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32 Christmas Party Games for the Whole Family (Plus a Few That Are Adults-Only)

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Everyone loves a lively holiday bash but hosting one can be stressful. What if people get bored? What if no one talks to each other? What if we can’t agree on a Christmas movie to pop in (The Grinch or Elf)? If you’ve ever thrown a party before, there’s a good chance you’ve asked yourself these questions and we all know those holiday cocktails can hold the crowd for so long before things go left. And that, friends, is why party games exist. The best part: You don’t even have to do your own research because our roundup of Christmas party games features crowd-pleasers for any kind of holiday celebration. From family-friendly activities like bean bag toss and bingo to adults-only pastimes (think: “Would You Rather?” and drinking games), here are 32 Christmas party games you want in your arsenal.

The Best Christmas Towns in the United States


christmas party games song game
Amazon

1. Happy Holidays! The Christmas Carols And Songs Game

Best for All Generations

No need to venture out into the cold for a caroling activity this holiday season. Instead, bring the classic tunes indoors with an entertaining game that will put everyone’s Christmas carol knowledge to the test. The play is fast-paced and family-friendly and the board game format (which includes playing pieces and dice) makes for an interactive experience that all will enjoy.

christmas party games scavenger hunt
Amazon

2. Christmas Scavenger Hunt

Best for Kids

Scavenger hunts are always a blast—but let’s be honest, it takes a lot of effort to design one. Spare yourself the chore and scoop up this festive, ready-made scavenger hunt for an indoor/outdoor adventure without the onerous workload. Seriously, all you have to do is deal some cards from the deck and watch the holiday play unfold.

christmas party games pin the nose on the reindeer
Amazon

3. Pin The Nose On The Reindeer

Best for Any Occasion

In case you missed it, this birthday party staple has been reinvented to suit basically every holiday. Why? Probably because it’s so much fun that people (including Uncle Ron) want to play it more often. Yep, guests both young and old will get a kick out of this Christmas-themed version on the classic party game...but if you’re singing “you spin me right round” to yourself while blindfolded and dizzy, you officially belong to the latter group.

christmas party games christmas light scavenger hunt
Happiness is Homemade

4. Christmas Light Scavenger Hunt

Best for the Outdoors

If your neighborhood puts on a good light show over the holiday season, you should definitely make use of your neighbor’s efforts with a Christmas light scavenger hunt. This simple, printable activity is an excellent way to get everyone outdoors for some fresh air and interactive fun. Kids will enjoy using their powers of observation to check off items on their scavenger hunt card and adults will appreciate the festive decorations all the more thanks to this ‘stop and smell the roses’ game.

christmas party games trivia
Amazon

5. ‘tis The Season Christmas Trivia Game

Best Trivia Game

Unless you have a little kid with an unusual command of 20th century pop culture, this one, like all trivia games, is best suited for tweens and adults. That said, the under ten set should certainly stand by because there’s plenty of education to be had from this entertaining party game, which includes movie trivia challenges that reference Christmas classics (Miracle on 34th Street), cult films (A Christmas Story) and modern holiday favorites (Elf). Not a film buff? Fear not: This game also includes questions relating to holiday traditions, carols and more.

christmas party games bean bag toss
Amazon

6. Christmas Bean Bag Toss

Best for Some Friendly Competition

No one outgrows a good bean bag toss and young children will relish the opportunity to throw things without losing their prized place on Santa’s ‘nice list’. Bottom line: Everyone will be glad to get in on this family-friendly game—but if your hand-eye coordination isn’t up to snuff, prepare to have the secret exposed.

christmas party games candy cane toss em
Happiness is Homemade

7. Candy Cane Hook ‘em

Best for Sneaking in a Sweet Treat

Equal parts challenging and goofy, this candy cane game is as amusing to play as it is to watch. Stock up on this sweet and stripy holiday staple and you’ll have everything you need for this 60-second (i.e., Minute to Win It) race, which promises to keep the whole fam on the edge of their seats.

christmas party games mad libs
Happiness is Homemade

8. Christmas Mad Libs

Best for Bringing the Laughs

This beloved road trip and rainy day activity just got a holiday makeover, and no one will be mad about it. This uproariously funny, family-friendly activity comes to you in free, printable form—you know, so you can keep the mood light at your Christmas party without a heavy workload.

christmas party games elf
Twenty20

9. Christmas Elf Charades

Best for Re-Using Your Elf on the Shelf

If you’re a proud owner of this all-powerful Christmas prop, we’ve got good news: You can put that Elf on a Shelf to use for party games, too. Try this game of elf charades, in which players use Santa’s little helper to act out Christmas themes. The amateur puppet work will garner some good laughs—and thanks to the magic of holiday printables, you only need a pair of scissors to get the good times rolling.

