Some groups want a game on the phone that starts in ten seconds, and some want everyone off the couch with a roll of wrapping paper. This page has both, for family gatherings, office parties and the long evening after dinner.
These need a few things from around the house and work for mixed ages unless the card says otherwise.
1. Christmas charades
Players: 4 or moreAges: 6 and upYou need: slips of paper, a bowl and a kitchen timer
- Write Christmas words and scenes on slips of paper and fold them into a bowl.
- Split into two teams. One player draws a slip and acts it out without talking or pointing at things in the room.
- Their team has one minute to guess. A correct guess scores a point.
- Teams take turns until everyone has acted once. The higher score wins.
Let young kids act in pairs, and hand them a slip they can read on their own.
2. Plastic wrap ball
Players: 5 or moreAges: 6 and upYou need: a roll of plastic wrap, candy and small prizes, and two dice
- Before the party, wrap the best prize in plastic wrap. Keep wrapping and tuck a candy or small prize into every few layers until you have a ball.
- Sit in a circle. One player starts unwrapping while the player on their left rolls both dice.
- When the roller gets doubles, the ball and the dice each move one player to the left.
- You keep whatever falls out during your turn. The game ends when someone reaches the prize in the middle.
Tear the wrap into short pieces as you build the ball, so nobody unrolls half of it in one pull.
3. Pin the nose on the reindeer
Players: 3 or moreAges: 3 and upYou need: a reindeer poster, paper noses with tape and a blindfold
- Hang a drawing of a reindeer on the wall at the height of the shortest player.
- Give each player a red paper nose with their name on it and a loop of tape on the back.
- Blindfold the first player, turn them around three times and point them at the poster.
- They stick the nose where they think it belongs. The nose closest to the right spot wins.
For adults, spin five times and let the room shout directions that are only sometimes true.
4. Christmas draw and guess
Players: 4 or moreAges: 7 and upYou need: a large pad or whiteboard, markers and a kitchen timer
- Write Christmas words on slips of paper. Mix easy ones like "sleigh" with harder ones like "regifting".
- Split into two teams. The drawer picks a slip and draws it with no letters, numbers or talking.
- The drawer's team has one minute to guess. If they miss, the other team gets one guess to steal the point.
- Play to 10 points.
In the last round, everyone draws with their weaker hand.
5. Hum that carol
Players: 4 or moreAges: 8 and upYou need: slips of paper with the names of well-known carols
- Split into two teams and put the slips in a bowl.
- One player draws a slip and hums the tune to their team, with no words and no gestures.
- The team gets 30 seconds to name the carol. If they miss, the other team may guess.
- Take turns until the bowl is empty.
If your group finds it too easy, allow only the first five notes.
6. Candy cane fishing
Players: 2 or moreAges: 6 and upYou need: a box of wrapped candy canes and a bowl for each player
- Pile the candy canes on a table with the hooks pointing in different directions.
- Each player holds one candy cane in their mouth by the straight end, hook down.
- With their hands behind their backs, players hook canes from the pile and carry them to their own bowl.
- After one minute, the fullest bowl wins.
With more players than table space, run it as a relay and give each player 20 seconds.
7. Toilet paper snowman
Players: 6 or moreAges: 5 and upYou need: two rolls of toilet paper, a hat and a scarf for each team
- Split into teams of three or four. Each team picks one person to be the snowman.
- On "go", the team wraps their snowman in toilet paper from shoulders to ankles, then adds the hat and scarf.
- Stop after three minutes.
- Someone who did not play picks the best snowman.
Put out paper, scissors and tape so fast teams can add buttons and a carrot nose.
8. Oven mitt unwrap
Players: 4 or moreAges: 6 and upYou need: a gift wrapped in many layers, oven mitts, a winter hat and one die
- Put the gift in the middle of the circle with the mitts and the hat.
- Players take turns rolling the die. Whoever rolls a six puts on the hat and mitts and starts unwrapping.
- The others keep rolling. On the next six, the unwrapper hands over the hat and mitts and the new player takes the gift.
- Whoever removes the last layer keeps the gift.
Put the gift in a box inside a bigger box and use plenty of tape. A big bar of chocolate works as the prize because the winner can share it.
