Christmas is the time of year when family, friends, and loved ones come together to celebrate the joy of the season. Whether you’re hosting a cozy family gathering, a lively office party, or a festive neighborhood bash, one of the best ways to keep everyone entertained is through Christmas party games. Games bring laughter, create memorable moments, and are perfect icebreakers for guests who might not know each other well.
In this article, we’ve rounded up 40 Christmas party games for all ages, ensuring that everyone—from toddlers to grandparents—will have a blast. Whether you’re looking for games that are competitive, collaborative, or just plain silly, you’ll find plenty of options here to make your Christmas party unforgettable.
1. Jingle Bell Toss
Objective: Toss jingle bells into a container.
Materials: Jingle bells, buckets, bowls, or cups.
How to Play: Place a few buckets or bowls at different distances from the player. Each player has one minute to toss as many jingle bells as they can into the containers. For added difficulty, you can make the containers smaller or farther apart. The player with the most jingle bells in the container at the end of the minute wins!
Why It’s Fun: The jingle bells make a delightful sound, and everyone loves a good tossing game! This one works well for kids and adults alike, and it’s simple to set up with minimal materials.
2. Snowball Stack
Objective: Stack cups into a snowman-shaped tower.
Materials: White plastic cups.
How to Play: Using white plastic cups (to resemble snowballs), players must stack as many cups as they can in one minute to form a snowman shape—big at the bottom and smaller at the top. The catch? The tower must stay standing for at least three seconds after the last cup is placed.
Why It’s Fun: Building a tower in under a minute is a fun challenge, and the snowman shape adds a festive twist. The balance between speed and steadiness makes this game both tense and hilarious.
3. Candy Cane Hook
Objective: Hook as many candy canes onto a string or another candy cane as possible.
Materials: Candy canes, string or additional candy canes.
How to Play: Tie a piece of string to one candy cane and hang it in the air. Players use another candy cane, holding it like a hook, to hook it onto the string or another candy cane. The goal is to hook as many candy canes as possible within one minute.
Why It’s Fun: The holiday theme is strong with this one, and it adds a fun challenge that involves both dexterity and focus. Plus, there’s something satisfying about successfully hanging a candy cane on another!
4. Santa’s Beard
Objective: Create a beard using cotton balls.
Materials: Cotton balls, petroleum jelly.
How to Play: Players need to use petroleum jelly on their face (such as around their chin and cheeks) to stick as many cotton balls onto their face as possible within one minute. The player with the most cotton balls stuck to their face at the end wins.
Why It’s Fun: The idea of a homemade “Santa’s beard” is both comical and creative, making it a perfect game for both kids and adults to enjoy. Watching players try to pile on cotton balls in a short time is sure to lead to some laughs!
5. Christmas Tree Cup Stack
Objective: Stack green cups to build a Christmas tree.
Materials: Green plastic cups.
How to Play: Players have one minute to stack green plastic cups to form a Christmas tree. The stack should be cone-shaped, with the largest base and a pointed top, resembling a traditional Christmas tree. The player with the tallest and most symmetrical tree wins.
Why It’s Fun: The challenge here is to build a stable yet tall tree, and there’s something about using cups in such a creative way that feels extra festive! This game also allows for fun teamwork if played in pairs or groups.
6. Snowball Toss
Objective: Toss “snowballs” into containers.
Materials: Cotton balls or white ping-pong balls, containers.
How to Play: Players stand at a distance from a set of containers (such as bowls, cups, or baskets) and have one minute to toss as many “snowballs” (cotton balls or ping-pong balls) into them. To make it harder, increase the distance or reduce the size of the containers.
Why It’s Fun: This game is all about precision and accuracy, and it’s easy to play anywhere! The idea of tossing cotton balls like snowballs makes it perfect for a Christmas-themed party.
7. Reindeer Nose Knockdown
Objective: Knock over cups using a “reindeer nose.”