10. Pass the Christmas Parcel

Best for Getting Your Hands on Those Presents

Pass the parcel is an ideal way to give your party guests a taste of the present-opening thrills that are typically reserved for Christmas Day. This holiday twist on the classic game is played the same way as the traditional version, except this time, the gifts are covered in festive wrapping paper and there’s festive music involved. Best of all, this game can be easily adapted to entertain any crowd because you can choose an inoffensive present for a family-friendly event or a gag gift for a grown-up gathering. Either way, the winner takes all.

christmas party games word search
Happiness is Homemade

Best for Passing the Time

Like a crossword puzzle, but easier, this Christmas word search is refreshingly thoughtful and lowkey compared to other party games. That said, if you want to introduce some extra excitement to the activity, just set a timer—whoever finds the most words before the buzzer goes off wins the game.

christmas party games punch a present
The Craft Patch

12. Punch A Present

Best Adults-Only Pastime

This Price Is Right-inspired gift giving idea, which involves punching through holes in a cardboard box to reveal presents inside, has major party game potential. For a bigger group, you’ll need more than one box to extend the game, and we suggest leaving several holes empty to add to the excitement. (Will you score a gift or walk away empty-handed?) With these few minor adjustments, you’ve got a gift giving game that will entertain guests of all ages.

christmas party games gift wrapping
Twenty20

13. One-handed Gift Wrap Game

Best for Testing Your Wrapping Skills

Think you’re so good at gift-wrapping you can get the job done with one hand tied behind your back? Well, here’s your chance. Partner up for a gift wrapping race with a twist: Each member of the two-person team can only use one hand. The first team to finish the task wins the game, but this one is more about the laugh-out-loud spectacle than keeping score.

14. ‘Would You Rather?’ Adult Christmas Version

Best Ice Breaker

Wait until the kids are in bed to play this party game because the hilarious ‘would you rather?’ content is for adult ears only. This Christmas version of the popular ice breaker comes with a free printable of questions to ensure a fast-paced game that will crack everyone up (and make more than a few people blush).

15. Christmas Carol Musical Chairs

Best for an Adrenaline Rush

Just like regular musical chairs, except played to the tune of popular Christmas carols. Party-goers of all ages will have a blast scrambling for a seat (or providing back-up vocals from the sidelines if there’s no place left to sit when the music stops).

christmas party games murder mystery
Amazon

16. Crime Time T'was A Death Before Christmas Murder Mystery Game

Best for True Crime Fans

This whodunnit game serves up squeaky clean and family-friendly entertainment. The rules of play might be a bit too complicated for kids younger than 13, but certainly your teens can play along with the adults. Needless to say, this murder mystery is definitely not snoozy.

christmas party games santa vs jesus
Amazon

17. Santa Vs. Jesus: The Epic Party Game

Best for Keeping Everyone on Their Toes

Team Santa and Team Jesus duke it out in this irreverent holiday party game for grown-ups that features puzzles, riddles and controversial jokes. The rules are easy to learn, and the play is wildly entertaining. Best of all, although the content is mature, there’s nothing too raunchy, so you can comfortably play with Aunt Jean.

christmas party games gingerbread house
Twenty20

18. Gingerbread House Bake-off

Best for Showing Off Those Baking Skills

Turn this time-honored holiday tradition into a party game by adding an element of competition to the activity. Divide guests into teams so they can race to build the best gingerbread house before the clock runs out. Bonus: This party game doubles as dessert.

christmas party games karaoke machine

19. Christmas Carol Karaoke

Best for Showing Off Your Vocal Prowess

This family-friendly party game is pretty straightforward: Gather everyone together and let the karaoke caroling begin. This one does go down easier after a couple of adult drinks, but guests of all ages will have a blast belting it out—and the worse the singing, the sillier the entertainment.

christmas party games a christmas story
Amazon

20. A Christmas Story: The Party Game

Best Way to Revisit a Classic

This movie trivia board game is sure to be a hit with fans of the cult classic movie that it’s based upon. The game is intended for teen and adult players—since little kids probably don’t know the movie that well—and it can only accommodate four players, so this one is best-suited for a small holiday celebration (or played in pairs).

christmas party games kids decorating
Twenty20

21. Don’t Ring The Bell Obstacle Course

Best Activity for Kids to Burn Off That Sugar Rush

Little kids and limber adults (maybe?) will enjoy navigating this festive obstacle course with challenges that include jumping through hoops (literally) and tiptoeing across a balance beam, to name a few. Bottom line: This is a fun way to get the party started for the under ten set.

