Christmas Lights: A Card Game Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• Components
• Objective
• Setup
• Basic Rules
• On Your Turn
• Broken Bulbs
• Bubble Bulbs
• Event Cards
• Game End / Winning
• Bonus Games
  • Untangle
  • Festival of Lights
  • Jingle Bell Run
  • Lights On
  • Looney Lights
  • Reindeer's Nose
  • Where's That Bulb?
  • Check the Box
  • Solo Lights
  • Deck the Yard
  • Blink

Components

• 61 Bulb Cards: 7 Red Bulbs, 7 Green Bulbs, 7 Yellow Bulbs, 7 Blue Bulbs, 7 Purple Bulbs, 7 Pink Bulbs, 6 Bubble Bulbs, 5 Broken Bulbs, 8 Plugs
• 18 Pattern Cards (18 different bulb patterns)
• 6 Event Cards: 1 Light Switch, 1 Power Surge, 1 Power Outage, 1 Christmas Eve, 1 Lump of Coal, 1 Boxing Day
• 6 Character Cards: 1 each of 6 different characters
• 3 Present Cards (used for the Bonus games)
• 6 Player Aid Cards

Objective

To complete the string of lights on your two Pattern cards before anyone else.

Setup

1. Shuffle the Event cards and place them face-down on the table to form the Event deck.

2. Shuffle the Pattern cards and deal two cards to each player. You can look at your own Pattern cards, but keep them face-down and secret from the other players (unless an Event card says otherwise). Place the other Pattern cards back in the box.

3. Shuffle the Bulb cards and place them face-down on the table to form the Bulb deck. Deal five Bulb cards to each player.

   IMPORTANT: You must not look at your own bulbs! Instead, hold your Bulb cards up fanned out and facing the other players so they can see the front of the cards.

4. Find the Santa Character card and add other Character cards until you have one Character card for each player. Shuffle and deal one to each player. The player who receives Santa is the starting player!

   NOTE! If you ever accidentally see your own cards, you must discard your hand and redraw the same number of Bulb cards.

Basic Rules

Hold your hand of Bulb cards so other players can see them, and you can see theirs. You must not look at your own bulbs (unless an Event card allows it).

Each Pattern card shows five colors of bulbs that make up one string of lights. You secretly choose one of your two Pattern cards at a time, then choose at which end (left or right) you want to start completing the pattern.

You take turns with the other players, trying to place bulbs into your string on the table in front of you, in the correct order to complete your chosen Pattern card.

As you find out details about your bulbs during the game, you can "mark" them by how you hold them — sideways, upside-down, at one end of your hand, in the other hand. Just be sure they can always be seen by other players!

Once you complete your first string of five bulbs, reveal the Pattern card to show that it matches. Discard the bulbs used in the string and replace them with the Pattern card itself, face-up to show it is completed.

Keep any Broken Bulbs and Bubble Bulbs you used to one side. They may be needed for a tie-breaker at game end.

To continue on to your next Pattern card, you must first place a Plug card to "plug in" the next string. You cannot start your second string until the Plug is placed. No Plug card is needed after the second string to complete your final pattern.

On Your Turn

Do these four steps in the order shown. You can skip a step if you wish, but you cannot come back to do a step out of order, or do a step more than once each turn.

1. PLAY: Choose one or two cards from your hand to play into your string, one at a time. Each card you play must match the next bulb required by your pattern, otherwise you must discard it (see BROKEN BULBS and BUBBLE BULBS for exceptions).

2. SWAP: Choose a card from your hand and swap it with a card in any other player's hand. Both players are allowed to see the swapped cards before placing them in their hands.

3. SALE: Choose one or two cards from your hand to place face-up on the table. Then you can offer each card, one at a time, to any players of your choice in exchange for the answer to a Yes-or-No question about the cards you have in your hand.

   For example, "Is this a Red bulb?" (Yes!) or "Do I have any Plug cards?" (No!) Be creative with your questions!

