35 Christmas Party Games for Kids and Adults

Christmas Party Games for Kids

The best Christmas party games for kids have simple rules, short rounds, and very little waiting. For a classroom, family gathering, or neighborhood party, choose two active games and two quieter choices. Keep each round between five and ten minutes. Put supplies in labeled bowls before children arrive, and demonstrate the first turn rather than explaining a long list of rules.

• Santa Says: Play like Simon Says, but use holiday commands such as “pretend to wrap a gift,” “stomp like a reindeer,” and “jingle like a bell.” Children should move only when the leader says “Santa says.”
• Snowball Spoon Relay: Crumple white paper into snowballs. Children carry one on a spoon to a basket and back, then pass the spoon to the next teammate. Use tablespoons for younger children and a larger serving spoon for older players.
• Reindeer Ring Toss: Place antler-shaped headbands or cardboard antlers on a chair. Give each child three soft rings and award one point for every successful toss. Mark a throwing line with painter’s tape.
• Christmas Color Hunt: Call out a color, such as red or silver. Players have 30 seconds to touch a safe object in that color, then return to the starting spot. Ban running near tables, stairs, and the Christmas tree.
• Gift-Wrap Freeze Dance: Play holiday music while children dance. Pause it without warning; anyone who moves must perform a funny wrapping-paper pose before rejoining. Try poses such as “tape stuck to your elbow” or “box too heavy to lift.”
• Candy Cane Fishing: Tie yarn to a candy cane and use it to hook other candy canes from a bowl. Give players one minute, and use unwrapped treats if children will eat them afterward. For a nonfood version, hook paper candy canes instead.

Avoid elimination for preschoolers. Let children earn stickers, stamps, or applause for participation instead of removing them after one mistake. A personalized video from Santa can provide a memorable opening message before the games begin; keep it under two minutes so the children get to the action quickly.

Christmas Party Games for Families

Family games work best when grandparents, parents, and children can contribute in different ways. Pair older players with younger ones, use teams instead of individual elimination, and explain every rule before starting. Keep pencils, paper, timers, and bowls in one central place. A large-print score sheet helps guests who cannot easily read small cards.

• Christmas Charades: Write prompts such as “building a snowman,” “hanging stockings,” and “opening a present” on slips of paper. One player acts while the team guesses within 60 seconds. Add “burning your tongue on cocoa” for a prompt children recognize.
• Holiday Pictionary: Give each artist a seasonal word and one minute to draw it. Use a whiteboard or large paper so everyone can see the picture. Permit symbols and stick figures; the point is quick guessing, not artistic skill.
• Name That Carol: Hum or whistle the melody of a familiar carol for ten seconds. Teams write their answers instead of shouting to give quieter guests a fair chance. Use three easy songs first, then add a less familiar tune for a bonus point.
• Family Holiday Bingo: Make cards with squares such as “wearing red,” “has baked cookies,” and “owns a Christmas ornament older than ten years.” Players mingle to find people who match. Require a different name in every square.
• Mystery Stocking: Place safe household objects in a stocking. Players feel one item without looking and write down guesses, such as spoon, mitten, pinecone, or ribbon. Give one point for each exact answer and remove anything sharp or breakable.
• Christmas Memory Tray: Display 15 holiday objects for one minute, then cover the tray. Players list as many as they remember, including details such as a silver bell or striped bow. For children, reduce the display to eight objects and allow pictures instead of written answers.

For a family tradition, end the game session with a short letter-from-Santa moment using a personalized Santa letter. Give children time to read it aloud, while adults use the pause to serve cocoa, gingerbread, or dessert. Save the letters in a memory box and repeat the activity each December.

Christmas Party Games for Adults

Adult guests usually enjoy games with clever prompts, friendly competition, and a little nostalgia. Offer an alcohol-free version of every activity, especially when families are present. Put the rules on a card and set a visible five-minute limit so conversation remains the main event. Small prizes can include a chocolate bar, a packet of cocoa, or first choice from the dessert plate.

• Bad Santa Gift Auction: Give each player the same number of paper tokens. Auction wrapped mystery gifts using clues only, then let winners reveal their selections at the end. Use useful, silly items such as a mug, puzzle book, hot-sauce set, or pair of wool socks.
• Holiday Movie Quote Match: Print short, recognizable quotes from seasonal films and place them in a bowl. Teams match each quote to a movie without using phones. Include a mix of films from different decades so one age group does not dominate.
• Christmas Song Lyric Finish: Read the first half of a familiar lyric and pause. Teams write the next line; award points for the closest accurate answer. To avoid copyright-heavy handouts, read the prompts aloud rather than printing complete lyrics.
• Ugly Sweater Awards: Create categories such as “most sparkly,” “best handmade detail,” and “most likely to scare a snowman.” Guests vote by secret ballot. Add “best outfit under $20” for guests who do not own an ugly sweater.
• Festive Two Truths and a Lie: Each person gives three holiday statements, such as “I once opened a gift on December 1” or “I have eaten fruitcake in three countries.” Guests guess the lie. Keep each turn to one minute so the game does not become a series of long speeches.
• Ornament Backstory Contest: Hand each player an unusual ornament or photo of one. They invent a two-minute backstory, and the group votes for the most entertaining tale. Require one real detail, such as a place, year, or family member, before the fictional part begins.

A Santa message can make a grown-up gathering feel personal without interrupting dinner. Ask the host to mention the group’s shared tradition, then play it before the final award or dessert course. A short message about the annual cookie swap or December 24 board-game marathon will land better than a generic greeting.

