41 Best Christmas Party Games for Holiday Fun
Updated: Apr. 16, 2024
Here are more than 40 Christmas party games to try at your next holiday party! Kids aren't the only ones who should be having fun this Christmas—though we have plenty of games for them too.
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‘Tis the season for Christmas party games
The air is cold, the lights are twinkling and the time for Christmas parties is upon us, which means it’s Christmas party game season! Every great Christmas party always has lots of food, plenty of Christmas activities and Christmas games everyone can play (like Christmas bingo).
We’ve rounded up the best holiday party games that will be a guaranteed hit at your next party—whether you’re the host or a guest. They’re all pretty universal, so you won’t have to worry about them not fitting in with any Christmas themes you may have in mind. So break out the eggnog, turn up the tunes and get ready for the best Christmas party yet.
Name that Christmas tune
Here’s a fun and easy Christmas party game! Play just three seconds of some of the best Christmas songs while guests compete to see who can guess them first. Either break up into teams or have everyone fend for themselves.
Christmas Jeopardy
Ah, everyone’s favorite game show, but this time, it’s Christmas trivia! And you can totally DIY this one. Just get yourself a pocket chart and label some index cards with monetary amounts, similar to how Jeopardy does it.
Christmas 20 questions
Come up with a bunch of holiday characters from either movies, songs or TV shows. Tape the name of a character onto each person’s back (or you can place them over your head) and have everyone ask yes-or-no questions to try to figure out who they are. If you’re looking for some new Christmas traditions to create this year, this game is certainly a good contender.
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LEGO masters
Give your guests a bucket of LEGOs and challenge them to a holiday-themed brick-off (that’s LEGO-speak for a building competition). Or, invest in one larger set, like LEGO Holiday Main Street, and enjoy a collaborative build. This might be a great Christmas Eve tradition to start this year.
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Air ornament game
This is the Christmas party games version of the classic game where you try to blow a ping-pong ball from one end of a table to the other. For the holiday season, try it with a (shatterproof) Christmas ornament! You could even try and get the bauble over a tinsel goal line. Once you’re done, you can use the bauble in one of these Christmas wreath ideas.
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Jingle bell toss
Re-enact your college days with this family-friendly party game. That’s right, it’s basically Pong, but with jingle bells! Try it with mini jingles and mini Solo cups for the kids (you might want to double up the cups or fill them with candy rather than putting any liquid in there). You can adapt the rules to suit your family (we like to play to win candy). Set up cups at each end of a table, and two teams take turns throwing bells into the cups; a bell in a cup wins the candy inside and ends that turn. The first team to get rid of all their cups wins. It’s nearly as funny as these Christmas memes!
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Santa Cookie Elf Candy Snowman
If you and your family are already fans of the bestselling hand-slapping party game Taco Cat Goat Cheese Pizza, you need this adorable seasonal version. Pull a card, say the word and slap if it’s a match. Best enjoyed with kids, grandparents and a plate of cookies nearby (we can only say “cookie!” so many times before we get hungry). If you’re looking for something to watch after you play, see if any of these Christmas movies on Netflix do the trick.
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Candy cane hunt
The Easter egg hunt is one of the best parts of Easter, and who says you can’t use the concept for other holiday party games too? Hide some candy canes around the house or yard, and set the kids searching for them. Who knows, the candy cane hunt could become a Christmas party games tradition! Make sure to put out these Christmas appetizers so people have something to munch on after they play.
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Christmas word scramble game
Kids and adults who love holiday party games will adore this seasonal word scramble. Featuring both an easier and a harder scramble, these printable cards ensure a few quiet moments around the tree. Erediner? Blijel sleng? Best to try this challenge before the next round of eggnog. For more hilarious Christmas wordplay, check out these funny Christmas quotes.
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What’s in the bag?
Gingerbread house? Candy cane? Snowman? Gather some cute little ornaments, toss them into a bag and have your guests stick a hand in and try to guess what’s inside without looking. Winner gets a new ornament for their tree.
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Christmas Scattergories
There are only 26 letters in the alphabet, so it should be pretty easy to come up with a holiday-themed word starting with each letter, right? This Christmas party games spin-off of the popular Scattergories game will test your family’s vocabulary. Simply print it off, distribute and fill out; if you’re the only one to use a word, you get a point. Most points wins!