   If a player accepts your sale, they must answer your question truthfully, then take the card into their hand. Unsold cards are discarded, so choose carefully!

4. REFILL: You may draw one or more Bulb cards to fill your hand up to no more than five. If the Bulb deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to make a new deck.

Broken Bulbs

You can play a Broken Bulb into your string to fill in temporarily for any color. Even though it doesn't match the pattern, you don't discard it. This allows you to advance further into your string without waiting to find the correct bulb.

You can use more than one Broken Bulb in your string, but you must fix all Broken Bulbs before you can complete your Pattern card. You can fix a Broken Bulb by playing the correct color bulb over the top of it.

You cannot use a Broken Bulb in place of a Plug.

Bubble Bulbs

A Bubble Bulb is a wildcard, which means you can play it into your string to match the next color in your pattern, no matter what color it is.

If you choose to play it into your string, you must also draw an Event card and do as it says. Bubble Bulbs have an Event lightning bolt on them to remind you of this.

Some Events might set you back a little, so using a Bubble Bulb can be risky!

You can use a Bubble Bulb to replace a Broken Bulb, but it can't be used instead of a Plug.

Event Cards

If you add a Bubble Bulb to your string, you must also draw an Event card and do as it says immediately.

Once you complete the Event card, remove it from the game by returning it to the box.

Light Switch: Each player may draw a Bulb card, look at it, and put it into their hand.

Power Outage: End your turn immediately. Do not refill your hand. (Don't worry, you will be able to refill again on your next turn!)

Lump of Coal: You must reveal your current Pattern card to the other players. Leave it visible until you complete it.

Power Surge: Discard your hand, then refill your hand to five cards and end your turn. (The surge blew all your bulbs at once!)

Christmas Eve: Each player may look at the front of one Bulb card in their hand.

Boxing Day: Each player may discard a card from their hand and draw a replacement, without looking at the new card.

Game End / Winning

The game ends after any player completes their two Pattern cards, but play continues until the starting player is reached (the player who received the Santa card), so all players get an equal number of turns.

The player who completed their two Pattern cards is the winner!

If more than one player completed two Pattern cards, the one who used the least Broken Bulbs is the winner. If still tied, the tied player who used the least Bubble Bulbs is the winner. If there is still a tie, the tied players share victory.

Bonus Games

The box also contains the Bonus games. Just kidding, you can open it now!

The Bonus games use the Pattern cards, the plain colored Bulb cards, Bubble Bulbs, Broken Bulbs, Plugs, Character cards and Present cards included in the box. Each one is a separate game with its own setup and rules.

Untangle

2 to 6 players.

Objective: Compete to untangle strings of lights from the shared knot by searching for the sequence shown on your Pattern card. Complete all three of your patterns to win.

Components:

• 18 Pattern cards
• 7 each of Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Pink Bulbs
• 6 Bubble Bulbs — wildcard; matches any color
• 5 Broken Bulbs

Setup:

1. Shuffle the Pattern cards and deal three to each player face-down. Return the other Pattern cards to the box.
2. Shuffle the plain colored Bulbs and Bubble Bulb cards together to form the Bulb deck. DO NOT include the Broken Bulbs.
3. Set up the knot by revealing 10 cards from the Bulb deck and placing them side-by-side in a single row, face-up.
4. Shuffle the Broken Bulbs into the Bulb deck, then deal each player three Bulb cards face-down.
5. The youngest player takes the first turn, and play continues clockwise.

