30 Fun Christmas Party Game Ideas the Whole Group Will Love

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The Christmas season is upon us, and there's a lot to look forward to. Shopping for gifts for your loved ones, putting up and decorating your tree, driving around to experience the magic of twinkling Christmas lights. Not to mention the general vibe of this holiday season that's basically impossible to replicate during other times of the year. One of the best, most fun ways to get yourself in the holiday spirit is with a Christmas party. Whether you're the host or guest, being surrounded by people who are in just as festive a mood as you are is a must-have experience of the season. And if you're looking for ways to make your annual soiree even better this year, then you need to check out our Christmas party game ideas.

Hanging out and mingling with friends, family, and once- or twice-removed acquaintances is always something to look forward to at big gatherings, but there are easy ways to break the ice so the conversation flows a bit better as the night continues. There are party games everyone can join in on at once, like Christmas charades or a snowball fight, or you can choose to transform your home into an entire arena and have multiple gaming sections for activities like Jenga or pin the tail on the reindeer.

While some of these activities are for 21+ attendees, most of the Christmas party games on our list will be fun for the entire family, regardless of age. As you plan to host your own party or simply want to add a fun option to a festive shindig you're attending, consider these ideas as we move closer to the holiday season.

Christmas Charades

Have a jolly time at your party with a themed game of charades. After everyone writes down a Christmas-centric clue, throw the pieces of paper in a Santa hat, then have each person take turns drawing from the hat and acting out what their note says.

Holiday Jenga

Give the classic party game a festive twist by writing tasks on each block. Some ideas are "Name you favorite Christmas movie" or, to sprinkle in some drama, "What's the worst gift you've ever received?" It'll keep everyone playing entertained, and there's no limit on how many people can join in on the fun.

This is also an exciting way to decide who gets to open their presents. Write each party-goer's name on the blocks, and whoever's name is pulled, they get to open their gift.

Blind Man's Bluff

An easy version of poker, in blind man's bluff each player is dealt one card that they have to present to the rest of the players without looking at it themselves. The objective of the game is to have the highest card, and once the cards are shown, players are to place their bets on whether they believe they have the highest card at the table. For a holiday version, replace betting money with candy canes—or for higher stakes, gifts.

20 Questions, Holiday Edition

Similar to charades, have each player write a Christmas-related person or character on a Post-It note, then pass the note face-down to the person to the right or left of you. Once each player has a note that is not their own, everyone must put their notes on their foreheads, and guess who their character is by asking 20 or fewer questions.

Antler Ring Toss

Better start working on your aim, because this game requires precision. Perfect for the kids in your family, this inflatable version comes with two sets of antlers and ten rings, as well as two red noses for an extra sprinkle of holiday spirit.

The Grinch Mafia

If you're unfamiliar with the game Mafia, it's a popular party game where a group of designated "mafia" members in your party try to, er, take out the designated civilians. While it can take a second to get used to all the rules and roles of the game, it's an extremely fun, competitive activity. For a holiday version, replace the Mafia members with Grinches and the Civilians with the Whos. The other roles (Narrator, Doctor, and Detective) can stay the same.

Most Likely To

This party game works well in any group, but it's best when it's played with people who all know each other really well. What you'll do is gather players to sit in a circle, either read pre-written out cards or call out a question on the spot, like "Who's most likely to search for their hidden presents?" and have everyone point to who they think is most likely to do that at the end of a countdown from three. Whoever has the most fingers pointed at them is out (or takes a drink). Whoever is the last person in, wins.

Pin The Nose On The Deer

Join in your own reindeer games with this adorable holiday version of pin the tail on the donkey. The kids will love it, and once they've all gone to sleep, the adults will think it's just as fun.

Christmas Pictionary

This artistically inclined version of charades is a fun way to get the energy up. Have everyone write down a Christmas-specific thing, separate into at least two teams, and put the pieces of paper in a Santa hat. Have a person from each team go up to their respective white boards, draw a single piece of paper from the hat, and countdown from three to signal when they can start drawing whatever was on the piece of paper. Whichever team figures out what their teammate is drawing first wins a point.

Christmas Limbo

Grab your favorite holiday scarf or some shiny tinsel and have your guests go to town on showing off how low they can go. Whoever gets the lowest without falling can win a prize or open a present.

Speed Eating

You'll need some donuts and strong strings for this game. Split everyone into two groups, and tie one string each around two of the glazed desserts. A team member from each group will need to eat their donut as quickly as possible to beat the other person and win a point. Whoever wins gets to open their presents first. This is a fun, and possibly messy, game for a white elephant party.

Snowman Dressing Contest

Frosty looks a bit cold out in the yard, don't you think? Either already have some snowmen created before your guests arrive or have them create them as part of the contest, and have at least two groups compete to have the best dressed snowman. Have a set of judges to determine which team is the winner.

