Christmas Match 3 Deluxe

This is the Christmas member of a family that also comes in Halloween, Easter, food, vegetable and gemstone editions — the same skeleton with a different set of pieces on top. Worth saying plainly, because if you have played one of them you already know this one.

What it does well is the season. Baubles, gifts and lights are drawn warmly enough that a December session feels like a December session, and the target-per-level structure means you can finish a board in the time it takes a kettle to boil.

Hourglasses, bombs and the jolly item come along for the harder stretches. Nothing here is trying to surprise you; it is a reliable seasonal board, and it knows it.

One practical note: because the family shares a skeleton, progress you make here teaches you nothing new about the others, and vice versa. Pick the edition whose pieces you read fastest and stay with it.

1. Look at the target the level sets.
2. Match three or more identical festive items to bring it down.
3. Hold the helpers back until the difficulty actually arrives.
4. Play a board or two at a time; they are short by design.

If you want the same structure without the season, the family has editions in food, sports, vegetables and gemstones on this site. They play identically, so pick by which pieces you find easiest to read.