Playing Christmas party games at your family gathering, holiday party, office party, or youth event is a great way to break the ice and keep the fun going. 
Interactive activities are a great way to make lasting memories. These Christmas party games encourage participation and fun for all.
Christmas Party Games:
I love hosting large gatherings. Honestly, mostly it’s because of the food. I’m an appetizer girl. I love being able to sample little bits of lots and parties are the perfect excuse to do that. But while I have people over, it’s always good to keep them entertained, so we have become a family who loves playing games. These are the best Christmas party games out there.
Christmas Minute to Win It
Our family loves Minute to Win It games. Last year, I came out with Christmas Minute to Win It games that were hilarious to play and to watch. We all had a riot as we attempted to complete the challenges. It’s hard to pick a favourite, but mine was the Bobbing for Candy Canes game. 
All the Minute to Win It Christmas party games can be played in small or large groups and with all ages. This makes them great for pretty much any holiday event. They also require very little set up and the supplies needed are inexpensive. In fact, most of what you need, you probably have around the house already.
The Flour Game
This hilarious game is a family favourite of ours. It’s admittedly more fun to watch it for some than to play it depending on your personality, but if you’re looking for something that is sure to get people engaged and interacting, The Flour Game is a great activity for that. 
The Bag Game
The Bag Game is perfect for group gatherings. You can play it regardless of age and it’s a lot of laughs. This is a good one for a youth event or for an office party. It also requires no planning other than to find an empty paper bag or cereal box, making it inexpensive as well. 
Saran Wrap Ball
The Saran Wrap Ball Game is quickly becoming a favourite among both children and adults. Read the rules of the game, ideas for what to stuff it with and setup instructions.
This is another one that is great for all ages. And everyone walks away a winner so there are no hard feelings, although it still has a competitive side to it too which is extra fun!
Cookie Decorating Challenge
Set out store bought sugar cookie dough, holiday cookie cutters, icing, sprinkles, and baking sheets. Put everyone in teams and let the fun begin! It’s best to set a timer so that it adds another element of hilarity.
This is a great holiday activity because judging the results is almost as much fun as decorating the cookies. It’s also a great activity for mixing a variety of ages so that all family members from toddlers to grandparents can play.
Christmas Charades
The Joys of Boys has made an easy Christmas Charades printable party game that’s fun for families. It’s a fun holiday take on a classic.
Name That Christmas Carol
There are several variations of this game out there. I’ve included some below so that you can find the one that works best for you.
Scavenger Hunt
A Christmas Scavenger Hunt can be a good party game or can be used to create a new holiday tradition with your family. If you’re creating one to use at a party, you can use little trinkets along the way so that everyone who participates gets a prize or a larger gift for the winner at the end.
Christmas Board Games
The Santa Claus Game
Christmas Scavenger Hunt GameChristmas TriviaPin The Nose on The Snowman Christmas ActivityTis The Season Christmas Trivia GameSpot It! HolidayChristmas-opolySanta’s Sleigh Ride
Christmas Trivia Game
These Christmas Trivia Games are such a great way to get conversations started. If your gathering is something where guests will be seated around tables such as a women’s brunch or a potluck, trivia games are the perfect way to break the ice. There are printable sheets you can print out for everyone playing. The questions are challenging enough to really spark conversation.
If you’re looking for a holiday trivia game that children can also participate in, then I would recommend this one instead.
Gingerbread House Decorating Challenge
For those who love watching baking challenges, this one is a lot of fun. Set out the supplies for decorating the houses: gingerbread, icing, candy, icing sugar, sprinkles, candy canes, wafers, etc. Split everyone into teams and set a timer. The team to complete the best house (according to a majority vote) wins! 
Instead of gingerbread houses, we make Rice Krispie houses. That way, they can be shaped into trees or any type of building shape and can still be decorated the same way a gingerbread house would be.
Two Truths and a Lie Christmas Party Game
In this version of Two Truths and a Lie, there is a Christmas twist. Each person takes a turn saying the three worst Christmas gifts they’ve ever received. Two of them are true and one of them is a lie. The others have to try to correctly guess which one is the lie.
Snowman Building Contest
Break out into teams. Choose a set amount of time and start the timer. Each team has until the end of the clock to make the most unique or best snowman they can. The first, second, and third place winners are then chosen. If you want to, you can provide a prize for the winner.
