30 Best Christmas Party Games for Your Holiday Bash
Updated: Nov. 12, 2021Kids aren't the only ones who should be having fun this Christmas. Here are 30 Christmas party games to try at your next holiday party!
The air is cold, the lights are twinkling, and holiday deals are in full swing, which means Christmas party season is upon us. Every great Christmas party always has lots of food, plenty of Christmas activities, and Christmas games that everyone can play (like Christmas bingo). But sometimes, it’s hard to figure out which games to choose, so we rounded up the best Christmas games to play at your next party (whether you’re the host or a guest) that will be a guaranteed hit. Plus, they’re all pretty universal so you won’t have to worry about them not fitting in with any Christmas party themes. Breakout out the eggnog, turn on some tunes, and get ready for the best Christmas party yet.
We’ve curated some great tips and tricks to bring joy home this season. Read on to make sure your whole family gets into the holiday spirit this year.
Name that Christmas tune
Here’s a fun and easy one! Play just three seconds of some of the best Christmas songs and see who can guess what it is first. Either break up into teams or have everyone fend for themselves.
Christmas Jeopardy
Ah, everyone’s favorite game show, but this time, it’s Christmas-themed. And you can totally DIY this one. Just get yourself a pocket chart and label some index cards with monetary amounts, similar to how Jeopardy does it.
Christmas 20 questions
Come up with a bunch of holiday characters from either movies, songs, or TV shows. Tape the name of a character onto each person’s back (or you can place them over your head) and have everyone ask yes or no questions in order to figure out who they are. If you were looking for some new Christmas traditions to create this year, this game is certainly a good contender.
Christmas Emoji Pictionary
See if you can translate these emojis into common Christmas phrases. As far as Christmas riddles go, everyone will get super psyched over trying to figure these out. Split everyone into teams or just have everyone yell out the answers. You’ll be surprised how excited people get over emojis.
Chubby Santa
You may know this one as “Chubby Bunny,” but for this Christmas game, the bunny becomes Santa. Put a marshmallow in your mouth and say “Chubby Santa” while continuing to add more marshmallows. See who can say “Chubby Santa” with the most marshmallows in their mouth at once. This is guaranteed to get a ton of laughs. Make sure to put out these Christmas appetizers so people have something to munch on while they watch.
Christmas charades
Charades is always a hit. Plus, it works for all kinds of parties from classroom parties to work parties and even family parties. Watch everyone make a fool of themselves trying to act out building a snowman or being a reindeer.
Ugly Christmas sweater contest
Have everyone show up to the party in their ugliest Christmas sweater. Whoever has the weirdest one is the winner! You can also have other categories such as “most creative sweater,” “most unique sweater,” and “funniest sweater.” This might be a great Christmas Eve tradition to start this year.
Holiday movie drinking game
Who doesn’t love a good movie party? Pop on one of the best Christmas movies and then choose a certain phrase or act that gets said or done a lot in the movie. For example, every time Buddy says “candy” or “presents” in Elf take a sip of your eggnog or other fun Christmas cocktail.
Hallmark Christmas movie bingo
This holiday twist on bingo has a bunch of cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie tropes on it like “big career moment” and “town event in jeopardy.” Throw on a movie and every time something on your board happens, place a chip (or a candy cane) down.
Holiday Feud
Steve Harvey isn’t likely to be moderating your game—or maybe he is; we don’t know who’s coming to your party. Regardless, this game is always a hit, bringing out people’s most competitive side. Everyone will write down one response per question and the top four answers for each will be rewarded points. If you want to give all your guests a card when they leave, check out these free Christmas cards that you can print right at home.
Christmas movie trivia
Find out how well everyone knows the most festive films from Elf to It’s a Wonderful Life. Use our Christmas movie trivia questions with answers to get people thinking. No set up for this one. Just ask the questions and have everyone yell out the answers.
