30 Christmas Party Games for Kids, Adults and the Office

The right games turn a holiday get-together into the party everyone remembers. The best ones are quick to explain, need little or no equipment, and let everyone join in. Below are 30 tried-and-true ideas sorted by group, so you can find the perfect fit for kids, adults or coworkers.

Can’t choose? Spin the wheel at the end of this article and let it pick the next game.

Christmas games for kids

1. Candy cane hunt. Hide candy canes around the house or yard. Whoever finds the most wins, and everyone gets to keep their haul.
2. Pin the nose on the reindeer. Draw a big reindeer on poster paper. Blindfolded players try to stick a red paper nose in the right spot.
3. Snowball toss. Make “snowballs” from cotton balls or scrunched paper and toss them into buckets worth different points.
4. Holiday freeze dance. Play upbeat holiday music and stop it at random. Anyone still moving when the music stops sits out the next round.
5. Elf says. Like the classic copying game, but every action is festive: wrap a present, ring a bell, pull a sleigh.
6. Gingerbread decorating contest. Hand out plain cookies, icing and sprinkles, then award prizes for funniest, neatest and most creative.
7. Reindeer ring toss. Make antlers from a paper headband and toss paper-plate rings onto them.
8. Jingle bell relay. Players race while carrying a bell on a spoon. If it rings or drops, they go back to the start.
9. Picture scavenger hunt. Give each team a sheet of holiday pictures (a star, a stocking, a snowman) to find around the house.
10. Pass the present. Wrap a small prize in many layers. Pass it around while music plays, and whoever holds it when the music stops unwraps one layer.

Christmas games for adults and families

11. Holiday charades. Write holiday words, songs and traditions on slips of paper and act them out in teams, with no talking allowed.
12. Name that carol. One person hums the first few notes of a holiday song and everyone races to name it.
13. Holiday draw-and-guess. Like charades, but players sketch the clue on paper or a whiteboard while their team guesses.
14. White elephant swap. Everyone brings a wrapped gift. Players take turns opening a new gift or stealing one already opened.
15. Ugly sweater contest. Vote on categories like tackiest, most creative and most likely to light up.
16. Holiday trivia. Write questions about traditions, family history and favorite holiday foods. Teams of three or four work best.
17. Gift-wrapping race. Hand out an awkwardly shaped object, then race to wrap it. Bonus points for neatness, or wrap it wearing oven mitts.
18. Describe the movie. Describe a holiday film in three words while others guess the title.
19. Hidden ornament. Hide one special ornament deep in the tree. The first person to spot it wins a small prize.
20. Marshmallow snowman build. Using marshmallows and toothpicks, teams have two minutes to build the tallest snowman that stands on its own.

Christmas games for the office

21. Secret Santa. A classic for teams. Use a Secret Santa generator so the draw is fair and private.
22. Desk decorating contest. Give everyone a week to decorate their desk, then vote for a winner.
23. Holiday two truths and a lie. Each person shares three holiday stories, and coworkers guess which one is made up.
24. Cookie swap. Everyone brings a batch to share, and the team votes on the best.
25. Holiday bingo. Perfect for remote teams: fill cards with things like “someone’s pet appears on camera” or “someone wears a holiday hat”.
26. Festive photo booth. Set up a corner with props and a backdrop, and share the best photos afterward.
27. Playlist battle. Each team picks three holiday songs, and the office votes for the best playlist.
28. Cup-stack challenge. Players race to build and unstack a pyramid of cups in under a minute.
29. Guess the tradition. Everyone anonymously shares a family holiday tradition, and the team guesses whose it is.
30. Spin for a challenge. Put quick challenges on a wheel, such as “tell a holiday joke” or “sing one line of a carol”, and spin for each person.

Tips for hosting holiday games

• Keep each game short. Ten to fifteen minutes keeps energy high.
• Mix it up. Alternate active games with quieter ones so people can catch their breath and chat.
• Small prizes go a long way. Candy, a festive ornament or bragging rights are plenty.
• Make joining optional. Some guests love to watch, and that’s fine.
• Let a wheel decide. Put your favorite games on a wheel so choosing the next one becomes part of the fun.

The wheel below is loaded with party games. Spin it to choose your first game, or open the full tool to add your own favorites.