Guess How Many

How many peppermints are in the jar? A great party opener, as your guests arrive, have them write down their name and how many peppermints they think are in a filled jar in your entryway. At the end of the party or after everyone has arrived, reveal who guessed correctly and gift them with a prize.

Ugly Sweater Contest

A tried and true classic, ugly sweater parties will never get old. When you send out your invites, make sure to include that everyone must wear the ugliest holiday sweater they can find. At the end of the party, have everyone write down who they think had the most hideous sweater, and prize the winner with a trophy. This one on Amazon is customizable, so you can simply write "Christmas" and the current year or wait until after the party to order it.

Inflatable Reindeer Antler Ring Toss Game

This horse shoes-esque game is as simple to follow as it is to set up. If you're looking for ways to keep the little ones entertained during the shindig, an easy activity such as this will do the trick.

Candy Cane Hunt

Like an Easter egg hunt but with candy canes, hide a set number of the minty treats around your home—both inside and out if you want an added challenge—and sick everyone loose to gather as many as they can find. Whoever finds the most candy canes of the bunch wins.

Snowball Fight

We're dreaming of a white Christmas solely for the purpose of being able to have a snowball fight. Split up into teams or just go nuts, and pelt your opponents with the freezing spheres until either one team gives up or everyone's too wiped out. Just make sure you don't get any ice in your snowballs!

Sledding Races

Another reason to hope for a heavy snowfall: Sledding. Go out and find the tallest hill you can and bring the party there. Include BYOS (bring your own sled) on the invite, and get to racing. Have rich hot chocolate ready to go in a crockpot back at the house to warm everyone up after the races.

Gingerbread House Kit Set of 4

Have your house and eat it too with these gingerbread cottage kits. Buy enough for everyone at your party to decorate a cookie abode and have everyone vote on the best one after they're all finished.

Jingle Bell Toss

Like a holiday-themed corn hole match, or maybe a festive version of beer pong, set up a tabletop beanbag toss game, and replace the bags with jingle bells. You may think it'll be easier to get the bells in the holes, but we wouldn't be too sure.

How's Yours?

Designate one person to be "It" and send them off to a different room than the rest of the group. The remaining players are to settle on a specific characteristic, such as eyes, hair, or a piece of clothing, then have the person who's "It" come back into the room. Said person should go around asking other players, "How's yours?" and in one adjective, the other player will respond with a descriptive word of their characteristic. If it's hair, they can say thin, red, frizzy, etc. When the person who's "It" guesses the correct attribute, they get to open their gift.

Christmas Karaoke

While karaoke doesn't have to be a competition (though it can be a holiday version of American Idol), forcing your guests to sing along to Christmas carols and other festive songs is a sure shot to putting everyone in the holiday spirit. Plus, it's built-in party entertainment.

Christmas Bingo

Encourage your party guests to go around and meet each other with a fun game of bingo. These downloadable bingo cards have different characteristics on them, and the objective of the game is to get a bingo by going around to people and seeing if they match the criteria.

Spoons

Switch out the utensils in the classic card game "Spoons" with candy canes. To make the activity last longer, make the word you need to spell out "C-A-N-D-Y C-A-N-E-S". If you're unfamiliar with the game, here are the instructions.

Christmas Cookie Bake-Off

Kill two partridges in a pear tree with one stone: Cater your party and entertain your guests. Make your holiday party activity a Christmas cookie bake-off, and have your players decorate holiday treats to be judged for a prize at the end. To save time, have pre-baked and cooled cookies and simply have piping bags ready to go.

960 Pcs Snowflake Stickers

Similar to Assassin, the main objective of Sticker Stalker is to stick your stickers on other party guests without them noticing. The first to use up their sheet wins. We'd recommend everyone having different types of holiday stickers so they're easily identifiable and make the game more interesting as the night goes on and guests see who's stuck them. You can't put a sticker on the same person twice, so different designs help with that issue too.

Christmas Trivia

Either write up your own Christmas trivia questions or take them from already existing lists to play with your party guests. We'd recommend splitting everyone into teams, especially if your soirée is rather large. Whichever team has the most points at the end wins.

Heads Up Game

Don't waste paper with this exciting, competitive app similar to our version of 20 questions. Heads Up is beloved by many, and it's a great way to get your holiday party engaged. After downloading the app, open it on your phone, and you'll be able to select a specific category to play from. You'll hold your phone on your forehead, it'll say a word on the screen, and your guests will have to give you hints on what the word is.

Christmas Song Trivia Game

Put your guests' holiday song knowledge to the test with these printable sheets where the objective is to finish as many lyrics as you can. Though this is especially great for kids, you'll be able to see if your adult friends know the ends to the songs as well as the children.

Christmas Pong

This party game is a classic among college students across the United States, but you can make it more refined (if you please) at your Christmas party. Keep it a relatively short game, and replace the cheap beer with low-priced champagne. Alternate between green and red plastic cups to capture the holiday aesthetic. Whichever pair wins can get a prize of a nice bottle of bubbly to take back home with them.

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