Christmas Mad Libs
While you can play this game solo, it’s way more fun with a group. Just pass the book and pen around the table so everyone can fill in a word of their choice. You’ll all be laughing at all the wacky stories you come up with.
White Elephant
This is a common one, but it’s a fun one. Have everyone bring a wrapped gift (small, unique, or even funny!) Let all the guests choose a number from a hat. The first person gets to choose the first gift. The second person has the option to also choose a gift or steal another gift that someone already picked. You can either have everyone unwrap along the way or keep everything hidden until the very end to keep it interesting. If you need inspiration for choosing a gift, check out the best gifts for her and best gifts for him that will work for any occasion.
Christmas-opoly
Who doesn’t love Monopoly? Now you can play your favorite game, but with a Christmas spin. Pieces include a candy cane, teddy bear, reindeer, and Scrooge. Collect Christmas properties and buy presents, but watch out, if you get snowed in you’ll have to miss three turns. If you’re looking for something to watch while you play, see if any of these Christmas movies on Netflix do the trick.
Telephone
Here’s a throwback to the good ol’ summer camp days. Whisper a Christmas phrase, movie title, or song to the person next to you. Then, they will whisper to the next person, and so on. The last person will say what they heard out loud. You’ll all be laughing all night at how everything gets lost in translation.
Christmas puzzle
OK, hear us out. While a puzzle may not seem like the most exciting Christmas party game, if you leave one out on the table, you’ll be surprised how many people end up sitting down to find some matching pieces. People will enjoy having something to do with their hands (besides eating and drinking) while chatting.
Never Have I Ever
This is a classic party game, so why not make it holiday-themed? Have any of your guests ever regifted something? Has anyone ever seen Santa himself? Has anyone ever won an ugly sweater contest? Take a sip of your drink if you have not. You’ll all get to know each other much more intimately.
Pin the Nose on the Snowman
While this is a great game for kids, adults will absolutely love it too—especially after a couple of drinks. Blindfold the player, spin them around, and see if they can pin the carrot nose on the snowman. Whoever gets closest is the winner.
The Christmas Carol Challenge
Here’s a Christmas party game for all the singers and karaoke lovers. Pick a classic holiday song everyone knows. Each person will sing a line from the song until someone messes up. That person will then be out and the game will continue until there is one Christmas song champ left standing.
Two Truths and Lie
You may already be familiar with this game, but it’s time to add a holiday spin. Say two truths and a lie and everyone else has to figure out what the lie is. Use anything from funny holiday stories to strange gifts, and even embarrassing Christmas moments.
Roll the Dice Gift Exchange
This will make your gift exchange this year all the more fun. Everyone should come with a small wrapped gift—it may be even more fun if they’re all gag gifts. Each person will roll the dice to see what they need to do with their gift. For example, if you roll a 12, you get to choose someone else’s gift as your own.
The Nightmare Before Christmas Clue
Bring the murder mystery to the party! In this spin on the classic game Clue, the object of the game is to find Sandy Claws. Who kidnapped him? Is he in the toy workshop? Was he subdued with a wreath? Time to find out.
Christmas cookie bake-off
Have everyone come to the party with their best Christmas cookie recipe. The best part about this game is that everyone gets to eat a bunch of cookies. Make it even more interesting by having categories such as “best frosting” or “best design.” If you’re looking to post some of your photos from the evening, check out these Christmas captions for all your holiday photos.
Gingerbread house competition
Adults can make gingerbread houses too! Either have everyone create their own or split everyone up into teams. Make sure to pick up all the best candies and frostings to decorate the house. You can either purchase a few gingerbread house kits or have everyone start from scratch using graham crackers and milk cartons. Let’s see how competitive your friends can really get.
Reindeer Ring Toss
Besides just a fun game to have at your Christmas party, the Reindeer Ring Toss doubles as some extra Christmas decor. See who can get the most rings to land on the reindeer’s antlers to determine the winner. Now that you know which Christmas party games you want to play, make sure you start working on those DIY Christmas decorations for the most festive home.
