Christmas Lights Puzzle: turn the wires and light every bulb

How to play

Every tile holds a piece of wire – a bulb, a straight piece, a bend or a T-piece – and a tap or a click turns it a quarter to the right; Shift + click, a right click or a long press turns it to the left. Powered wire and lit bulbs show at once: the lights are fixed when every tile is joined to the plug in the middle and no wire ends in empty space or at the edge of the board. The arrow keys move between the tiles and Enter or Space turns one; under the board are „Undo”, „Start over”, „New board” and „Hint” (it sets one wrong tile right and locks it), and Fast gives 9 × 9 tiles 3 minutes.

Why play? Every turn is a small step of logical thinking – follow the current from the plug, work out which way a piece has to point and plan the next moves. It suits children from about 7 as well as adults: the 5 × 5 board is a quick warm-up, and 9 × 9 against the clock is a real brain teaser.

Also useful

• Christmas Lights Out: switch on every light on the tree
• Light up your own house
• Christmas Minesweeper: dodge the lumps of coal in the snow
• Christmas Connect: join matching tiles with a line
• Christmas Sudoku for kids and adults
• Christmas 2048: merge the tiles all the way to Santa

More on santa.haus

• Christmas quizzesTrivia and emoji puzzles, checked as you play, with sheets to print for teams.
• Christmas bingoa card of its own on each phone, a caller that draws the words, or up to 40 different cards to print.
• Party gamesCharades, “Who am I?” and fifteen one-minute games – played in teams on one phone.
• Advent calendarMake one online and send it: a door a day until Christmas Eve.
• Online Christmas cardPick a picture, write your wishes and send the card as a link. Free, no account.
• Christmas printablesColoring pages, cards, gift wrapping and decorations to cut out – print them at home, free.

Drawing names for gifts too? Secret Santa on santa.haus.