Ah, Christmas! The season of joy, laughter, and… party games? Absolutely! What better way to make your holiday gatherings unforgettable than with a lineup of rib-tickling games? Here are 50 Christmas party games, guaranteed to bring a smile to everyone’s face and transform your festive celebration into a ho-ho-ho-larious extravaganza.
Games for Adults
Named That Scent
Nothing says Christmas like the warm, inviting aroma of holiday candles. Gather a variety of scented candles with quirky names like “Santa’s Workshop” or “Winter Wonderland,” and let the blindfolded sniff test commence. Participants guess the scent of each candle, with the wackier the scent, the harder it is to guess!
Wrap That Gift
Think you’re good at wrapping presents? Think again! Challenge your friends to wrap irregularly shaped items like a football or a lava lamp. You can judge either individually or in teams to decide who has the best (or worst) wrapping skills.
Board Game Tournament
Bring out the competitive spirit with a board game marathon. Ask guests to bring their favorite games, and rotate between them, or use a bracket system to narrow it down to one ultimate champion. For a twist, include holiday-themed board games!
Best Gift, Worst Gift Guessing Game
Each guest writes down two great and two terrible Christmas gifts they have received, mixing real and fictitious ones. Everyone guesses which gifts are real. The laughter over absurd gifts will be endless!
Christmas Cocktail Competition
Who can mix a mean holiday drink? Find out by hosting a Christmas cocktail contest. Each participant creates a unique holiday-themed drink, and after everyone samples, votes are cast. The best mixologist takes home the bragging rights.
Blindfolded Christmas Crafting
Set a timer, don a blindfold, and get crafting. Whether it’s decorating a felt tree or making an ornament, the results are usually hilariously recognizable and make for a great competition.
Name That Tune
Perfect for when you’re cozying up after a big meal. Have someone play brief snippets of Christmas classics over a speaker. Players guess the title of the song as quickly as possible, with each correct answer bringing more holiday cheer!
Family-Friendly Games
Balance the Ornament
Kick off an egg-on-a-spoon race with a twist. Use unbreakable Christmas ornaments instead, and see who can balance them the best while racing to the finish line. Hilarity and balancing acts galore!
Guess That Gift
Wrap everyday objects with a festive touch and see if players can guess what’s inside without opening them. Just shake, rattle, and roll to figure out the contents!
Do You Hear What I Hear?
Place differing numbers of jingle bells in a series of boxes and have guests arrange them from most to least bells or try to guess the exact number. The jingling adds a merry layer of challenge!
Who Has the Ornament?
Sit in a circle and pass a small ornament around behind your backs while one person in the center tries to figure out who has it. It’s all about stealth and being as sneaky as possible.
Ornament Bowling
Line up some ornaments like bowling pins and provide players with jingle bells as bowling balls. The more pins knocked down, the better!
Present Stacking
Hand out some irregularly shaped wrapped items and see who can stack them the highest. The more awkward, the better the results!
Kids’ Christmas Games
Pin the Nose on the Snowman
Blindfold the kids and see who can pin a carrot nose the closest to where it should be on a giant snowman cutout. Giggles are guaranteed!
Snowball Fight
If you’re in a warmer climate, create fake snowballs from balled-up socks. Designate two teams, and get throwing! Last one standing wins.
Cellophane Santa
Wrap small treats and trinkets in layers of cellophane to form a large ball. As music plays, pass the ball around; when the music stops, the holder unwraps as much as they can until it starts again.
Frosty the Snowman
Provide toilet paper and a fake carrot nose, and let teams wrap up one member as Frosty. The fastest, best-wrapped snowman wins!
Group and Club Games
Wrap That ___ (Creative Gift Wrapping)
Choose oddly shaped items to wrap and split into teams. The creativity and laughter that come from this game makes it a holiday favorite.
Draw That Christmas Song
Put Christmas carols in a hat, form teams, and let one member draw a representation of the song while the others guess. No words allowed!
DIY Reindeer
Give participants balloons and pantyhose to create reindeer antlers. The team that makes and wears antlers the fastest wins!
Red Nose
Add Vaseline to a plate, use red cotton balls, and have players stick the ball to their noses using only Vaseline. They need to race without it falling off!
Gift Exchange Games
Holiday Hustle
Use an hourglass timer and make the fastest gift exchange ever. Quick, chaotic, and utterly thrilling!
Deck the Cards Gift Exchange
Each player starts with a gift, but with every flip of the cards, gifts switch, steal, and move around. It’s a delightful and unpredictable game.
Santa’s Helper Gift Exchange
Instead of choosing gifts for themselves, players pick gifts for others, acting as Santa’s elves. It adds a selfless twist to the classic game.
Switch Steal Unwrap Dice Gift Exchange
Roll the dice to determine whether to switch, steal, or unwrap gifts. This game adds a layer of strategy and excitement to the exchange.
Printable Christmas Games
Christmas Bingo
Download and print Christmas-themed bingo cards. It’s a classic game with a festive twist. Use candy canes or Christmas-themed candies as markers!
Christmas Scavenger Hunt
Print out clues and have players, kids or adults, hunt around the house or yard looking for hidden treasures. Themed clues keep them guessing and moving.
Roll a Snowman
Instead of building a snowman outdoors, print out parts of a snowman. Players roll dice to collect parts until their snowman is complete.
Christmas Word Search
Use printable word searches to keep children entertained. It’s an engaging and quiet activity fitting for group settings.
Activity-Based Christmas Games
Candy Cane Olympics
Organize a variety of candy cane-themed games and let teams compete. Whether hanging candy canes on a string or using them in relay races, there’s fun for all ages.
Nutcracker Games
Similar to Candy Cane Olympics but with a nutty twist. Teams utilize nuts and nutcrackers in creative and competitive ways.
Reindeer Games
Inspired by Rudolph, these include hilarious activities like decorating antlers or reindeer-themed obstacle courses.
Holiday How Do You Doo
Players sing Christmas songs using only the word “doo”. It’s a hoot to guess and even funnier to hear!
Lump of Coal Christmas Saran Wrap Game
Wrap small gifts in a ball of saran wrap with “lump of coal” cards adding silly challenges between unwraps. It’s unpredictable and fun!
Conclusion
Injecting fun into your Christmas party with these games is a surefire way to create lasting memories and heaps of laughter. Customize them to fit your guests, embrace the holiday spirit, and get ready to enjoy the most entertaining Christmas party ever. Santa himself would approve of this list—happy gaming!