Christmas party games: 25 easy games for family, friends and the office

The short answer: the best christmas party games need almost no supplies and work for any age: Christmas Movie Trivia, Holiday Pictionary, Christmas Bingo, Finish the Lyric and minute-to-win-it challenges.

• Plan three or four games for a two- to three-hour party
• Mix one icebreaker, one team game and one active game
• Keep a backup ready
• 25 games sorted by who's playing, with supplies and time
• Next step: Plan it with the Christmas Budget & Gift Planner ($4.99).

The best Christmas party games need almost no supplies and work for any age: Christmas Movie Trivia, Holiday Pictionary, Christmas Bingo, Finish the Lyric and a few minute-to-win-it challenges. Plan three or four games for a two- to three-hour party, mix one icebreaker with one team game and one active game, and keep a backup ready. Below are 25 Christmas party games sorted by who's playing, with what you need and how long each takes. Pair them with one of our Christmas party themes to tie the night together.

I've always been the coordinator in my family, the oldest of three and the one everybody looks to for the plan. Here's what I've learned: a party with a simple plan feels relaxed, and a party with no plan feels long.

Quick-pick table

Icebreaker games

1. Two Truths and a Holiday Lie. Each guest shares two true holiday memories and one made-up one. Everyone guesses the lie.
2. Who Am I? Christmas edition. Stick a name like "Rudolph" or "The Grinch" on each guest's back. They ask yes-or-no questions to figure out who they are.
3. Holiday Would You Rather. "Would you rather wrap every gift or untangle every string of lights?" Read questions aloud and have guests move to one side of the room. Need more? Use our list of would you rather questions.
4. Christmas Memory Share. Pass around a bowl of prompts like "your favorite Christmas food growing up." Good for small family gatherings.

Team and trivia games

Need the questions ready-made? Our free Christmas trivia page has 50 questions by round plus a kids round, with a printable answer sheet. For a no-prep icebreaker, try a round of funny christmas jokes.

For a quieter table game, hand each team our free Christmas crossword and see who finishes first. Word lovers can race through a round of Christmas Scattergories instead.

5. Christmas Movie Trivia. Ask 20 questions about classic holiday movies. Teams of three or four write answers on paper.
6. Name That Christmas Tune. Play the first five seconds of a holiday song. First team to name it wins the point.
7. Finish the Lyric. Read the first line of a carol and stop. Teams finish it.
8. Holiday Pictionary. Draw holiday words like "snow globe" or "fruitcake" on a big pad of paper or a whiteboard.
9. Christmas Charades. Act out movies, songs and traditions with no talking.
10. Holiday Family Feud. Survey guests ahead of time ("name something you put on a tree") and play the top answers.
11. Christmas Emoji Quiz. Show emoji strings that spell out song or movie titles.

Minute-to-win-it games

Each player or team gets 60 seconds. These are great for kids and adults together.

12. Candy Cane Hook. Use one candy cane held in your mouth to hook and lift others off the table.
13. Jingle Bell Shake. Tie an empty tissue box with jingle bells inside around the waist and shake the bells out.
14. Snowball Toss. Toss cotton balls or marshmallows into a bowl from a set distance.
15. Ornament Stack. Stack plastic ornaments as high as you can.
16. Unwrap the Gift. Wrap a small prize in many layers and unwrap it while wearing oven mitts.
17. Cookie Face. Move a cookie from your forehead to your mouth with no hands.
18. Spoon the Ornaments. Move small ornaments from one bowl to another with a spoon in your mouth.

Games for the office party

For work, keep games optional, short and free of personal questions or anything embarrassing.

Sharing the cooking? Our Christmas potluck ideas include a sign-up plan.

19. Holiday Trivia teams. Mix departments so people meet someone new.
20. Ugly Sweater Contest. Vote by paper ballot in categories like "most lights" or "best homemade."
21. Cookie decorating contest. Set out plain sugar cookies, frosting and sprinkles, then vote on the winners.
22. Guess the baby photo. Collect baby photos ahead of time, only from people who opt in.

Games for kids at a family party

Kids too young for trivia can play our free Christmas bingo, which comes with 20 different cards and a caller sheet.

23. Christmas Bingo. Use cards with pictures like stockings, stars and snowmen. Candy or cereal works as markers.
24. Holiday Scavenger Hunt. Hide 10 small items and give kids a picture list to check off.
25. Freeze Dance. Play Christmas music and stop it at random. Anyone still moving sits out a round.

Supplies checklist

• Pens and paper or index cards
• Large drawing pad or whiteboard
• Timer (a phone works)
• Candy canes, cotton balls, plastic ornaments and tissue boxes for minute-to-win-it
• Printed bingo cards and trivia questions
• Small prizes ($2 to $5 each)

A simple game plan for a 3-hour party

1. First 30 minutes: Guests arrive, eat and mingle. Start an icebreaker like Who Am I? as people walk in.
2. Hour one: Team trivia or Holiday Pictionary.
3. Hour two: Minute-to-win-it rounds, then dessert.
4. Last hour: A gift exchange, if you're doing one, or a relaxed game like Finish the Lyric.

If you're serving a buffet, remember that perishable food shouldn't sit out longer than 2 hours, per the FDA's guide to storing food safely. The FDA's buffet safety tips say to replace nearly empty dishes with freshly filled ones rather than topping them up, so swap in fresh platters instead of leaving everything out all night.

Adding a gift exchange

Party games and gift exchanges go well together, but they're different things. If you want a swap too, see our Secret Santa rules and budget guide and our white elephant gift ideas under $25.

Keep the party on budget

Prizes, food and supplies add up fast. The Christmas Budget & Gift Planner ($4.99) gives the party its own budget line and includes to-do and menu pages, so the party is planned with the rest of your holiday spending. For the full season, the Holiday Season Bundle is $15.99 ($25.94 if bought separately). Browse everything in our holiday shop.

Want a free page to start? The Holiday Budget Starter Kit is three US Letter pages we email you after you join our list.

Looking for a ready-to-print pack? The Game Night Club sends trivia, bingo and a party game each month.

See also

• Holiday party planning checklist
• How to host a cookie exchange
• Christmas gifts for coworkers
• Family New Year's Eve at home

Feeding the crowd too? Try our Christmas party food ideas and these festive Christmas mocktails everyone can enjoy.

For a fast, cheap crowd game, see our saran wrap ball game rules and prize ideas by budget.