28 Best Family Christmas Party Game with Detailed Gameplay Guides 2024

The holiday season is the perfect time to gather the family and make some unforgettable memories. One of the best ways to ensure everyone is engaged and having fun at your Christmas gathering is by incorporating a variety of exciting games. We’ve compiled the 30 best family Christmas party games that guarantee laughter, friendly competition, and a ton of holiday cheer.

Marshmallow Stack

Start your holiday festivities with a simple yet challenging game that tests your stacking skills: Marshmallow Stack. Here’s how it goes:

1. Gather a group of players and form a circle.
2. Each player takes turns stacking one marshmallow on top of another.
3. Continue stacking until the tower collapses.
4. The player responsible for the collapse is eliminated.
5. The game proceeds until there’s one player left standing as the marshmallow stacking champion.

Not only will Marshmallow Stack provide cheerful competition, but it’s a fantastic way to kick off your Christmas party with a lighthearted challenge.

Name That Christmas Song

Put your family’s Christmas song knowledge to the test!

1. Divide everyone into two or more teams.
2. Assign one person as the DJ who will play short clips or hum the start of Christmas songs.
3. Teams must buzz in to guess the song title or the singer.
4. Provide points for correct answers and move on to the next clip.

It’s amazing how quickly someone can recognize “Jingle Bells,” even from just the first few notes. This game is sure to bring out everyone’s competitive spirit and festive cheer.

Toilet Paper Snowman

This game is tailored for giggles and creativity:

1. Divide participants into pairs.
2. Hand out a roll of toilet paper to each team.
3. One member wraps the other, transforming them into a ‘snowman.’
4. Add final touches with scarves, hats, buttons, and carrot noses.

The team that finishes their snowman first wins! It’s a wacky, fun-filled activity that results in hilarious photos.

Family Christmas Carol Karaoke

Turn your living room into a festive concert hall with Christmas Carol Karaoke:

1. Gather karaoke equipment or use a karaoke app.
2. Prepare popular Christmas carols and Christmas hits.
3. Participants choose their favorite songs and perform for the group.

For a competitive twist, have judges score each performance, or set up a voting system. It’s a jolly way to share and celebrate everyone’s musical talents—or lack thereof!

Pass the Hot Bow

Transform the classic game of hot potato with a festive twist:

1. Have participants form a circle.
2. Instead of a potato, use a large Christmas bow.
3. Play holiday music and pass the bow around.
4. When the music stops, the person holding the bow is eliminated.

The game continues until only one player is left. This lighthearted and straightforward game is especially great for younger children.

Rudolph Races

Channel Rudolph’s spirit with a race against the clock:

1. Create a large Rudolph poster and attach a red pom-pom nose with Velcro.
2. Participants use Vaseline on their noses to pick up a red pom-pom and race to stick it on Rudolph’s nose.
3. No hands allowed!

This game is hilarious and great fun for kids and adults alike. It is guaranteed to spark joyful competition and laughter.

Scavenger Hunts

Engage the entire family with a Christmas-themed scavenger hunt:

1. Hide Christmas-themed items throughout your home or yard.
2. Provide participants with a list of items to find.
3. Offer small prizes for those who collect the most items.

Customize the difficulty based on the age group to ensure everyone enjoys the hunt. It’s a classic activity that combines fun and exploration.

Candy Cane Hunt

Christmas wouldn’t be complete without candy canes:

1. Hide candy canes all over the house or yard.
2. Set a timer and let participants hunt for them.
3. The person who finds the most candy canes wins a prize.

This game offers a sweet reward for sharp-eyed participants and is sure to excite kids and adults.

Guess the Number of Candies

An easy icebreaker that can get both kids and adults involved:

1. Fill a jar with Christmas-themed candies or M&Ms.
2. Have everyone write down their guesses for how many candies are in the jar.
3. The person closest to the actual number wins the jar.

In addition to being a fun guessing game, it’s a great conversation starter as guests arrive.

Christmas Memory Games

Test everyone’s memory with a Christmas twist:

1. Print or draw pairs of Christmas-themed images (e.g., Santa, gifts, snowflakes).
2. Arrange them face down on a table.
3. Players take turns flipping two cards to find matches.
4. Continue until all matches are found.

It’s simple to set up and fun for all ages.

Blindfold Christmas Drawing

Unleash creativity with a bit of a challenge:

1. Provide participants with paper plates and markers.
2. Blindfold each player.
3. Ask the participants to draw a Christmas scene (like a snowman) while the plate rests on their head.
4. Reveal the drawings, and see who managed the most accurate or funniest depiction.

This game’s results are guaranteed to be giggle-worthy.

Christmas Family Feud

Bring the excitement of the Family Feud to your Christmas party:

1. Prepare holiday-themed questions and survey your family for their answers.
2. Split guests into two teams.
3. Teams must answer questions within a time limit to score points.

With questions such as, “Name something you’d find in a Christmas stocking,” this game is bound to be a hit.

Secret Santa Exchange with a Twist

Add some intrigue to your Secret Santa:

1. Everyone draws a name in advance to buy a gift, but add unique themes like “ugly gifts” or “handmade only”.
2. Exchange gifts and guess who bought what for whom.
3. Award prizes for the best guesses and the best-themed gift.

This exchange adds a layer of mystery and fun to the traditional Secret Santa.