Materials: Red balloon, plastic cups.
How to Play: Tie a red balloon to a headband or a piece of string to create a “reindeer nose.” The player wears the balloon and uses it to knock over a stack of cups within one minute. The person who knocks down the most cups with their “reindeer nose” wins!
Why It’s Fun: This game is all about using an oversized “nose” to knock down obstacles, and it leads to plenty of giggles as players struggle to balance the balloon and knock over cups. The larger-than-life props make this one extra silly!
8. Gift Wrap Relay
Objective: Wrap a present in one minute.
Materials: Wrapping paper, tape, scissors, gift box.
How to Play: In one minute, players must wrap a gift box with wrapping paper. The catch is that they can only use tape, scissors, and wrapping paper—no help from others, and the wrapping must be neat! The player who finishes the best-wrapped gift in the shortest time wins.
Why It’s Fun: The rush of wrapping a gift under pressure can be chaotic and fun. Plus, everyone can laugh at the wrapping mishaps—whether it’s a crooked bow or extra tape!
9. Stocking Stuffing Challenge
Objective: Fill a Christmas stocking with small items.
Materials: A Christmas stocking, small toys, candies, or trinkets.
How to Play: Players must fill a Christmas stocking with as many small items as possible within one minute. The stocking can be hung up or placed on the ground, and players must stuff it using only their hands (no tools or helpers). The person with the most items in the stocking at the end of the minute wins.
Why It’s Fun: This game taps into the excitement of filling a Christmas stocking with goodies, and it’s a fast-paced race to see who can stuff the most items in the shortest time.
10. Elf Shoe Shuffle
Objective: Wear oversized elf shoes and race.
Materials: Elf shoes or oversized slippers.
How to Play: Players must wear oversized elf shoes (or any large shoes) and complete an obstacle course or race to a finish line. The player who completes the challenge the fastest without tripping or falling wins.
Why It’s Fun: This one adds a layer of physical comedy, as the oversized elf shoes make walking and running tricky. The slow-motion shuffle creates a lot of laughs, especially when players try to navigate the course without falling over.
11. Candy Cane Stack
Objective: Stack as many candy canes as possible.
Materials: Candy canes.
How to Play: In one minute, players must stack as many candy canes as they can, one on top of the other. The challenge is to build a tall tower without the candy canes toppling over. The tallest tower wins.
Why It’s Fun: Candy canes are a classic holiday treat, and stacking them adds a bit of tension as players race against the clock. The more candy canes they can stack, the more impressive the result!
12. Christmas Tree Ornament Transfer
Objective: Move ornaments from one bowl to another using a spoon.
Materials: Christmas ornaments, spoons, two bowls or containers.
How to Play: Players use a spoon to transfer Christmas ornaments from one bowl to another without using their hands. The player who successfully moves the most ornaments in one minute wins.
Why It’s Fun: The delicate nature of the ornaments makes this game both challenging and exciting. It’s a race against time, and the slower you go, the more likely it is that the ornaments will slip off the spoon!
13. Christmas Charades
Objective: Act out Christmas-related prompts for others to guess.
How to Play:
- Write down a list of Christmas-themed prompts (e.g., “decorating the tree,” “Santa getting stuck in a chimney,” “sledding down a hill,” etc.).
- Divide the large group into teams and take turns drawing and acting out the prompts.
- Players on each team try to guess the prompt based on the actor’s performance. The team with the most correct guesses wins.
Why It’s Great for Large Groups: Charades is a classic party game that works well for large groups. It requires minimal setup and keeps everyone engaged as they take turns acting and guessing. The Christmas theme adds an extra layer of fun and creativity.
14. Christmas Carol Lip Sync Battle
Objective: Perform a Christmas carol without singing—just lip-sync!
How to Play:
- Participants pick a Christmas carol and perform it using only their lips (no singing allowed).
- Players can get creative by adding dance moves, facial expressions, and props to enhance their performance.