How to Play: Follow these steps on your turn:

1. Draw a card.
2. Untangle: swap two adjacent bulbs in the knot. The next player cannot swap them back.
3. Take one of the following actions:
   • Play a card from your hand on top of a Bulb card in the knot to replace and discard that card.
   • Play a Broken Bulb from your hand on top of a card in the knot to remove it. Discard both cards, and shift the other cards in the knot to close the gap.
   • Play a card from your hand to either end of the knot.
   • Discard one or more cards in your hand, then draw new Bulb cards until you have three cards in hand.
4. Check if any sequence of Bulb cards in the knot matches one of your Pattern cards. If it does, reveal the completed Pattern card and discard the matching sequence of five cards from the knot. If the remaining cards complete another of your Pattern cards, you can complete that one too, in the same way.
5. Reveal cards from the Bulb deck to replace the discarded cards in the knot. If you draw a Broken Bulb this way, discard it immediately and replace it. If the Bulb deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to refill it.

Game End / Winning: The first player to complete all three of their Pattern cards is the winner!

Festival of Lights

3 to 4 players.

Objective: Every year, the elves in Santa's workshop put on a lights display for Mrs. Claus, to kick off the holiday season. The elf who collects the most sets of colored bulbs is the winner and receives a special mug of hot cocoa from Mrs. Claus!

Components:

• 18 Pattern cards
• 7 each of Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Pink Bulbs
• Special cards: 1 more than the number of players of each of these: Bubble Bulbs, Broken Bulbs, Plugs, and Character cards. For example, in a 4-player game you add five of each.

Setup:

1. Shuffle the Pattern cards and deal one to each player face-up. Return the other Pattern cards to the box.
2. Shuffle the Bulb cards and special cards together and deal nine cards to each player face-down.
3. Reveal three Bulb cards in the middle of the table. If any special card is revealed, draw a replacement. Return the remaining cards to the box.

How to Play: The game is played in rounds, following these steps:

1. All players choose one card to place face-down in front of them. Once everyone has chosen, all players reveal their cards at the same time.
2. If you have revealed a card that is unique — that is, no-one else has revealed the same card as you — score that card by placing it in front you. Separate the cards you score into piles by color. If your unique card is also one of the special cards (not a plain colored bulb), it has an added ability. See Special Cards below for details.
3. If you have revealed a card that is matched by someone else (referred to as a "drop"), discard that card face-up in the middle of the table.
4. All players pass their remaining cards to the player on their left, and the next round begins.

The game ends when all players have only one card remaining in their hand. Put those last cards back in the box instead of playing or discarding them.

Example round: Two players reveal Green Bulbs, one reveals a Blue Bulb, and another reveals a Red Bulb. The players who revealed Green Bulbs both discard their "drops" face-up in the middle, and the players with the unique Blue Bulb and unique Red Bulb place their card in front of them, in their Blue pile and Red pile respectively.

Special Cards: Each special card has its own ability, used when you score that card. However, if the special card "drops" (because someone else revealed the same card) then you cannot use the ability.

• Broken Bulb: Place the card in front of you for later use. If you "drop" a card on a future turn, you may use the Broken Bulb to score your card instead of discarding it (the other players who matched your card must still discard theirs). After you use a Broken Bulb, put it back in the box instead of discarding it.
• Bubble Bulb: These are wildcards (you can use them as any color for scoring in your piles). If you score a Bubble Bulb, place it under your Pattern card until game end, when you can choose which color pile to add it to.
• Plug: Choose any card from the discard pile in the middle and score that card instead of your Plug. After you use a Plug, put it back in the box instead of discarding it.
• Character card: Immediately place this card on one of your color piles. It counts as 2 cards of that color during scoring at game end. Beware! If you do not have the highest or equal highest number of bulbs of that color during final scoring, you must discard the entire color pile, and it scores no points!

At Game End:

• Bubble Bulbs: Assign any Bubble Bulb cards you have under your Pattern card to the color pile of your choice.
• Character cards: Check all piles that contain Character cards against all other players' piles of the same color. If a pile with a Character card does not have the highest or equal highest number of bulbs of that color (Character cards count as two bulbs), put that pile back in the box. It does not score.
• Largest Pile Bonus: For each color of bulb, the player whose pile is the largest collects all the matching colored bulbs from the discard pile. If players are tied for the largest pile, no bonus cards are awarded.