Christmas Word Search

Prepare a word search with festive terms:

1. Use Christmas-related words like “reindeer,” “poinsettia,” and “mistletoe.”
2. Hand out the word search to participants and give them a time limit to find all the words.
3. The first person to find all the words wins.

This game is a fun and stimulating challenge that also works great in a classroom setting.

Christmas Movie Bingo

Enjoy a cozy movie night with a twist:

1. Create and distribute bingo cards featuring common scenes or phrases from classic Christmas movies.
2. Watch a holiday film and have participants mark their cards as they see or hear these moments.
3. The first to complete a row or column yells “Bingo!” and wins a prize.

This is a delightful way to mix movie night with a game.

Ugly Sweater Contest

Celebrate uniquely festive fashion:

1. Encourage everyone to wear their most outrageous Christmas sweaters.
2. Hold a fashion show where everyone gets to strut their stuff.
3. Vote on categories such as “ugliest sweater,” “most creative,” or “funniest.”
4. Award modest prizes for the winners.

A great icebreaker, an ugly sweater contest guarantees lots of laughs and creative fashion statements.

Pin the Nose on Rudolph

Add a holiday twist to the classic game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey:

1. Use a large poster of Rudolph and make red noses out of paper.
2. Blindfold each participant, spin them three times, and guide them to Rudolph.
3. Each person tries to pin the nose as close to the correct spot as possible.

It’s simple, timeless fun that everyone can enjoy.

Christmas Mad Libs

Turn storytelling into a hilarious activity:

1. Create holiday-themed Mad Libs by omitting key words from traditional Christmas stories or carols.
2. Have participants fill in the blanks without knowing the context.
3. Read the completed stories aloud and enjoy the hilarity.

This game is perfect for creative laughs and a bit of goofy holiday fun.

Reindeer Ring Toss

Engage in a competitive, skill-based activity:

1. Use reindeer antler headbands or make them from pipe cleaners.
2. Create rings from red and white pipe cleaners.
3. Everyone takes turns tossing the rings, trying to land them on the antlers.

It’s a fun, carnival-like game that brings out participants’ playful sides.

Snowball Knock Down

Transform your space into a snowy battlefield:

1. Set up plastic cups in a pyramid or line, each adorned with a Christmas theme.
2. Provide players with “snowballs” (cotton balls or white ping-pong balls).
3. Participants take turns attempting to knock down the cups by throwing the snowballs.

Whoever knocks down the most cups in a given time wins!

Ornament on a Spoon Relay Race

Perfect for large groups, this relay race is a test of both speed and stability:

1. Set up a relay course with or without obstacles.
2. Each participant must carry an ornament on a spoon and navigate the course.
3. If someone drops the ornament, they must start over from the beginning.

The team that finishes first wins the race!

Holiday A-Z Challenge

Add a vocabulary challenge to your holiday festivities:

1. Distribute sheets with the alphabet written vertically.
2. Teams must fill in each letter with a holiday-related word (A for Angel, B for Bells, etc.).
3. The first team to complete their list correctly wins.

It’s a fun race against time—and each other.

Human Christmas Tree Contest

Turn participants into living Christmas trees:

1. Choose volunteers to be the “trees.”
2. Provide decorating supplies like garlands, ornaments, and tinsel.
3. Teams decorate their human trees within a set time limit.

A panel of judges determines the most creative or festive human Christmas tree.

Holiday Storytellers

Stimulate imagination and memory:

1. Form a circle and start a holiday story with one sentence.
2. Each participant must recite what previous players said and add their own sentence.
3. If a player forgets details, they’re out.
4. The story continues until only one person is left.

An excellent game to test memory and create a collaborative story.

Christmas Dice Game

Roll your way to fun:

1. Assign holiday-themed tasks to each number on the dice (e.g., 1 = Sing a Christmas carol, 2 = Name a reindeer, etc.).
2. Players roll the dice and complete the task corresponding to the number they roll.
3. The game continues until all tasks are completed.

It’s simple, fun, and guaranteed to raise holiday spirits.

Christmas Card Swap

Make your holiday greetings even more special:

1. Encourage everyone to create or bring a unique Christmas card.
2. During the party, exchange cards and read them aloud.
3. Vote for the funniest, most creative, or most heartfelt card.

This swap is a wonderful way to share personal messages and showcase creativity.

Festive Compliment Circle

End your gathering on a high note:

1. Form a circle and take turns giving compliments to each other.
2. Focus on positive qualities or cherished memories from the past year.

Finishing your holiday party with heartfelt sentiments ensures everyone leaves feeling appreciated and loved.

Elf Relay Race

Turn a simple relay race into a holiday-themed event:

1. Participants dress up in elf costumes or Christmas attire.
2. Design an obstacle course.
3. Teams race to complete the course, navigate obstacles, and tag the next “elf.”

This game is perfect for getting everyone up and moving.

Conclusion and Tips for an Engaging Christmas Party

Incorporating a variety of games at your Christmas party keeps guests engaged and entertained. Whether it’s a small family gathering or a large Christmas celebration, the games listed here will ensure everyone has a joyous and memorable time. Remember to capture the festive fun with plenty of photos and videos, and most importantly, enjoy the holiday season with your loved ones!

With these family Christmas party games, you’re set to host the most memorable and laughter-filled holiday gatherings. Happy holidays!