33 Christmas Games & Party Activities for Family & Friends

• How many people: 6-20 players
• Items needed: One wrapped gift per person
• Difficulty: Easy

How to Play: This popular gift exchange game brings laughter to any holiday gathering! Have everyone sit in a circle with their wrapped gifts in the center. Draw numbers to determine play order. The first player chooses and unwraps any gift. Here's where it gets fun: each subsequent player can either steal an already-opened gift (forcing that person to choose another) or select a wrapped one. Each gift can only be stolen three times, and the player who goes first gets one final steal at the end.

Pro tip: Set a price limit and encourage creative, funny gifts to keep the game entertaining!

• How many people: 4-30 players
• Items needed: Paper slips for names, a container for drawing, and gifts
• Difficulty: Easy

How to Play: Everyone writes their name and perhaps a small wish list on a slip of paper. Names are drawn randomly, with each person becoming the secret gift-giver for whoever they pick. Keep it super secret until the actual day when gifts are given. When exchanging gifts, take turns opening presents and trying to guess who your Secret Santa is. Want to make it more interactive? Have each person give three clues about their identity before the reveal. This tradition is perfect for offices, friend groups, or large families looking to simplify holiday shopping. (Don’t forget to check out our list of Secret Santa gift ideas to find the perfect present for the person you picked!)

• How many people: 4+ (Best played in teams)
• How much time: 20-40 minutes
• Difficulty: Medium

How to Play: This classic game is a hit in person or online. You can use an online idea generator to select the topic for each round. Once a topic is selected, one team member must use their body language to act out the concept as their teammates work to figure it out. Remember, no talking is allowed!

• How many people: 4+ (Best played in 2 teams)
• How much time: 15-30 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy

How to Play: You can recreate this classic TV game for your own living room! To play, the host will need to prepare a list of questions and popular answers in advance—get creative on who you poll for the answers! Maybe you send an email to Grandma for her top 5 answers. When you reveal the answers, instead of saying “survey says”, the host can respond, “Grandma says!” Go for a general winter and holiday theme, or narrow down to fun Christmas-specific ideas. Sample questions could include:

• “Name one of Santa's reindeer.”
• “Name one food you might have at a Christmas dinner.”
• "Name something you find in a Christmas stocking"
• “Name a word or phrase that begins with "snow".”
• “Name a Christmas cartoon that plays on TV every year.”
• “Name a Christmas plant.”
• "Name something people do the day after Christmas"
• "Name a classic Christmas movie villain"

As far as scoring goes, each member of a team gets a chance to name one thing that they think is on the list. If someone names an item that isn’t on the list, that team’s play is over and the other team can steal the round.

• How many people: 2+ (Best played in teams)
• How much time: 30-45 minutes
• Difficulty: Medium

How to Play: Split the group into teams of four to six people. Distribute a scoresheet to all teams where they will record their answers. A host will ask rounds of questions to all groups who will then write down their answers. Be sure to mix up the difficulty level of the questions. Sample questions could include:

• “In the 12 Days of Christmas song, what are their 10 of?” (answer: Ten lords a-leaping)
• “Christmas Island is a territory that belongs to what country?” (answer: Australia)
• “In 1965, what well-known Christmas carol was the first song broadcasted from space? (answer: Jingle Bells)
• “In which modern-day country was St. Nicholas born?” (answer: Turkey)
• “What popular Christmas song was actually written for Thanksgiving” (answer: Jingle Bells)

After about 20 questions, collect the score sheets and declare a Christmas trivia winner. If you are looking for ideas for some of your trivia questions, you may want to look through our other posts on unique Christmas traditions from around the world and the history of Christmas cards for fun facts.

• How many people: 2+ (Best played in teams)
• How much time: 30-45 minutes
• Difficulty: Hard

How to Play: Divide the party attendees into teams and ask them to come up with creative team names (you could reward a bonus point or two for the best name). Distribute a scoresheet to all teams where they will record their answers. A host will then play a short clip of a holiday jingle and allow teams to write down what song they believe it is. To mix things up, the host can also stop a song at any point and ask for the next line of lyrics. For added fun, you could pull a team captain up from each team and provide them with the name of a Christmas tune. Those team captains then need to whistle the melody to their team for them to try and guess the song.

• How many people: 2+ (Good for a classroom or individual game)
• How much time: 10-15 minutes
• Difficulty: Hard

How to Play: Most of the leg work for organizing this game is performed in the setup phase, as you’ll need to compile 20-30 image riddles for your participants to solve. You can create your own or find some through an online search. Below, we’ve listed a couple of these riddles.