Scoring:

• Each plain colored bulb scores 1 point, regardless of color.
• Each special card scores 2 points, regardless of type.
• Pattern Bonus: If you have at least three of the colors on your Pattern card, score 2 extra points. If you have all five of the colors shown on your Pattern card, score 5 extra points instead.

The player with the most points is the winner! If there is a tie, the tied player with the lowest number of cards wins. If still a tie, those players share victory.

Jingle Bell Run

2 to 6 players.

Objective: Collect bulbs to find a way across strings of lights as you compete in the annual North Pole tree decorating race!

Components:

• 18 Pattern cards
• 7 each of Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Pink Bulbs
• 6 Bubble Bulbs — wildcard; matches any color
• 5 Broken Bulbs
• 8 Plugs
• 1 Character card per player — use any characters

Setup:

1. Shuffle the Pattern cards and place 16 cards face-up in a 4 x 4 grid. Return the other Pattern cards to the box.
2. Shuffle all of the Bulb cards together, including Plugs, and place them face-down to form the Bulb deck.
3. Deal five cards from the Bulb deck to each player.
4. Reveal five cards from the Bulb deck in the middle of the table to form the Market.
5. Claim a Character card and place it next to any corner of the Pattern grid. Two characters can start on the same corner if there are more than 4 players.
6. The youngest player takes the first turn, and play continues clockwise.

How to Play: Your goal is to move your Character card to the corner directly opposite where you start. For example, if you enter the race in the upper left corner, your finish line is the bottom right corner card.

On your turn, take one of these actions:

• Take one Bubble Bulb or any two other cards from the Market. You may also draw from the Bulb deck (if you draw a Bubble Bulb, count it as one card).
  • Refill the Market from the Bulb deck as you go.
  • If the Market ever has three Bubble Bulbs at once, discard all Market cards and refill the Market.
  • If the Bulb deck runs out, shuffle the discard pile to refill it.
• Discard one or more Broken Bulbs to take an equal number of cards at random from another player's hand.
• Play a Plug to swap two unoccupied Pattern grid cards.
• Move your Character card by playing five cards from your hand that match the lights on an adjacent Pattern grid card. You can only advance in straight lines — no diagonal movement!

If you end your turn with more than seven cards in hand, discard down to seven (Broken Bulbs can be discarded).

Game End / Winning: The first player to move their character onto their finish line card (opposite their starting corner) is the winner!

Lights On

2 teams of 2 players.

Preparation: Split into two teams of two players, with teammates sitting diagonally opposite each other. Choose a secret signal to tell your teammate when you have four identical bulbs in your hand. Your signal can be any gesture or body movement, but not words or sounds.

Setup: Choose a dealer to do the following steps:

1. Shuffle together all of the Bulb cards and Bubble Bulb cards. DO NOT include the Broken Bulbs or Plugs.
2. Deal four cards to each player face-down in front of them (do not look yet!). Place the remaining cards face-down to form the Bulb deck.
3. Place the Broken Bulbs and the Plugs face-up in two separate piles beside the Bulb deck.
4. Reveal four cards from the Bulb deck in the middle of the table to form the Market.

Components:

• 5 each of Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Pink Bulbs
• 5 Bubble Bulbs
• 5 Broken Bulbs
• 5 Plugs

How to Play: The game is played in rounds, and all players act at once. Your aim each round is to collect four identical bulbs and for your teammate to say "Lights ON", or for you to say "Lights ON" yourself when your teammate has collected four identical bulbs.

You can also stop the round by saying "Lights OFF" if you think the other team has four identical bulbs.

Playing a Round: After the dealer counts down "Three... two... one... GO!", you may swap cards from your hand with the cards in the Market in the middle of the table. You may only swap one card at a time, by first placing a card into the Market, and then taking one card back into your hand. You must complete the action before starting a new one.

If no-one is swapping cards, the dealer asks "New lights?". If everyone agrees, discard the Market cards and refill with four new cards from the Bulb deck. Play continues after the dealer counts down again.