- The audience votes on the most entertaining or funniest performance.
Why It’s Great for Large Groups: This game encourages everyone to get silly and creative, which is perfect for large groups where different people can participate at once. It’s a great icebreaker and will have the entire group laughing at the over-the-top performances.
15. Christmas Bingo
Objective: Mark off items on a bingo card as they’re called out.
How to Play:
- Prepare bingo cards with Christmas-related words or images (e.g., “snowman,” “reindeer,” “gift,” “sleigh”).
- Call out the items randomly. Players mark off the items on their cards.
- The first person to complete a line (horizontally, vertically, or diagonally) shouts “Bingo!” and wins.
Why It’s Great for Large Groups: Christmas Bingo is easy to set up and play, and it’s suitable for all ages. It also allows large groups to play simultaneously without much coordination, making it ideal for parties where everyone might not want to participate in a competitive game at the same time.
16. Holiday Scavenger Hunt
Objective: Find Christmas-themed items hidden around the party area.
How to Play:
- Before the party, hide various Christmas-themed items around your venue (e.g., candy canes, mistletoe, ornaments, Santa hats).
- Create a list of items for teams to find within a set time limit (e.g., 10 minutes).
- The team that finds the most items on the list wins.
Why It’s Great for Large Groups: A scavenger hunt is perfect for large groups because you can divide people into teams. It encourages everyone to work together, and the excitement of the hunt keeps people moving around and socializing. Plus, it works well both indoors and outdoors.
17. Pass the Present
Objective: Unwrap a gift without using hands.
How to Play:
- Wrap a small gift in several layers of wrapping paper.
- Players sit in a circle and pass the gift around while Christmas music plays.
- When the music stops, the person holding the gift must put on a pair of mittens and try to unwrap the present.
- The person who unwraps the final layer and reveals the gift keeps it.
Why It’s Great for Large Groups: This game is ideal for larger groups because it involves everyone passing the gift around. It’s also easy to set up and can be played in a relaxed, fun atmosphere. Watching people struggle to unwrap a gift while wearing mittens is hilarious.
19. Reindeer Antler Ring Toss
Objective: Toss rings onto reindeer antlers.
How to Play:
- Have one player wear a set of reindeer antlers on their head.
- Other players stand a short distance away and try to toss rings (e.g., hula hoops or plastic rings) onto the antlers.
- The player with the most rings on the antlers in a set amount of time wins.
Why It’s Great for Large Groups: This game is active and gets everyone laughing as they take turns tossing rings. It’s also easy to set up and doesn’t require much space, making it ideal for larger groups in tight spaces.
18. Christmas Trivia
Objective: Answer Christmas-related trivia questions.
How to Play:
- Prepare a list of Christmas trivia questions, covering topics like Christmas movies, songs, history, and traditions.
- Players (or teams) take turns answering the questions. The team with the most correct answers wins.
Why It’s Great for Large Groups: Trivia is a great way to get large groups involved and can spark fun debates and discussions. It also works for all ages, as you can adjust the difficulty of the questions to suit your crowd.
19. Christmas Tree Decorating Relay
Objective: Decorate a mini tree as quickly as possible.
How to Play:
- Set up several small artificial Christmas trees and a variety of decorations (e.g., ornaments, tinsel, garland).
- Split your group into teams. Each team must decorate their tree in a relay format, with each member adding a specific decoration.
- The first team to fully decorate their tree wins.
Why It’s Great for Large Groups: This game encourages teamwork and adds a creative touch to your party. It’s also great for large groups since everyone can participate in the relay, whether they’re adding ornaments or tinsel.
22. Christmas Carol Singing Contest
Objective: Perform a Christmas carol and compete for the best performance.
How to Play:
- Split the group into teams or have individual participants.
- Assign a Christmas carol to each team or person to perform.
- The group votes on the most creative, funny, or impressive performance.