9. Left right gift pass
Players: 6 or moreAges: 5 and upYou need: one small wrapped gift per player and a story full of the words left and right
- Sit in a circle. Everyone holds a wrapped gift.
- One person reads the story aloud.
- Each time the group hears "left", everyone passes their gift one person to the left. On "right", the gifts go right.
- When the story ends, you keep the gift in your hands.
Write your own story about the Wright family, who left for Christmas and left half their things behind. Read faster as you go.
10. Christmas bingo
Players: 3 or moreAges: 4 and upYou need: printed bingo cards with Christmas pictures, calling slips and something to cover squares
- Give each player a card with a 5 by 5 grid of Christmas pictures or words, arranged differently on every card.
- A caller draws slips from a bowl and reads each one out.
- Players cover the square if they have it. Small candies work as markers.
- The first player to cover five in a row shouts "Bingo" and wins the round.
At an office party, fill the squares with things that happen during the party, such as a sweater with lights on it or someone asking about your holiday plans.
11. What's in the stocking
Players: 3 or moreAges: 5 and upYou need: a large Christmas stocking, 10 small household objects, paper and pens
- Fill the stocking with 10 small objects, such as a pine cone, a cookie cutter and a spool of ribbon. Tie the top shut.
- Pass the stocking around. Each player gets 30 seconds to feel it from the outside.
- Players write down what they think is inside without showing anyone.
- Empty the stocking and count the correct answers. The longest correct list wins.
Add one or two objects with odd shapes, like a garlic press or a clothespin. For young kids, use five objects and let them reach inside.
12. Christmas scavenger hunt
Players: 2 or moreAges: 4 and upYou need: a list of things to find and a pen for each team
- Write a list of 15 to 20 things to find around the house, such as something that jingles, a card with a bird on it and an ornament older than the youngest player.
- Split into pairs or small teams and hand each one a list.
- Teams have 15 minutes to find each thing and write down where it is. Everything stays where it was found.
- The team with the most finds wins. A tie goes to the team that finished first.
For kids who cannot read yet, draw the list as pictures. At the office, hide 12 paper snowflakes around the floor and send teams to find those.
13. Ornament spoon relay
Players: 6 or moreAges: 5 and upYou need: two spoons and two shatterproof ornaments
- Split into two teams and line up at one end of the room. Mark a turning point at the other end.
- The first player on each team balances an ornament on a spoon, walks to the turning point and back, and hands the spoon to the next player.
- A player who drops the ornament starts their leg again. Thumbs stay off the ornament.
- The first team with everyone back wins.
For a harder second round, hold the spoon in your weaker hand and weave through a row of chairs.
14. Indoor snowball toss
Players: 2 or moreAges: 4 and upYou need: rolled white socks or large marshmallows and three buckets
- Set three buckets at different distances from a line on the floor. The nearest is worth 1 point, the middle one 3 and the farthest 5.
- Each player gets five snowballs per turn and throws underhand from behind the line.
- Add up the points after three rounds. The highest total wins.
Let small kids stand a step closer. For a team version, one player throws while a partner holds a bucket and moves it to catch.
15. Christmas who am I
Players: 4 or moreAges: 7 and upYou need: sticky notes and a pen
- Write a Christmas character or thing on a sticky note for each player, such as a snowman, an elf, a fruitcake or Scrooge.
- Stick a note on each player's back or forehead without letting them read it.
- Players walk around and ask each other yes or no questions, one question per person before moving on.
- When you guess what you are, move the note to your chest and keep answering other people's questions.
At an office party, stick the notes on as guests arrive. People end up talking to everyone in the room before the food is out.
16. Paper plate drawing
Players: 3 or moreAges: 5 and upYou need: a paper plate and a marker for each player
- Everyone holds a paper plate flat on top of their head and a marker in the other hand.
- The host reads out one step at a time: draw a floor line, a Christmas tree, a star on top, ornaments on the tree, then presents under it.
- Players draw each step without looking at the plate.
- Score the plates: 2 points if the tree touches the floor, 2 if the star touches the tree, 1 for each ornament on the tree and 1 for each present under it.
Trade plates before scoring so nobody grades their own, and give the lowest score a prize too.
Open one, pick who's playing, and pass the phone around. Each has its own Christmas list.
Updated November 2026.