If you’re looking to try something new and fresh for your family Christmas party this year, why not add a few innovative holiday games to your list? These unique games will keep everyone engaged, entertained, and laughing all night long. Perfect for adults, they add a modern twist to traditional holiday fun and encourage everyone to get involved. Here are 10 new and exciting family Christmas party games for adults that everyone will enjoy:
1. Christmas Movie Emoji Pictionary
A fun spin-off of the classic Pictionary, this game combines the love of Christmas movies with the popularity of emojis. In this game, players will have to guess popular Christmas movies from a series of emojis. It’s sure to challenge everyone’s creativity and knowledge of classic holiday films.
How to Play:
- Prepare a list of popular Christmas movies (e.g., Home Alone, Elf, The Grinch Who Stole Christmas) and convert each one into a series of emojis.
- Players take turns presenting their emoji clues to the group.
- The other players have a set time to guess the correct movie title based on the emojis.
- The person who guesses correctly gets a point. The player with the most points at the end wins.
This game will keep everyone laughing as they try to decipher emoji strings like “🎅🛷🎄” for The Santa Clause.
2. Christmas Pictionary Telephone
This game is a blend of Pictionary and the classic “telephone” game, but with a Christmas twist! Players take turns drawing a holiday-related prompt, and the next person must guess what it is and draw it for the next player.
How to Play:
- Each person starts by drawing a Christmas-related prompt on a piece of paper (e.g., snowman, Christmas tree, gift wrapping).
- After 30 seconds, the next player looks at the drawing and guesses what it is, then draws their interpretation of that guess.
- The game continues in this way, with the last player revealing what their drawing was and how it differed from the original prompt.
- The funniest and most surprising results come from miscommunications and creativity!
This game is hilarious as the drawings evolve with each new interpretation and is sure to provide lots of laughs.
3. Christmas Carol Remix
A fun musical game for adults, Christmas Carol Remix challenges your guests to remix classic holiday carols. The catch? You have to change the lyrics to fit a specific theme. This game works great as a party activity or a mini talent show!
How to Play:
- Choose a Christmas carol (e.g., Jingle Bells, Deck the Halls, Silent Night) and give it a twist. For example, make it about work, modern technology, or even something silly like how to survive a Christmas dinner.
- Players (or teams) must come up with new lyrics for the song and perform it to the tune of the original carol.
- The rest of the group votes on the best, funniest, or most creative remix.
The more outrageous the remix, the better! It’s a great way to get people singing and having fun.
4. Christmas Emoji Scavenger Hunt
An updated version of the classic scavenger hunt, the Christmas Emoji Scavenger Hunt incorporates emojis as clues. Each emoji string represents a holiday-related item, and players must go on a quest to find those objects in your home or venue.
How to Play:
- Create a list of holiday-related emojis that represent common Christmas items (e.g., 🎄📦 for “Christmas tree and presents” or 🎅🏠for “Santa at home”).
- Players must decipher the emoji clues and search for the items in your space.
- The first person or team to find all the items wins.
This game works well for groups of all ages, but especially for adults who enjoy a little challenge mixed with some humor.
5. Ugly Sweater Bingo
Take the concept of bingo and combine it with everyone’s favorite holiday tradition: the ugly Christmas sweater. In this version of bingo, the squares contain different features commonly found on ugly sweaters, such as “flashing lights,” “reindeer,” or “sequin snowflakes.”
How to Play:
- Create bingo cards with squares containing common ugly sweater features (e.g., tinsel, oversized bow, Santa face).
- As players mingle, they must spot people wearing sweaters with the listed features.
- The first person to fill out a row or column of bingo squares wins a prize!
This game encourages interaction, keeps everyone on the lookout for the ugliest (and funniest) sweaters, and adds a bit of humor to the party.
6. Gift Wrap Relay
In this fun and competitive game, players race to wrap a gift as quickly (and as creatively) as possible. It’s a hilarious way to bring out the competitive spirit, and the results are often laugh-out-loud funny.
How to Play:
- Set up stations with a variety of gift-wrapping supplies: wrapping paper, tape, scissors, ribbons, and tags.
- Players must wrap a gift as quickly as possible, but they must also incorporate some kind of “creative” element, like adding a quirky bow or personalizing the wrapping with a funny message.
- The team or individual who finishes the fastest and most creatively wins a prize.
It’s a great way to get everyone up and moving around, and the end result might just be the most hilarious wrapped gift ever!
7. Christmas Song Shuffle
This game is a great way to test your knowledge of holiday tunes. Christmas Song Shuffle involves playing short snippets of Christmas songs in random order, and players must be the first to correctly guess the song.
How to Play:
- Prepare a playlist of Christmas songs and set it to shuffle.
- As the songs play, players must shout out the name of the song.
- For every correct guess, the player earns a point.
- The player with the most points at the end of the game wins.
To make it more interesting, consider playing an instrumental or version of the song that’s less familiar. It’s a fun way to get people thinking and interacting with the music they love.
8. Santa’s Workshop Challenge
A perfect game for team play, Santa’s Workshop Challenge involves completing a series of “workshop tasks” in a short amount of time. The tasks can involve building, crafting, or completing holiday-themed activities, but the twist is that players must do it under silly constraints (e.g., wearing mittens or blindfolded).
How to Play:
- Set up different stations with holiday-themed challenges like decorating a gingerbread cookie, wrapping a present with one hand, or assembling a toy.
- Players take turns completing these tasks as quickly as possible while adhering to humorous restrictions (like having to wear oven mitts or being blindfolded).
- Points are awarded based on how well and how quickly each player completes their task.
- The team with the most points wins.
This game is guaranteed to make everyone laugh as they navigate silly challenges and try to work together under pressure.
9. The Grinch’s Steal the Gift Game
This exciting gift exchange game will keep everyone on their toes! The twist is that participants can steal gifts from one another, just like the Grinch steals Christmas presents in the classic story. The aim is to collect the best gifts, but there’s a catch: Players can only steal gifts a limited number of times.
How to Play:
- Everyone brings a wrapped gift (it could be something funny or useful) and places it in a pile.
- Players take turns picking a gift from the pile.
- The next person can either take a new gift or steal someone else’s gift.
- Each gift can only be stolen three times before it’s “frozen” and can no longer be taken.
- The game ends when everyone has a gift, and players can trade or open them afterward.
The Grinch’s Steal the Gift Game brings excitement, strategy, and friendly competition to your Christmas party!
10. Christmas “Would You Rather?”
This game is a lighthearted way to spark conversation and laughter. Christmas “Would You Rather?” asks players to choose between two Christmas-themed options, both of which are funny, silly, or thought-provoking. It’s a great icebreaker and works well in groups where not everyone knows each other.
How to Play:
- Players take turns asking a “Would You Rather?” question, such as “Would you rather have snow every Christmas or none at all?” or “Would you rather decorate a Christmas tree with candy canes or tinsel?”
- Everyone answers the question, and players can explain why they chose their answers if they wish.
- You can play for fun or keep score based on the number of people who agree with your answer.
This game encourages conversation, and it’s a fantastic way to get everyone involved while having a laugh over the holidays.
Conclusion
These 10 new and exciting Christmas party games for adults are perfect for keeping the holiday spirit alive and adding a fresh twist to your family celebrations. Whether you’re remixing classic Christmas carols, competing in Santa’s Workshop, or playing a holiday emoji scavenger hunt, these games will ensure your guests have a memorable, laughter-filled Christmas party. So gather your friends and family, bring out the holiday cheer, and let the fun begin!