Lights ON: When you have collected four identical bulbs, give the secret signal to your teammate. When your teammate says "Lights ON", reveal your hand. If you have indeed collected four identical bulbs, you receive a Plug — but if not, you receive a Broken Bulb instead! Saying "Lights ON" ends the round.

Lights OFF: When you suspect the other team has collected four identical bulbs, you may quickly say "Lights OFF" and point to the player you think has the matching cards. That player must reveal their hand. If you've caught them with four identical bulbs, they receive a Broken Bulb. If you're wrong, and they do not have the necessary bulbs, you receive a Broken Bulb for your false accusation! Saying "Lights OFF" ends the round.

End of Round / Winning: If any team has three Plugs, they are the winners. If any team has three Broken Bulbs, the other team takes victory instead.

If neither team has won yet, the dealer collects and shuffles all the bulbs to reset the Bulb deck, then deals four new cards face-down to each player, and four cards face-up to refill the Market. A new round begins!

Looney Lights

2 to 6 players.

Setup:

1. Shuffle all of the cards together.
2. Deal out cards according to the number of players:
   • 2 players: 7 cards each
   • 3 or 4 players: 5 cards each
   • 5 or 6 players: 4 cards each
3. Place the remaining cards face-down to form the Bulb deck. Reveal one card and use it to start the discard pile beside the Bulb deck.
4. The youngest player takes the first turn, and play continues clockwise.

Components:

• 7 each of Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Pink Bulbs
• 6 Bubble Bulbs — wildcard; matches any color
• 5 Broken Bulbs
• 8 Plugs

How to Play: On your turn, you must match the color of the top bulb on the discard pile with a card from your hand. If you have a matching card, place it on top of the discard pile. If you do not have a matching plain colored bulb, you may play one of these cards, if you have one:

• Bubble Bulb: A wildcard that matches any color, and may always be played. When you play a Bubble Bulb, announce a color. Play continues with that color.
• Plug: May be played on any plain colored bulb or Bubble Bulb. The Plug becomes the same color as the bulb it was played on. Play continues with that color.
• Broken Bulb: May be played on any plain colored bulb or Bubble Bulb. When you play a Broken Bulb, immediately play any other plain colored bulb or Bubble Bulb from your hand on top of it. Play continues with that color. You cannot play a Plug or another Broken Bulb directly onto a Broken Bulb.

If you can't play any cards, you must draw cards from the Bulb deck and add them to your hand, until you draw a card you can play. Play that card as normal.

Game End / Winning: The first person to discard all of their cards is the winner!

Reindeer's Nose

4 to 6 players.

Objective: Your goal is to be the first player to collect four matching bulbs in your hand.

Components:

• 18 Pattern cards
• 4 Bulbs of a different color per player. For example, with three players, you would choose three colors, such as Red, Green, and Yellow, and add four bulbs of each color.

Setup:

1. Shuffle the Bulb cards and deal four cards to each player.
2. Shuffle the Pattern cards and place them face-up in a pile.

How to Play: At the same time, all players place an unwanted card from their hand face-down in front of the player to their left. Then they take the card placed in front of them by the person to their right.

You must pass a card before picking up the card given to you. You cannot have more than four cards at once. Continue to pass and accept cards until you get four matching bulbs in your hand.

Once you have a set of four, silently point your finger to your nose. All the other players must then point their fingers to their noses. The player who is last to point to their nose receives a Pattern card.

Shuffle all the Bulb cards, deal them out, and repeat!

Game End / Winning: When a player receives their third Pattern card, they are eliminated from the game and all other players are the winners!

Where's That Bulb?

2 to 6 players. A memory game.

Components:

• 6 each of Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Pink Bulbs
• 6 Bubble Bulbs — NOT used as a wildcard
• 4 Broken Bulbs
• 8 Plugs
• 6 Character cards

Setup:

1. Shuffle all of the cards together and lay them out face-down in an 11 x 6 grid, within reach of all players.
2. The youngest player takes the first turn, and play continues clockwise.