Why It’s Great for Large Groups: This game is perfect for large groups because everyone gets a chance to participate and show off their singing or acting skills. The variety of carols makes it fun for all ages, and you can have a lot of laughs with over-the-top performances.
20. Pin the Nose on Rudolph
Objective: Pin a red nose on Rudolph while blindfolded.
How to Play:
- Hang a large picture of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer on a wall.
- Blindfold players and give them a red nose cutout with double-sided tape.
- Players take turns trying to pin the nose on Rudolph. The person who places it closest to the right spot wins.
Why It’s Great for Large Groups: This is a classic game that’s perfect for large groups because multiple people can take turns quickly. It’s simple and doesn’t require a lot of setup, making it easy to organize for a big crowd.
21. Christmas Movie Bingo
Objective: Mark off Christmas movie moments as they happen.
How to Play:
- Create Bingo cards with common Christmas movie scenes or quotes (e.g., “someone says ‘Merry Christmas,’” “a snowball fight,” or “a Christmas tree is decorated”).
- As you watch a Christmas movie, players mark off any scenes that appear on their Bingo card.
- The first person to complete a row wins.
Why It’s Great for Large Groups: This is an interactive and relaxed game that works well with large groups who want to enjoy a Christmas movie together. It’s easy to organize and doesn’t require everyone to be actively involved at once, allowing people to watch the movie while playing.
22. Holiday Photo Booth Challenge
Objective: Take the funniest, most creative holiday photos.
How to Play:
- Set up a Christmas-themed photo booth with props like Santa hats, reindeer antlers, fake snow, and holiday-themed backgrounds.
- Challenge teams or individuals to come up with the funniest or most creative holiday photos.
- At the end of the event, everyone votes for their favorite photo.
Why It’s Great for Large Groups: This game is fantastic for large groups because it encourages everyone to participate in a creative and fun way. Plus, the photos make for great memories that everyone can look back on!
23. Santa Says
A Christmas twist on the classic “Simon Says” game. Players must follow the commands of “Santa,” but only if they are preceded by “Santa says.” Anyone who follows a command without it being prefaced with “Santa says” is out.
24. Hot Potato with a Twist
Play the traditional Hot Potato game, but with a Christmas twist. Pass a gift (wrapped up) around the circle while music plays. When the music stops, the person holding the gift opens it and wins whatever is inside.
25. Cookie Face
The goal of Cookie Face is simple but challenging: try to get a cookie from your forehead to your mouth without using your hands. It’s harder than it sounds!
How to Play:
- Place a cookie on each player’s forehead.
- Players must move the cookie down to their mouth using only facial movements.
- The first person to successfully get the cookie into their mouth wins!
26. Stack Attack
In Stack Attack, you’ll race to stack a set of cups in a pyramid and then unstack them. The catch? You only have one minute to complete the task.
How to Play:
- Players have 60 seconds to stack a set of 36 cups into a pyramid and then unstack them.
- The person who completes the task in the shortest time wins.
27. Penny Tower
Building a tower of pennies sounds easy, right? Think again! Penny Tower requires a steady hand and lots of focus.
How to Play:
- Players must stack as many pennies as they can on top of each other in one minute.
- The tallest tower at the end of one minute wins the game.
28. Junk in the Trunk
In this hilarious game, the objective is to knock ping pong balls out of a tissue box tied to your waist. It’s guaranteed to get everyone laughing!
How to Play:
- Tie a tissue box to the player’s waist, filled with ping pong balls.
- Players must jump and move around to shake the ping pong balls out of the box.
- The first person to empty their tissue box wins.
29. Defying Gravity
The goal of Defying Gravity is simple: keep three balloons in the air for one minute. It sounds easy, but it can be a real challenge!
How to Play:
- Players must keep three balloons in the air for a full minute using only their hands.
- The person who can keep all three balloons up for the longest wins.
