Mahjong Solitaire Christmas Mahjong Christmas Present Mahjong
Christmas Present Mahjong
Christmas Present Mahjong wraps the 144 tiles up as a gift: a flat box, a ribbon running across it both ways, and a bow tied on top. It is part of our Christmas Mahjong collection.
Most of the box is a single layer, so it looks easy, and mostly it is. The catch is the ribbon. It is stacked higher than the box, and it splits every row into two halves that you have to clear separately.
How to play
The rules are the same on every layout. Click two free tiles with the same face to remove them. A tile is free when nothing sits on top of it and its left or right side is open. Any flower matches any flower, and any season matches any season. Clear all 72 pairs to win. The how to play guide has pictures.
How the Christmas Present layout is built
The box is twelve tiles wide and seven rows deep, one tile high. A ribbon two tiles wide runs down the middle three high, and a second ribbon runs across the box two high. On top sit the bow, two pairs of tiles stacked three high, and the knot, two tiles stacked four high.
Tips for Christmas Present Mahjong
- Start with the bow and the knot. They are the highest tiles on the board.
- Clear the ribbon from the top down. Each row of the box is cut in two by the ribbon, and the halves only open up from the outer ends until the ribbon is gone.
- The outside edge of the box has free tiles on every row from the start. Keep a few in reserve rather than using them all at once.
Christmas Present layout at a glance
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Tiles
- 144 (72 pairs)
- Layers
- 3
- Board size
- 12 tiles wide, 9 rows deep
- Free at the start
- 36 tiles
- Cleared in our tests
- About 65%
The Christmas Present layout stacks its 144 tiles in three layers: 92 on the table, 32 on layer 2, 20 on top.
How we rate difficulty. We had the computer play 200 games on each layout, picking moves the same way our Hint button does. On Christmas Present it cleared the board without a shuffle in about 65% of games. That is easier than the classic Turtle, which comes in at about 50%. People who plan ahead do better than that, but the order of the layouts stays much the same. The full list is on the all layouts page.
More Christmas layouts
Six festive shapes, all with the same 144 tiles and the same rules. Each one is a little different to clear.
Christmas Tree MahjongEasy A tall tree with a star on top, a trunk and a pot. 
Snowman MahjongEasy A hat, a round head, a body and a big round base. 
Christmas Bell MahjongMedium A domed bell with a flared rim and a clapper below. 
Christmas Stocking MahjongEasy A stocking with a raised cuff and a foot pointing right. 
Christmas Wreath MahjongEasy A round wreath with a bow tied at the bottom. See all six Christmas layouts or all 24 year-round layouts
Questions people ask
Is Christmas Present Mahjong easy?
Yes, mostly. It was cleared without a shuffle in about 65% of our test games, a little easier than the classic Turtle.
How many tiles are in it?
144, or 72 pairs. Most sit in the flat box, with the rest in the ribbon and the bow.
Where are the other Christmas layouts?
On the Christmas Mahjong page, with the Christmas Tree, Snowman, Bell, Stocking and Wreath.