Characters: The six Character cards are matched in pairs like this:

• Santa and Mrs. Claus
• Male elf and female elf
• Reindeer and Snowman

How to Play: On your turn, choose two cards to flip over, one at a time. If you revealed:

• A Broken Bulb: Flip the card face-down again immediately and end your turn, even if the Broken Bulb was the first card you revealed.
• A matching pair: Remove the cards from the grid, place them in front of you, and then take another turn.
• No match: Flip the cards face-down again and end your turn.

Game End / Winning: Once all cards have been matched, leaving only the four Broken Bulbs face-down, count the number of pairs in front of you. Whoever has the highest number of pairs is the winner! If there is a tie, the tied player with the most Character card pairs is the winner. If still a tie, then those players share the victory.

Check the Box

2 to 4 players.

Components:

• 6 each of Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Pink Bulbs
• 3 Bubble Bulbs — NOT used as a wildcard
• 6 Broken Bulbs
• 6 Plugs
• 3 Presents

Setup:

1. Shuffle all of the cards together and deal five cards to each player.
2. Place the remaining cards face-down in a pile in the Christmas Lights box lid where all players can reach them.
3. If you were dealt any set of three identical cards, immediately place those cards face-up in front of you.
4. The youngest player takes the first turn, and play continues clockwise.

Objective: To create the most sets of three identical cards, by collecting cards from other players.

How to Play: On your turn, choose any player and ask them for a specific color bulb, or for a Broken Bulb or Plug. You may only ask for a card that you currently have in your own hand.

The other player must give you all the cards they have of the type you asked for.

If you now have a set of three identical cards, place them in front of you and take another turn.

If the other player does not have the card you asked for, they say "Check the Box." You must draw a card from the pile in the box and end your turn.

If you have no cards in your hand at any time, draw five cards from the pile in the box. If there are less than five cards left in the box, draw as many as you can.

Presents: When you draw a Present card from the box, you may also draw two more cards, and put all three in your hand.

Game End / Winning: The game ends once all of the cards have been matched into sets of three and placed on the table. The player with the most sets of three is the winner! If there is a tie, the tied player with the fewest sets of Plugs wins. If still tied, those players share the victory.

Solo Lights

Solo.

Objective: Santa is coming and he's expecting a huge light display! But there's a problem: some of the bulbs in the box are broken. You need to fix all of the strings of lights before Santa arrives.

Components:

• 18 Pattern cards
• 7 each of Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Pink Bulbs
• 3 Bubble Bulbs — wildcard; matches any color
• 5 Broken Bulbs
• 5 Plugs
• 5 Character cards — must include Santa
• Event card — Power Surge
• 3 Presents

Setup:

1. Shuffle the Plugs together with the plain colored Bulbs and place the cards face-down to form the Bulb deck.
2. Draw five Bulb cards as your starting hand.
3. Shuffle the Bubble Bulbs, Broken Bulbs, Presents, and the Power Surge Event card into the Bulb deck.
4. Place the Character cards face-down in a stack on the table, making sure that Santa is at the bottom.
5. Shuffle the Pattern cards and place the cards face-down to form the Pattern deck.
6. Reveal two Pattern cards. Pick one as your starting pattern, and discard the other.

How to Play: Your goal is to match the bulbs on your current Pattern card to complete that string. To win, complete five Pattern cards before Santa arrives.

Your play is in two steps:

1. Play one of the cards in your hand into the current string and then draw back to your hand limit of five. Repeat this until you can no longer play any cards, then go on to Step 2.
2. If you cannot play any cards, discard one from your hand and draw a Bulb card to replace it. Repeat until you have a card you can play, then return to Step 1.

Cards that are not plain colored bulbs have extra abilities. See Special Cards below for details.

