17 Games to Play at a Christmas Party

 

5 family game ideas for a Christmas party

We rely heavily on the holiday season to get together as a family. Here is a list of fun games you can do as a family.

• Christmas Pictionary 

Organizing a Christmas themed pictionary is a great idea. You simply need to write words (gift, fireplace, Santa, sock, etc.) on small pieces of paper and place them in a box. 

Then, divide the players into teams and each round, one player from one team will choose a word from the box and have one minute to make the other members of their team guess it by drawing it. The team gets a point when they guess the word correctly. The teams can restart until one of them reaches the sum of 20 points.

• Christmas charades

Prepare a list of words or phrases related to the Christmas theme and write them on cards. Then separate the family members into two or three groups depending on the number of people and select, in turn, a person who will mime the chosen word or expression. 

The main rule of this game is that you cannot speak, you can only mime the term to be guessed . Each group has a time limit to respect. The group that guesses the term correctly wins a point. The first group to reach 20 points wins. 

• The game of 20 questions for Santa 

One player (Santa) chooses an object that can be related to the Christmas theme. The other players must try to guess it by asking a maximum of 20 questions which can be answered with “yes” or “no”. If all the questions are asked by the players without the correct answer being found, Santa starts again with a new object. The player who guesses the object takes the place of Santa Claus. 

• The bell dance

Place ten bells in an empty tissue box and tie it behind the player's back. The latter must dance to the rhythm of the music in order to get the greatest number of bells out of the box and he only has one minute to do so. The player who drops the most bells wins.

• Guess the name of the song

Divide the children into two or three groups and play the beginnings of Christmas songs. Each group must try to find the name of the song as quickly as possible. Each group has one minute to guess the name of the song otherwise it is up to the other group to guess it. 

5 Christmas game ideas for a large number of people

• Who am I?

A classic among classics. This game is suitable for a group of 5 to 50 people . Take Post-its and write names, words or expressions related to the Christmas theme such as movie titles, famous Christmas characters, animals, etc. Each player must then stick their Post-its on the forehead of the person to their left. 

Once all participants have post-its stuck to their foreheads, everyone must try to guess the name of the character, film or object written on their forehead by asking questions to which the answer must be “yes” or “no”. The loser is the one who guesses last.

• Human Christmas tree 

This involves choosing two or three representatives, depending on the number of people present, to serve as a figurative Christmas tree . Each team will gather around a human Christmas tree to try to decorate it with different decorative objects. You can designate two or three judges who will select the winning human tree according to the decoration. You have 5 minutes to decorate your tree before the judges decide which tree is the winner.

• Guess the number of baubles hanging on the Christmas tree

When you decorate your Christmas tree, count the number of baubles you are going to hang. During the evening of your Christmas party , give your guests (family, friends or colleagues) pieces of paper so that they can estimate the number of baubles hanging on the Christmas tree. Whoever comes closest to the correct answer wins.

• The pile of gifts

This party game is fun and is suitable for children and adults. To play, you will need several gift boxes of different sizes and shapes. Here are the stages of the game:

1. Divide the participants into two teams with an equal number of members. 
2. Divide each team so that half are at one end of the room and half are at the other end.
3. Place a table at each end.
4. Put 4 or 5 gift boxes on each table
5. A team member picks up a box and transfers it to the other end of the room.
6. His teammate takes the same box and adds another on top to transfer them together to the other table.
7. The 3rd member will do the same thing by adding a 3rd box to the other two and must carry them without dropping them on the ground.
8. The process continues until the team manages to transfer the gifts without dropping any boxes.

• Trivia quiz

Prepare around twenty questions related to famous Christmas films and divide the participants into different groups. Give a questionnaire to each group and for each correct answer, one point is added. The goal is to answer as many questions as possible correctly. 

3 ideas for Christmas games for adults

• The Christmas drinking game

This game for adults should be played in moderation. Play a Christmas movie and choose a list of keywords related to the Christmas theme (tree, gifts, etc.). Each time these are said during the film, participants must take a sip of their drink. 

• Christmas story

Everyone has to stand in a circle and someone starts a Christmas-related story with just one sentence. The next person begins the story with what has already been told and adds their own sentence. The goal of the game is not to forget a detail when repeating the story. The game continues until one participant manages to memorize the entire story without making mistakes. 

• Song Guessing Game

Prepare a list of Christmas songs (count around 30-50 songs) or find a playlist. Divide into two or three teams depending on the number of players present. The game master plays a Christmas song and the participants must guess as quickly as possible the artist or the title of the song being played . Each time a team guesses correctly, they earn a point. The team that accumulates the most points wins the game.

4 gift exchange game ideas 

• The dice game

This game is perfect for the end of the evening when there is no more energy and when concentration is no longer there. You can play the dice game in two ways: 

• The first is to put a gift in the center of the room. Participants start rolling two dice in turn. The first participant who manages to have two similar numbers can collect the gift.
• The second way is to roll a die and act according to the number that appears, for example:
• 1 : pass the gift to the person on your right
• 2 : pass the gift to the person on your left
• 3 or 4 : exchange your gift with a person of your choice
• 5 or 6 : unwrap your gift
• The card game

You will need two decks of cards. Start by distributing the contents of the first pack of cards to the players. Make sure everyone has the same number of cards. With the second deck (after removing the cards that have not been dealt), take turns drawing cards and whoever has the mentioned card in their hands can choose a gift. Once there are no more gifts, participants can steal gifts from each other.

• Gifts at auction

Before starting your Christmas party , give fake tickets to your guests. You can use Monopoly, Canadian Tire or homemade money, just make sure you give them the same amount. Throughout the evening, you will give money to the winners of the various organized games. 

At the end of the evening, when it's time to exchange gifts, select a game master and begin bidding on gifts at a given price. The game ends when there are no more gifts to buy.

• The overwrapped gift

This party game guarantees giggles. This involves wrapping gifts with several layers of paper and excess sticky paper. Participants must put on a pair of oven mitts and take turns trying to unwrap the gift of their choice in 30 seconds. When a person successfully unwraps a gift, they keep it and withdraw from the game, otherwise they pass the mitts to the next person. The game ends when there are no more presents to unwrap.

3 themed ideas for Christmas parties 

Having a theme idea for your Christmas party brings guests together before they even start playing together. The costume, decoration and food help them get in the mood quickly.

• Ugly Christmas sweaters

Ask your guests to wear the ugliest Christmas sweater they can find. It's a simple idea, but one that brings a lot of joy.

• White Christmas evening

If you are a fan of themed parties, organizing a white Christmas party is a great choice. Invite participants to wear white clothes.

• Costume party 

Ask your guests to dress up according to the Christmas theme (Santa Claus, reindeer, snowman, elf, etc.). This themed Christmas party idea is suitable for adults and children.