Christmas Party Games for Large Groups

Large gatherings need games that keep many people involved at once. Divide guests into teams of four to eight, assign one captain, and give every team the same materials. Number each station or round so guests know where to go next. For a party of 24, four teams of six are easier to manage than one large circle.

1. Holiday Scavenger Hunt: Give teams a list of 12 items or photo challenges, such as finding a pinecone, posing beside a wreath, or locating a red mitten. Set a 20-minute deadline and require teams to return together. Do not send guests into private rooms or outdoors without permission.
2. Christmas Trivia Ladder: Prepare questions in easy, medium, and hard levels. Teams climb one step for each correct answer, but a wrong answer sends them back one step. Include questions about carols, winter foods, films, and the host’s harmless personal traditions.
3. Wrapping Paper Relay: Teams race to wrap an empty box, add a bow, and carry it to a finish line. Judge both speed and whether the paper completely covers the box. Give each team the same-size box, two sheets of paper, tape, and one bow.
4. Carol Telephone: The first player quietly reads a holiday sentence, such as “Three tiny elves baked cinnamon rolls.” Each person whispers it once, and the last player announces what they heard. Award a point if the final sentence preserves at least three key words.
5. Holiday Human Bingo: Create a 5-by-5 grid with prompts such as “plays an instrument” or “has traveled on December 25.” Players must find a different guest for each square. Set a 15-minute limit and prohibit players from using the same person twice.
6. North Pole Stations: Set up five two-minute challenges: stack cups into a tree, sort red and green buttons, toss snowballs into a bucket, solve a word scramble, and balance a gift box. Give each station a volunteer to reset supplies and record scores.

For a mixed-age crowd, award points for teamwork and creativity, not only speed. A simple scoreboard on a poster helps guests follow progress without asking the host for updates every few minutes. Offer a seated role—scorekeeper, clue reader, or photographer—to guests who cannot join the physical challenges.

Quiet Christmas Party Games Indoors

Quiet games are useful during dinner, after energetic play, or when a baby is sleeping nearby. They also suit apartments and small living rooms. Prepare printed cards in advance, and choose activities that can be paused when food is served. Place pencils on saucers or in mugs so they do not disappear under plates.

• Christmas Word Scramble: Mix up words such as “mistletoe,” “stocking,” “evergreen,” and “gingerbread.” Give players eight minutes to solve as many as possible. Provide a word bank for children and use longer words for adults.
• Ornament Estimate Jar: Fill a clear jar with unbreakable ornaments, bows, or wrapped candies. Guests write one estimate; the closest guess wins without opening the container. Record the actual count on the back of the jar before guests arrive.
• Holiday Categories: Name a category such as Christmas foods, winter animals, or gift ideas. Going around the table, each player has five seconds to add a new answer. Anyone who repeats an answer sits out for that round, then returns for the next category.
• Christmas Bingo: Use images instead of words for younger children, including a star, mitten, bell, and snowman. Call each picture and pause long enough for players to check their cards. Use buttons or paper circles as markers rather than loose hard candy.
• Finish the Christmas Story: Start with one sentence about a lost reindeer. Each person adds one sentence, and a recorder writes the story for a dramatic reading later. Set a 12-sentence limit so the ending arrives before dessert gets cold.
• Holiday Doodle Guess: One player draws a seasonal object with their non-dominant hand. Others guess before the 45-second timer ends. Give prompts such as “a crooked Christmas tree,” “a mitten,” or “a plate of cookies.”

Use washable markers and sturdy cards if toddlers are nearby. Keep small pieces away from children under three, and replace hard candy with large paper tokens when safety is uncertain. Never leave a jar of small ornaments within a young child’s reach.

Christmas Party Games With History and Tradition

Traditional games can add meaning to a modern party. Boxing Day is observed on December 26 in the United Kingdom and several Commonwealth countries, while Twelfth Night traditionally falls on January 5 or 6. You can adapt old customs without requiring guests to know their history: give a 30-second explanation, then start the game.

• Christmas Crackers Trivia: In Britain, Christmas crackers became popular in the 19th century after confectioner Tom Smith developed the snapping paper design. Make paper tubes with jokes, paper crowns, and trivia slips, then pull them safely at the table. Do not use homemade crackers with matches or other ignition devices.
• Twelfth Night Bean Hunt: The medieval Twelfth Night cake tradition sometimes included a hidden bean or pea to select a temporary king or queen. Hide a large paper star under one plate and let the finder lead the next game. Use a paper marker rather than a real bean around toddlers.
• Yule Log Story Race: The Yule log is a winter custom with roots in European traditions. Teams create a five-line story using the required words “fire,” “evergreen,” “bell,” “snow,” and “gift.” Give them three minutes, then have one player read each story aloud.
• Wassail Toast Quiz: Wassailing has been associated with seasonal singing and shared drinks in England. Serve warm apple cider and ask teams to identify spices by scent, using cinnamon, clove, orange peel, and nutmeg. Keep the spice samples in labeled cups for guests with allergies.
• Caroling Route Challenge: Caroling became a widespread seasonal custom in Europe and North America. Give teams a map of the home or venue and ask them to visit three stations, singing one verse at each. Guests who prefer not to sing can carry the route card or judge the verses.
• King Cake Crown: Place paper crowns beside a cake or ring-shaped bread. The person who finds the marked serving wears the crown and chooses the next team captain. Warn guests about any hidden marker and never bake a hard object into the cake.

For background on seasonal customs, see the Wikipedia article on Christmas and the Victoria and Albert Museum’s Christmas traditions guide. Explain the tradition briefly, then let the game take center stage. The strongest activities leave guests with something to talk about: a new carol, a family recipe, or the story behind an old ornament.