When you complete a string, flip that Pattern card face-down and draw a new Pattern card. When you start work on your next string, you may choose from any of your available Pattern cards.

After completing a string, you must play a Plug before you can begin a new string.

If the Bulb deck runs out at any time, shuffle the discard pile to refill it.

Special Cards:

• Present: When you draw a Present card, also draw an extra Pattern card and add it to your options for strings to work on next.
• Broken Bulb: When you draw a Broken Bulb, you must flip over a character from the stack, then discard the Broken Bulb.
• Power Surge: When Power Surge is revealed as the top of the Bulb deck, you must discard your current hand and draw back to five. Then take Power Surge from top of the deck and place it back in the box.
• Bubble Bulbs: Wildcards go in your hand and may be used as a Bulb of any color, used in place of a Plug, or discarded to replace a flipped Character card on top of the stack in order to get more time.

Game End / Winning: To win, complete five strings (connected by four Plugs) before Santa is revealed. You lose if Santa is revealed before you complete five strings.

Ways to Increase Difficulty:

• Increase the number of strings you must complete.
• Play with four Character cards instead of five. (Make sure you always include Santa!)
• You must place the bulbs on your strings in sequence.

Ways to Decrease Difficulty:

• Play with six Character cards instead of five.
• Remove Power Surge from the deck.

Deck the Yard

Solo.

Objective: While everyone is out doing their last-minute shopping, you're left to decorate the yard with lights and inflatable characters by yourself! Can you get it done in time?

Components:

• 18 Pattern cards
• 7 each of Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Pink Bulbs
• 6 Bubble Bulbs — wildcard; matches any color
• 5 Broken Bulbs
• 8 Plugs
• 6 Character cards
• Event card — Power Surge
• 3 Presents

Setup:

1. Shuffle the Pattern cards and place them face-down to form the Pattern deck.
2. Reveal two Pattern cards as your starting patterns.
3. Shuffle the plain colored bulbs together with the Bubble Bulbs and Plugs, then deal a hand of five cards.
4. Shuffle the Broken Bulbs, Character cards, and Presents into the remaining Bulb cards and place them face-down to form the Bulb deck.
5. Place the Power Surge Event card face-up as a reminder of the effect of the Present cards.

Special Cards: Each special card has a matching special ability. When you draw a special card, you must complete that ability immediately.

• Bubble Bulb or Plug: Put the card in your hand.
• Character card: You may discard a Plug card from your hand to place the Character card in your Claim pile. If you can't do this, discard the Character card and draw a replacement card from the Bulb deck.
• Broken Bulb: You must discard all the bulbs in your string, unless you discard a Plug card instead to prevent it. Then discard the Broken Bulb itself and draw a replacement. If you draw a Broken Bulb when your string is empty, nothing happens.
• Present card: Your excitement at seeing the Present causes a Power Surge. You must follow the rule on the Power Surge card, unless you discard a Plug card to prevent it. NOTE: when drawing your hand back up to five after a Power Surge, set aside any Character cards, Broken Bulbs, or Present cards and shuffle them back into the Bulb deck after you have five cards in your hand.

Discarding a Plug to prevent a special card ability is always optional.

Discarded cards are never shuffled back into the deck.

When you have completed all of the special card abilities and have five cards in your hand again, begin a new turn.

How to Play: Your goal is to claim Character cards by using Plug cards, and to claim Pattern cards by creating a string of bulbs to match the pattern.

Choose a Pattern card you wish to complete. Each turn, you have these options:

• Play a plain Bulb: Play the bulb onto the table in front of you, adding to your string (or starting a new string if your string is empty). The Bulb card you play must match the next bulb on your current Pattern card, working left to right.
• Play a Bubble Bulb: It is a wildcard, which counts as a single bulb of whatever color your pattern needs next. Play it in front of you, starting or adding to your string, working left to right. The Bubble Bulb remains in place until your string is complete.
• Discard: Discard one card from your hand. This has no other effect.

