The holiday season is a time of festive gatherings. Hosting a holiday party means that your family, friends, neighbors and coworkers will all come together under one roof. Sometimes everyone from the different parts of your life can use a little help getting comfortable and chatting with one another, which is why we rounded up fun Christmas Party games to help break the ice.
Be sure to make use of the filters so that you come up with a selection that is suitable for your audience. Some games are meant for large groups and some may be too difficult for your little ones.
Ugly Sweater Contest
Invite everyone to dress in their best (or worst) holiday sweater and vote on the winner.
Christmas Movie Trivia
Split up into teams and test your holiday movie knowledge.
Cookie Competition
Everyone has to bake a batch of cookies. After tasting you can select winners in different categories like best overall, most festive and most creative.
Christmas Guess Who
Have everyone come with a childhood Christmas photo. People will then have to guess who is who.
Wrap Off
Test your wrapping skills by competing in a Christmas wrapping battle. The first to finish wins!
Worst Present Wins
Much like two truths and a lie, each player lists three of the worst presents they ever recieved. Then everyone has to guess which two are true and which one is a lie.
Marshmallow Mania
Each player will be timed to see how long it takes them to eat a cup full of marshmallows and down a cup of hot chocolate.
Christmas Kisses
Fill a jar with chocolate kisses and have everyone guess how many are in the jar. The closest guess wins!
Jingle Bell Toss
Set up cups in a triangle shape, divide into team and toss 10 jingle bells per team. The team with the most bells wins.
Christmas Bingo
Create a Christmas bingo sheet with festive squares.
Name that Carol
Play five seconds of a Christmas carol and have everyone guess what it was.
Christmas Charades
Play charades with only Christmas ideas like putting on a Santa suit or the Grinch sneaking away.
Pin the Carrot on the Snowman
Rather than a donkey, decorate a wall with a snowman cut out and have blindfolded guests try to pin the carrot on his nose.
Stack the Tree
Have two players race each other to see who can create the tallest tree with plastic cups in one minute.
3 Armed Race
Rather than a have a 3 legged race, tie the arms of two contestants together and have them wrap a present.
The ABCs of Christmas
Race to see who can get through the alphabet with a festive word for each letter.
Christmas Scavenger Hunt
Split into teams and have a list of holiday things each team must take a photo with like Santa Claus, a snowman and nativity scene.
Candy Cane Relay
Each player gets a candy cane which they stick in their mouth. The first player gets another cane hooked on the one they already have and they must pass to their teammate without using their hands. The first team to pass the candy cane pass every player wins.
Penguin Waddle
Make teams of two and have one player stick a balloon between their ankles to the end of the room and back. They must pass to their teammate who then has to waddle too!
Christmas Family Feud
Come up with Christmas-themed Family Feud questions that are custom-made for your family. Be sure to keep track of points!
Fat Santa
Blow up a bunch of balloons and have two people put on very baggy red sweatpants and a sweater. The team to stuff the most balloons in their Santa wins.
12 Days of Christmas
Hide 12 items representing the 12 days of Christmas around your house and have players find each item.
Fast Frosty
Split up into teams of two and hand one person a roll of toilet paper, a carot and a santa hat. The first team to wrap a member completely up in toilet paper and stick the nose and hat on win!
Marshmallow Toss
Give each team a bucket of large marshmallows and suspend a wreath. The team to get the most marshmallows through the wreath wins.
Stocking Stuffer
Hang stockings and assign a stocking to each team. The first team to stuff their stocking wins!
Off the Top of Your Head
Place a paper plate on top of everyone’s head and have them draw a simple festive idea on their head like a snowman or a Christmas tree.
What’s in Santa’s Hat
Place a few Santa hats on your mantlepiece and have guests guess what is in each hat.
Ornaments Galore
Have guests guess how many ornaments are placed throughout your house.
Stealthy Holiday Sticker
Hand each guest a different color of sticker packs and have them stealthily stick them on other guests. The first to get rid of all of their stickers wins!
Holiday Who Am I?
Pin each guest with a holiday character on their back. Throughout the night they can ask others yes or no questions to figure out who they are.
Reindeer Antlers
Divide into teams with a leader. Give each team a pair of pantyhose and a bowl of balloons to blow up. The team able to stuff the most balloons and place the pantyhose on the leader’s head wins!
Christmas Card Caption
Rip off the front cover of Chrismas cards and place them in a pile. Split into team and have each team come up with different funny captions for each card.
I Spy an Ornament
Describe an ornament to all players and hide it somewhere in your house. The first to find the ornament wins!
Gingerbread House Contest
Have everyone build a gingerbread house. You can decide what the winning category is: most inventive, most traditional, most intricate.
We recommend taking lots of photos while you play! Catching grandpa with a mouthful of marshmallows or your neighbor drawing a snowman with a plate on her head can lead to lots of laughs later. You can also create great photo gifts with the fun party photos. Hang photo ornaments on the tree at next year’s celebration or create personalized mugs so you can remember how much fun you had all year long.