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Tinsel limbo
Even if you’re full of amazing Christmas tree ideas and holiday decor inspiration, chances are you’ll have some tinsel left over. That means it’s time for tinsel limbo! Tape some tinsel in a doorway, or have it held by the two tallest (or shortest) members of the family, then turn up the tunes and take turns limbo-ing under the ever-decreasing space. Bonus points if you limbo while wearing reindeer antlers. Also: We advise playing this holiday party game before your big meal.
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Pass the ornament
Look ma, no hands! This Christmas version of the classic “pass the orange” party game needs an oversize Christmas bauble to work. The aim is to pass it around in a circle without using your hands: think chin, elbow, even armpit! Drop the bauble and you’re banished to eat Christmas cookies and watch the others play. Last player standing wins! If you think they deserve a prize, check out our holiday gift ideas to find the perfect present for every partygoer.
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Naughty or Nice scratch-off game
Hand out these scratch-off games to your Christmas party guests, and find out once and for all who’s naughty and who’s nice. Out of the 60 cards, 55 are naughty and just five are nice, so having five bags of candy and 55 bags of coal on hand to distribute would make this game even more fun. Word to the wise: Don’t play this with kids who still believe in Santa, or you’ll wind up with some hurt feelings!
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Christmas Emoji Pictionary
See if you can translate these emojis into common Christmas phrases. As far as Christmas riddles go, everyone will get super psyched over trying to figure these out. Split everyone into teams, or just have everyone yell out the answers. You’ll be surprised how excited people get over emojis.
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Chubby Santa
You may know this one as “Chubby Bunny,” but for this Christmas party game, the bunny becomes Santa. Put a marshmallow in your mouth and say “Chubby Santa” while continuing to add more marshmallows. See who can say “Chubby Santa” with the most marshmallows in their mouth at once. This is guaranteed to get a ton of laughs.
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Christmas charades
Charades is always a hit. Plus, this Christmas party game works for all kinds of parties, from classroom parties to work parties and even family parties. Watch everyone make a fool of themselves trying to act out building a snowman or being a reindeer. Your uncle’s elf impression is even better than these DIY Christmas decorations.
Ugly Christmas sweater contest
Have everyone show up to the party in their ugliest Christmas sweater. Whoever has the weirdest one is the winner! You can also have other categories such as “most creative sweater,” “most unique sweater” and “funniest sweater.”
Holiday movie drinking game
Who doesn’t love a good movie party? Pop on one of the best Christmas movies and then choose a certain phrase or act that gets said or done a lot in the movie. For example, every time Buddy in Elf says “candy” or “presents,” take a sip of your eggnog or other fun Christmas cocktail.
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Hallmark Christmas movie bingo
This holiday twist on bingo includes a bunch of cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie tropes, like “big career moment” and “town event in jeopardy.” Throw on a movie, and every time something on your board happens, place a chip (or a candy cane) down.
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Holiday Feud
Steve Harvey isn’t likely to be moderating your game (or maybe he is—we don’t know who’s coming to your party!). Regardless, this Holiday Feud card game is always a hit, bringing out people’s most competitive sides. Everyone will write down one response per question, and the top four answers for each will be awarded points. If you want to give all your guests a card when they leave, check out these free Christmas cards that you can print right at home.
Christmas movie trivia
Find out how well everyone knows the most festive films, from Elf to It’s a Wonderful Life. Use our Christmas movie trivia questions with answers to get people thinking. No setup for this one. Just ask the questions and have everyone yell out the answers.
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Gingerbread scavenger hunt
It doesn’t matter how old you are—everyone loves a good scavenger hunt. As far as Christmas party games go, this one will get everyone excited. Set up these clues around the house (or wherever you’re playing) to get people running around looking for the next task.
Toilet paper snowman
Time to get creative! Divide everyone into teams. Each team will have a designated snowman. Set a timer and have each team transform that person into the best snowman. Think lots of toilet paper!
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Christmas Mad Libs
While you can play this game solo, it’s way more fun with a group. Just pass the book and pen around the table so everyone can fill in a word of their choice. You’ll all be laughing at all the wacky stories you come up with, and you might get some inspiration for what to write in your Christmas cards too.
White elephant
This is a common holiday party game, but it’s a fun one. Have everyone bring a wrapped gift (think small and unique or funny). Let all the guests choose a number from a hat. The first person gets to choose the first gift. The second person has the option to choose a new gift or steal the gift the first person already picked, and so on. You can either have everyone unwrap along the way or keep everything hidden until the very end to keep it interesting. If you need inspiration for choosing a gift, check out the best gifts for her and best gifts for him that will work for any occasion.