After playing a card, if your string has all of the bulbs required by your Pattern card, you have completed the pattern. Discard the bulbs in your string, and add the Pattern card to your Claim pile (or start one!), then reveal a new card from the Pattern deck. You may choose which of your Pattern cards to start on next.

Then draw from the Bulb deck until you have five cards in your hand again. Some cards have special abilities when you draw them — see Special Cards above for details.

Game End / Winning: Once you cannot fully refill your hand to five cards at the end of your turn, you have a chance to play out the cards remaining in your hand, and then the game ends. To win, you must claim enough Pattern and Character cards in any combination.

• Normal difficulty: Claim 8 cards to win.
• Hard difficulty: Claim 9 cards to win.
• Heroic difficulty: Claim 10 or more cards to win.

Blink

2 to 5 players.

Objective: Your family has strings of Christmas lights that blink in sequence to make the lights appear to run from one end of the tree to the other. The cards you play represent the bulb that is currently blinking.

The goal is to be the first to empty your hand of cards.

Components:

• 18 Pattern cards
• 7 each of Red, Green, Yellow, Blue, Purple, Pink Bulbs
• 6 Bubble Bulbs — wildcard; matches any color
• 5 Broken Bulbs
• 8 Plugs
• 6 Character cards — optional

Setup: Choose a dealer to do the following steps:

1. Shuffle the Pattern cards together and place the cards face-down to form the Pattern deck.
2. Reveal the top card of the Pattern deck and place it beside the Pattern deck. This is the starting string.
3. Shuffle the plain colored Bulb cards together with the Bubble Bulbs, Broken Bulbs, and Plugs.
4. Deal 10 cards to each player, then place the remaining Bulb cards face-down to form the Bulb deck.
5. Reveal the top card of the Bulb deck and place it beside the Bulb deck to start the discard pile. This is the first blinking bulb. If the card revealed is not a bulb on the Pattern card, keep revealing cards until you find one that is in the pattern.
6. The player to the left of the dealer takes the first turn, and play continues clockwise.

Example: If this is the Pattern card, and the last player used a Green Bulb, you could play Pink (left of Green) or Blue (right of Green). The pattern also wraps around from end to end, so if the last player used a Yellow Bulb, at the far right of the string, you could play Red to join up on the far left.

How to Play:

Playing a card: On your turn, you may play one card from your hand, choosing from these options:

• The next bulb in the string: The top of the discard pile shows the previous bulb that blinked. Find that "blinking" color on the Pattern card. You may play the color that is directly to the left or right of that bulb, but you may not play the same color again.
• A Bubble Bulb: This is a wildcard. When you play the Bubble Bulb, you may name any of the five colors on the current Pattern card. The next player must play one of the colors to the right or left of the named color.
• A Broken Bulb: A Broken Bulb doesn't affect the position of the blinking light at all. Instead of discarding the Broken Bulb on top of the pile, tuck it under the bottom of the discard pile.
• A Plug: When you play a Plug, draw a new Pattern card and place it on top of the current string to become the new string. Then reveal cards from the Bulb deck until you find one of the five colors in the new pattern. Play continues with the new blinking bulb.

Drawing a Card: If you are unable to play anything, you must draw a card. If you draw a card that you can play, you may immediately play it and end your turn. If you cannot play the card you drew, repeat this step up to two more times (for a maximum of three cards). If you reach three cards drawn without playing one, end your turn.

Refreshing the Deck: If the Bulb deck ever runs out, keep the last card played in the discard pile, and shuffle the rest of the discard pile to create the new Bulb deck.

Blink!: When you are down to exactly one card in your hand, you must shout "Blink!". If you forget, and another player catches you with only one card before you shout out, you must draw another card.

Game End / Winning: The game ends immediately when you play your last card. You win!

If you wish to play multiple rounds, the winning player takes one of the Character cards to mark their victory. The first to take two Character cards is the champion. The winner becomes the dealer for the next round.