And the best part is you don’t need to replace screen time with anything complicated. Old-fashioned games and a good jigsaw puzzle do the job beautifully. They slow the pace. They get people talking. They give hands something to do while conversation warms up. They make the day feel like a day, not a feed.

There’s also a reason this idea is everywhere right now. Ofcom’s latest reporting shows UK adults spend around four and a half hours online per day on average. www.ofcom.org.uk That’s before you even add in the extra festive downtime, the family photos, and the inevitable “quick check” that turns into twenty minutes.

So if you’re looking for a calmer, cosier Christmas, this is your sign.

Why a Christmas digital detox actually helps

A proper Christmas break is meant to feel restorative. But constant checking, buzzing, and background scrolling does the opposite. You can be sitting with people you love and still feel like you’re mentally elsewhere.

Even a small reduction in screen time can help with:

• Better sleep (especially if you stop doomscrolling late at night). The NHS recommends avoiding devices at least an hour before bed because blue light can affect sleep. nhs.uk

• More real conversation, which tends to happen in the gaps. Not when everyone’s looking down.

• Less comparison pressure, particularly from social feeds full of “perfect” Christmases.

• More shared moments, because the activity becomes the focus, not the phone.

This isn’t about guilt. It’s about noticing how quickly Christmas disappears when everyone is half watching it through a screen.

A quick reality check: it’s not just you noticing this

This isn’t some niche wellness trend. It’s firmly mainstream now.

• An IPA report found nearly half of British adults planned to limit screen time over the festive period. ipa.co.uk

• Ofcom’s recent findings (also covered widely in the press) underline how dominant mobile and online time has become. Reuters

• And in December 2025, England’s Children’s Commissioner urged parents to put phones away over Christmas and model “phone-free time” so children feel properly seen. The Independent

It’s reassuring, in a way. Lots of people are craving the same thing: a Christmas that feels more present.

The easiest way to do it: make it social, not strict

The quickest way to make a digital detox fail is to turn it into a lecture. Nobody wants a rules briefing before opening Quality Street.

Instead, keep it light and collective. Make it feel like a shared experiment.

Try one of these:

1) The phone basket (low effort, high impact)

Pop a basket near the hallway or dining table. Everyone drops their phone in for set moments:

• Christmas dinner

• Game time

• A Boxing Day walk

• An hour after breakfast

If someone needs to be reachable (kids, elderly relatives, work on-call), choose one “designated phone” and keep it on a sideboard. Everyone else can relax.

2) A “camera person” rule

If the urge to film everything is strong, pick one person to take photos. That way, nobody is constantly dipping in and out of the moment.

3) Tech-free zones

Bedrooms and the dining table are a good start. It immediately changes the feel of the house.

Old-fashioned games bring people together faster than you’d think

There’s something magic about getting people around a table with an easy game. Conversation happens naturally because it’s built in. Nobody has to “perform” socially. You’re all doing something together.

A few Christmas-proof favourites:

• Charades (Christmas films, festive songs, family in-jokes)

• Articulate or Pictionary (good chaos, very little admin)

• Cards (Uno, Rummy, even a simple pack of cards)

• A Christmas quiz (mix in a picture round and it’s instantly better)

Keep it relaxed. Keep the rules simple. If you can explain it while making a cup of tea, it’s perfect.

Why jigsaw puzzles are a brilliant Christmas digital detox activity

A jigsaw puzzle is quietly one of the best “screen replacements” going. It’s calm. It’s satisfying. It’s easy to dip in and out of. And it creates the sort of background togetherness that makes Christmas feel warm.

You don’t need everyone playing at once. People hover. They find a few pieces. They chat while they look. Someone wanders off to make tea. Someone else takes over. It’s social without being intense.

And there’s a wellbeing angle too. Jigsaws are often linked with relaxation and mindfulness, and they create a shared focus that makes conversation easier. James Illustrates has even written about the mental and cognitive benefits of puzzling, including stress reduction and social connection. James Illustrates

A festive tip that actually works

Start the puzzle after breakfast on Christmas Day (or Boxing Day). Leave it on a separate table if you can. It becomes a gentle “gathering point” all day long.

They’re also a lovely gift idea because they feel considered. Not throwaway. And they’re something you do together.

Norfolk jigsaw puzzle

A simple “Digital Detox Christmas” plan you can actually stick to

If you want a ready-made structure, use this:

Christmas Eve

• Phone-free hour after dinner

• One game or a puzzle start

• Devices off an hour before bed (you’ll feel the difference) nhs.uk

Christmas Day

• Phones in the basket during breakfast and dinner

• One “photo window” mid-morning

• A jigsaw left out all day

• A quick game after lunch when the energy dips

Boxing Day

• A walk without phones (or one phone for directions)

• A longer game session

• Back to the puzzle while the leftovers happen

It’s not strict. It’s just enough to change the feel of things.

A digital detox at Christmas isn’t about banning anything. It’s about choosing a few moments where you’re properly present. Where conversations go a bit deeper. Where the room feels warm and busy again, instead of quiet and split-screen.

If you want an easy, screen-free tradition that works for all ages, a jigsaw puzzle is hard to beat. You can dip in and out, chat as you go, and slowly build something together over the course of the day.

If you fancy making that part of your Christmas, you can browse the illustrated 1000-piece jigsaw puzzles on James Illustrates. They’re based on much-loved UK places, designed to be genuinely challenging, and brilliant for slow festive afternoons.