‘Tis the season, my friends. It’s time to deck the halls, hang the stockings, kiss under the mistletoe, listen to festive music, eat far too many delicious treats, and of course, find the perfect holiday-themed game. Today I’ve got a fabulously festive match-three game, Grey Alien Games’ Holiday Bonus, and what would a holiday game be without holiday treats? I’ve got a delicious ginger cookie recipe that’ll put you right in the holiday mood.

Your delightful game:

The old grandfather clock in the front hall chimes midnight. A smile creeps onto your face as you silently sneak downstairs to check the Christmas tree. You push open the tall mahogany doors to reveal a beautiful Christmas spread. An evergreen tree looms above you, sparkling with tinsel, ornaments and strings of lights. Underneath, piles of presents await you. The fireplace crackles, warming the room, and candles burn on the mantle.

And this is only the opening.

Each level of Holiday Bonus is set against a beautiful winter background. As you play through each round you are transported to a collection of winter wonderlands from a snow covered pond, to a hilltop blanketed with fresh snow and even to the North Pole. The game is beautiful and the music is tranquil and festive – no classic Christmas tunes, but music that’s slightly reminiscent of them, and that certainly fits in with the holiday spirit.

The gameplay is simple and fun. It’s a classic match-three game, but with a holiday twist. You’re matching gingerbread men, Christmas trees, gifts, Santa hats, ornaments, and more, trying to clear the ice panes off the items. In later stages, some of the items are encased in ice cubs, which you can’t use until the ice has been melted by a match stick (one of the bonus items).

A new bonus item shows up in each stage, giving you more options. Items such as a snowman or a snowball can be used to empty the space for new items to fall down. Bonuses such as the firecrackers or the pudding can be exploded to clear the surrounding spaces and the star can be used to explode the space of your choosing.

Throughout the game, you can unlock eleven bonus background pictures, which are as beautiful as the original ones. You also have the option to set any of the backdrops as your desktop wallpaper for year-round holiday cheer. There’s not a whole lot of variation in the gameplay - except for the addition of new bonus items and increased grid size or more unusual grid shapes – but that’s part of why this is such a great game. You can sit back and enjoy the holidays with beautiful pictures, festive music, and still have one hand free for cookies and eggnog.

Your tasty dinner:

One of the best things about the holidays is the fact that it’s like an open invitation to constantly eat delicious treats. I honestly think that from Thanksgiving to New Year’s I never stop eating – chocolates, cookies, candy canes, whatever. So to feed this awful habit, I’m sharing one of my favorite holiday cookie recipes, ginger cookies. The recipe is pretty simple, although there are some special spices you may not usually have around. I always just roll the cookies into balls as the recipe calls for, but they’ll work equally well rolled into gingerbread men if you’d prefer. These cookies are sure to put you in the holiday spirit.

Ginger Cookies

You’ll need:

-3/4 cup shortening
-1 egg
-1/2 cup white sugar
-1 cup brown sugar
-1/4 cup molasses

- 1/4 tsp cloves
-1/4 tsp cinnamon
-1 tsp ginger
-1 tsp baking soda
-1/2 tsp salt
-2 cups flour

-Additional small bowl of white sugar

1. Cream shortening, egg, sugars and molasses in a big bowl.
2. In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining ingredients (cloves, cinnamon, ginger, baking soda, salt, and flour).
3. Mix the dry mixture into the wet mixture a little at a time, until fully combined.
4. Refrigerate the dough for 1 hour.
5. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees.
6. Roll the cold dough into 1-1 ½ inch balls, roll balls in a bowl of sugar to coat and place on a cookie sheet.
7. Bake for 12-15 minutes.
8. If you want the cookies soft, then put them into an air-tight bag or container once they’ve cooled a bit; if you want the cookies crispier (more gingersnap-like), leave them in the open air.
9. Grab a plate and enjoy some holiday cheer!