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Christmas-opoly
Who doesn’t love Monopoly? Now you can play your favorite game, but with a Christmas spin. Pieces include a candy cane, teddy bear, reindeer and Scrooge. Collect Christmas properties and buy presents, but watch out—if you get snowed in, you’ll have to miss three turns.
Telephone
Here’s a throwback to the good ol’ summer camp days. Whisper a Christmas phrase, movie title or song to the person next to you. Then they’ll whisper to the next person, and so on. The last person will say what they heard out loud. You’ll all be laughing at how everything gets lost in translation.
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Christmas puzzle
OK, hear us out. While a puzzle may not seem like one of the most exciting Christmas party games, if you leave one out on the table, you’ll be surprised how many people end up sitting down to find some matching pieces. Guests tend to enjoy having something to do with their hands (besides eating and drinking) while chatting.
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Guess the number of candy canes
Fill a jar with a bunch of mini candy canes. Have your guests write down how many candy canes they think are in the jar. Whoever comes closest (or even guesses correctly) is the winner of the Christmas party games—and a huge jar of candy!
Never have I ever
This is a classic party game, so why not make it holiday themed? Have any of your guests ever regifted something? Has anyone ever seen Santa himself? Has anyone ever won an ugly sweater contest? Take a sip of your drink if you have not. You’ll all get to know each other much more intimately. For example, never have I ever gone someplace warm for Christmas!
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Pin the nose on the snowman
While this is a great game for kids, adults will love it too—especially after a couple of drinks. Blindfold the player, spin them around and see if they can pin the carrot nose on the snowman. Whoever gets closest is the winner.
The Christmas carol challenge
Some Christmas party games are perfect for singers and karaoke lovers. Pick a classic holiday song everyone knows. Each person will sing a line from the song until someone messes up. That person will then be out, and the game will continue until there is one Christmas song champ left standing. Remember, you don’t have to be in tune, you just have to know the words! If in doubt, just sing a Christmas quote instead.
Two truths and a lie
You may already be familiar with this game, but it’s time to add a holiday spin. Say two truths and a lie, and everyone else has to figure out which is the lie. Use anything from funny holiday stories to strange gifts, even embarrassing Christmas moments.
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Ornament race
You may have played this with Easter eggs, but how about Christmas ornaments? Place a small holiday (shatterproof) ornament on a spoon. Each player has to balance the spoon (tail end in their mouth) with the ornament on it while racing to the finish line.
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Christmas Pictionary
Put your art skills to the test and see how well you can draw a nutcracker. This game is always a hit, especially after everyone’s had a couple of drinks.
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Roll the Dice gift exchange
This game will make your gift exchange this year all the more fun. Everyone should come with a small wrapped gift—it may be even more fun if they’re all gag gifts. Each person will roll the dice to see what they need to do with their gift. For example, if you roll a 12, you get to choose someone else’s gift for yourself. If you need ideas, Christmas books always make a great gift.
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The Nightmare Before Christmas Clue
Bring the murder mystery to the party! In this spin on the classic game Clue, the object of the game is to find Sandy Claws. Who kidnapped him? Is he in the toy workshop? Was he subdued with a wreath? Time to find out.
Christmas cookie bake-off
Have everyone come to the party with their best Christmas cookie recipe. The best part about this holiday party game is that everyone gets to eat a bunch of cookies. Make it even more interesting by having categories such as “best frosting” or “best design.” If you’re looking to post some of your pics from the evening, check out these Christmas captions for all your holiday photos.
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Gingerbread house competition
Adults can make gingerbread houses too! Either have everyone create their own, or split guests up into teams. Make sure to pick up all the best candies and frostings to decorate the house. You can either purchase a few gingerbread house kits or have everyone start from scratch using graham crackers and milk cartons. Let’s see how competitive your friends can really get. Just make sure to check out these Christmas pickup lines before the party starts. By the way, if this sounds like something you’d love to do, you might also like to see the winners of America’s largest gingerbread house competition and what they came up with.
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Reindeer ring toss
Besides just a fun game to have at your Christmas party, this inflatable reindeer ring toss game doubles as some extra Christmas decor. First, draw straws to determine who will wear the reindeer crown. Then see who can get the most rings to land on the reindeer’s antlers to determine the winner. Now that you know which Christmas party games you want to play, make sure you start working on those DIY Christmas ornaments for the most festive home.
Originally Published: October 10, 2021