Candy Cane Guess
Fill a medium or large container with small candy canes or another holiday themed candy. Set out small pieces of paper and pens. Have each person at the party write down their guess for how many candies are in the jar. Be sure to have them write their name on their paper. The player who guesses closest to the actual number gets to take home the jar full of candy.
Holiday Pictionary
Divide into two teams. Write down Christmas themed words or phrases on papers. One player on each team must draw what is on their paper while their team attempts to guess what it is. The team with the most points wins.
You can make the cards easy or more difficult depending of the age of people participating. For an adults only party, you can use ones that will be more challenging to draw and guess. Here are some ideas for what words or phrases to add to your Christmas Pictionary game:
- White Christmas
- reindeer
- Santa Claus
- nativity
- 3 wise men
- milk and cookies
- Jingle Bells
- Silent Night
- Christmas tree
- We Wish You a Merry Christmas
- Happy New Year
- Auld Lang Syne
- Joy to the World
- Let it Snow
- Ho Ho Ho
- Deck the Halls
- mistletoe
- poinsettia
- Noel
- ornament
- It’s a Wonderful Life
- carolling
- baby Jesus
- eggnog
- Charlie Brown Christmas
- stocking
- O Little Town of Bethlehem
- Frosty the Snowman
- gingerbread house
- Jack Frost
- Merry Christmas
- nutcracker
- North Pole
- Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer
- ugly Christmas sweater
- ‘Twas the Night Before Christmas
- yule log
- All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth
- I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
- white elephant gift exchange
- Deck the Halls
- Little Drummer Boy
Candy Canes
This game follows the rules of the card game Spoon, but instead of spoons, you place candy canes in the middle of the table. The game lasts much longer because you have to spell out c-a-n-d-y-c-a-n-e-s. Good luck!
Guess that Carol
Get out someone’s phone and find Christmas music either on their playlist or on something such as Spotify or YouTube. Play 15 seconds or less of each song and see who can be the first to shout out the name of the Christmas carol. This works really well in teams if you have a large group.
White Elephant Gift Exchange
I still remember the first time I participated in a White Elephant Gift Exchange. There were a lot of laughs and quite honestly, also some hard feelings as not all of the kids playing wound up with the present they were hoping for.
There are many variations on a White Elephant Gift Exchange. Find the rules of a White Elephant Gift exchange as well as read about some of the common types that are played. One of my favourites is when you bring something from home that you’re no longer using as your gift. It’s a great way to reuse items that others may love that no longer bring you joy. It also means you don’t have to spend any extra money at what is already an expensive time of year.
Holiday Puzzles
I know this is not exactly a “game”, however I always have a table or two set up over the holidays with a puzzle set out. We know a handful of people who HATE playing games. Having a puzzle out gives them something to do if they choose not to participate in the other Christmas party games. We’ve found that by the end of the evening, we often have quite a crowd gathered around the puzzle table and it becomes very interactive and sometimes even a little bit competitive!
We often set up two puzzle tables. One is a more complicated puzzle with a lot of pieces and the other is an easier one for kids. You don’t have to choose a holiday themed puzzle. You can choose one that is meaningful for your family or one that is quirky or fun. It can be reminiscent of a vacation or childhood memory or represent an interest or hobby. These are some of our family’s favourites:
Fishing Cove Jigsaw Puzzle 1000 PieceDownton Abbey 3D Jigsaw Puzzle 890 PieceCandylicious 1000 Piece Jigsaw PuzzleChildren of the World Floor Puzzle 48 PiecesCookies & Christmas 1000 Piece Jigsaw PuzzleSushi Puzzle 1000 PiecePotato Chips 1000 Piece Jigsaw PuzzleDonuts Jigsaw Puzzle 1000 PieceFriends in Winter 1000 Piece Jigsaw PuzzlePeaceful Night Christmas Puzzle 550 PieceA Child is Born Christmas Puzzle 550 PieceWinter Playground Jigsaw Puzzle 1000 PieceSea Shell Treasures Jigsaw Puzzle 550 PieceVintage Nancy Drew Puzzle 1000 PieceTea Cups Boxes 1000 Piece Jigsaw PuzzleCat Bookshelf Jigsaw Puzzle 1000 Piece100 Piece Ballet Recital Jigsaw PuzzleKnock Knock Jigsaw Puzzle 1,000 PiecesAmsterdam Aglow Jigsaw Puzzle 550 PieceTropical Fish Jigsaw Puzzle 1000 PiecePeriodic Table Illustrated Puzzle 200 PieceStarry Night 500 Piece Van Gogh Puzzle
What is your favourite game to play at a Christmas party?
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