22. Never Have I Ever...

Best for Revealing Some Secrets

It wouldn’t be a grown-up party with a good drinking game to break the ice: Confess your sins and throw a few back with a round of ‘Never Have I Ever’. The catch? Each statement must be Christmas related. Check out the tutorial for a few examples to get the game going.

christmas party games unwrap gifts
Klaus Vedfelt/Getty Images

23. White Elephant

Best for Hand-Eye Coordination

A popular gift exchange game that involves unwrapping presents and trying to steal from friends, white elephant is easy to play and amusing for partygoers of all ages. Just be sure to give guests a heads up since everyone will need to arrive at the party with a gift.

24. Jingle Bell Toss

Best to Play With or Without the Kids

Like beer pong, but with jingle bells to fit the Christmas theme. This test of hand-eye coordination is considerably more challenging if there are alcoholic beverages involved, but the booze is optional, so feel free to omit it for a kid-friendly party game.

christmas party games i spy game
And Next Comes L

25. Gingerbread Christmas I Spy Game

Best for Keeping the Kids Entertained

This free printable I Spy sheet with a holiday theme makes a good party game for young guests to play while the grown-ups get to relax. This one’s entertaining and challenging enough to keep underage partygoers occupied for a decent length of time.

26. Snow Shovel Race

Best Game to Pull Off at the Last Minute

This Minute to Win It snow shovel race is as enjoyable to watch as it is to play. Best of all, you only need a few inexpensive supplies—cotton balls, plastic spoons and a bowl—to get the fast-paced competition started. The objective? Shovel as many snowballs as you can into the bowl without using your hands.

christmas party games indoor snowball
Amazon

27. Indoor Snowball Fight

Most Thrilling Game

Looking for a fun game for your family-friendly holiday celebration that doesn’t involve trekking snow into the house? Grab some indoor snowballs and start a dry snowball fight for some seasonal fun that won’t freeze your hands. This party game will take everyone by surprise, but it’s sure to be particularly thrilling for the younger crowd.

christmas party games puzzle
Amazon

28. Springbok Christmas 550 Piece Jigsaw Puzzle

Best Game to Play With Your Grandparents

Jigsaw puzzles might not exactly scream ‘party-time’ but hear us out on this one because they’re actually a good fit for a relaxed (but fun) bash. For starters, jigsaw puzzles are a great way to bring people together, since kids and grown-ups can get in on the game, and because they’re so mellow, puzzles are highly conducive to conversation, too.

christmas party games bingo

29. Christmas Bingo

Best Game to Play with a Crowd

Perfect for when you have a full house and you want to avoid a lull in the festivities, this 24-player game is an easy crowd pleaser. Everyone, from grandma to Uncle Joe can easily partake if they’re not up for the mingling in-between courses.

30. Christmas Movie Drinking Game

Best Drinking Game

Best reserved for when the little ones have gone to bed or an adult-only get together, cue up your favorite Christmas rom-com, break out the vodka (or libation of your choice) and take a shot anytime you hear a Christmas-related word. Pick words like “Christmas,” “holiday” or “elf” that are sure to have the entire gang seeing double by the end of the night.

christmas party games name that carol

31. Name That Christmas Carol

Best Spin on a Classic

Like name that tune, but with just Christmas carols. Split your loved ones into teams and have one member hum the first few seconds of a popular Christmas song. Whoever guesses the tune correctly gets a point and their team goes up next.

32. Truth or Dare

Best for Stirring the Pot (a Little)

Here’s the perfect opportunity to get your cousin to admit she’s the one who prematurely sliced some of Aunt Mary’s famed pecan pies that one Christmas in 2003. Or you can dare one of your cousins to tell Grandma Jean that the family knows her yummy “homemade” cranberry sauce is actually store bought.



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Freelance PureWow Editor

  • Has 5+ years of experience writing family, travel and wellness content for PureWow
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Resident Hufflepuff, Beyonce historian, self-proclaimed tea sommelier

Steph is a native of Zimbabwe who is both enamored and genuinely baffled by the concept of silent letters. From 2020 to 2022, she served as Associate Editor at PureWow covering SEO content. That includes anything from finding the best lightweight foundations and compiling an expansive list of the best dog costumes to giving you a thorough breakdown on how to clean your sponge.