30. Penny for Your Thoughts
In Penny for Your Thoughts, you’ll use your nose to pick up pennies and drop them into a glass. Sounds easy, right? Wait until you try it!
How to Play:
- Place a glass on a table and have players use their noses to pick up pennies and drop them into the glass.
- The player who manages to get the most pennies in the glass in one minute wins.
31. Mummy Wrap
Mummy Wrap is a silly game where players must wrap each other in toilet paper to create the best mummy in under a minute.
How to Play:
- Players must wrap each other in toilet paper as quickly as possible.
- The player who wraps the best “mummy” within one minute wins.
32. Suck It Up
In Suck It Up, players use a straw to suck up small candies and move them from one plate to another.
How to Play:
- Players must use a straw to suck up candies (e.g., M&Ms, Skittles) and transfer them from one plate to another.
- The person who moves the most candies within a minute wins.
33. Noodle Pick-Up
This game involves picking up pieces of penne pasta using only a dry spaghetti noodle. It’s trickier than you might think!
How to Play:
- Players must use a piece of uncooked spaghetti to pick up penne pasta pieces and place them in a bowl.
- The person with the most pasta pieces in the bowl by the end of the minute wins.
34. Penny Stack
This game involves stacking pennies as high as you can in 60 seconds. Balance and precision are key!
How to Play:
- Players must stack as many pennies as they can in one minute without the tower collapsing.
- The person with the highest stack at the end of the minute wins.
35. Balloon Pop
Players must pop balloons by sitting on them. It’s loud, hilarious, and sure to get everyone in the holiday spirit!
How to Play:
- Players must pop as many balloons as they can by sitting on them within one minute.
- The player who pops the most balloons wins.
36. Pasta Blow
This is a simple yet hilarious game that requires players to blow pieces of dry pasta from one plate to another using only their breath.
How to Play:
- Players must blow pieces of dry pasta (e.g., penne) from one plate to another using only their breath.
- The first player to move all the pasta to the other plate wins.
37. The Chopstick Challenge
The Chopstick Challenge is perfect for those who love a good dexterity test. You’ll need to pick up small objects using chopsticks.
How to Play:
- Players use chopsticks to pick up small objects like marshmallows, cotton balls, or candy.
- The first player to move all the objects from one bowl to another wins.
38. Cup Blow
The goal of Cup Blow is to blow a stack of cups off the table. It’s a simple game but requires perfect control over your breath.
How to Play:
- Players stack cups in a pyramid shape and try to blow them off the table using only their breath.
- The person who knocks the most cups off the table wins.
39. Paper Dragon
In Paper Dragon, players must unravel a roll of toilet paper with one hand within 60 seconds.
How to Play:
- Give each player a roll of toilet paper.
- Players must unravel the entire roll with just one hand.
- The first person to completely unroll the toilet paper wins.
40. Penny in the Cup
This game involves using your mouth to flick pennies into a cup. It’s trickier than it seems!
How to Play:
- Players must place a penny on their lips and attempt to flip it into a cup using only their breath.
- The person who gets the most pennies in the cup wins.
41. Spoon Frog
Spoon Frog is a fun game that requires players to flick spoons into a cup. It’s all about accuracy and timing.
How to Play:
- Players must use a spoon to launch other spoons into a cup.
- The player who lands the most spoons in the cup wins.
42. Egg Toss
In Egg Toss, players must throw and catch raw eggs without breaking them. It sounds easy, but the pressure is on!
How to Play:
- Players must toss a raw egg back and forth, increasing the distance with each successful toss.
- The last pair standing without breaking their egg wins.
Conclusion
Christmas parties are all about fun, laughter, and spending time with loved ones. With these 40 festive and creative Christmas party games, you’ll have no shortage of ways to entertain your guests. Whether you’re playing traditional games like Charades or trying something new like a reindeer ring toss, these games are sure to make your holiday celebrations merry and bright!