1. A drawing of playing cards stacked up in a home’s hallway (answer: Deck the Halls)
2. A picture of a rocket and a foot with an arrow pointing to the big toe (answer: mistletoe)

Once you have enough picture clues, you can print them out and distribute the riddles around to everyone or present them on your computer screen. Set a time limit and play Christmas songs in the background while everyone is racking their brains to solve the picture puzzles. The person who solves the most wins! (Need the perfect holiday soundtrack? Check out Minted's curated Christmas playlist on Spotify.)

• How many people: 5+ (Individual players)
• How much time: 20-30 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy

How to Play: Before the game begins, have every player submit a picture of their all-time favorite holiday present to the game moderator. If your gift is vague, be sure to explain what it is to the moderator. Once all images are collected, the moderator shows all of the gifts on one screen. Then each player guesses what gift belongs to what person. The player with the most correct number of matches wins. This game can also be switched up to share each player’s favorite holiday dessert or holiday tradition. There are plenty of different categories that can work for this holiday game!

• How many people: 2+ (Individual players)
• How much time: 10-15 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy

How to Play: This game is exactly what it sounds like (and is a Christmas spin on the classic Pin the Tail on the Donkey). Mount a paper picture of a cartoon reindeer on the wall and equip all participants with a circular red cutout of Rudolph’s nose. Players must attach the red nose as close as possible to the wall drawing while blindfolded.

• How many people: 2+ (Individual players)
• How much time: 10 - 15 minutes
• Difficulty: Medium

How to Play: The setup and preparation for this game are what will take the most effort as the party planner. Type up a list of about 30 or 40 Christmas-themed words where the letters have been scrambled up. Below are a few examples:

• Estcalunase (answer: Santa Clause)
• Leignj (answer: jingle)
• Simotleet (answer: mistletoe)

Hand out a sheet to each person and let the competition begin! Set a time limit (5 to 10 minutes should do the trick, depending on how many words you included on your list) to keep the game feeling fun, and hand out a prize at the end to the person who unscrambles the most words. A perfect coordinating prize to award the winner is a Christmas storybook or even a beautifully designed journal, since they are so good with words.

• How many people: 2+ (Good for team play or individual)
• How much time: 10 - 15 minutes
• Difficulty: Medium

How to Play: There are so many Christmas movies it’s hard to keep track of them all. And while many of us catch the classics on TV every December, not everyone is as familiar with their movie posters. Grab images from 20 or 25 popular movie posters and paste them on one sheet of paper or create a PowerPoint presentation to display them digitally. Using a photo editing tool (or simply a black marker), cross out the name of the movie on the poster. Hand out the sheets or display the presentation on your monitor and see if partygoers can correctly name the movie in this variation of Christmas trivia.

Here is a list of possible movies to include on your worksheet:

• Nightmare Before Christmas
• The Grinch
• Arthur Christmas
• A Christmas Carol
• The Holiday
• Home Alone
• Love Actually
• The Santa Clause
• Spirited
• The Polar Express
• A Christmas Story
• National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• Bad Santa
• Klaus
• Miracle on 34th Street
• Scrooged
• Jingle All the Way
• Elf
• A Boy Called Christmas

• How many people: 2-6 (Individual players)
• How much time: 30 minutes-1 hour
• Difficulty: Hard

How to Play: Prep for this game by writing Christmas-themed objects, characters, or events on index cards or sticky notes (aim for about 20 cards). When you’re ready to play, place the cards face-down on the table. Players will each select a card, and without looking at the word on the card, adhere it to their forehead. Players take turns asking yes or no questions to the other players to try and guess what word is on their card. If the answer to their question is “yes”, they can continue asking another question. If the answer is “no”, the player is done asking questions for that round, and attention is focused on a new player. Players try and eventually solve what word is on their card. This Christmas game can be a fun drinking game as well for the older crowd.

• How many people: 2-6 players
• Items needed: No Coal card deck (45 festive cards)
• Difficulty: Easy

How to Play: This delightful holiday twist on "Old Maid" brings Christmas cheer to a classic card game! Players take turns drawing cards from each other's hands, trying to match pairs of jolly holiday images like candy canes, milk and cookies, mistletoe, playful elves, cheerful snowmen, Rudolph, and twinkling Christmas lights. But watch out—nobody wants to be caught holding the coal card when all other pairs have been matched! Perfect for players ages 4 and up, this game combines festive fun with simple gameplay that even the youngest family members can enjoy. It's an ideal stocking stuffer or holiday party activity that keeps kids entertained while building matching skills and creating memorable holiday moments.

• How many people: 2+ (Individual players)
• How much time: 5 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy

How to Play: This game is very simple and should only take a few minutes, making it the perfect way to pick teams for future games or a quick icebreaker to get the holiday festivities started on the right track. Purchase a bag of large puffy marshmallows. Have two contestants take turns stacking one marshmallow on top of the next until the tower falls over. The person responsible for causing the tower to fall is then out. You could play this game with the full family and eliminate a player after each round.

• How many people: 2-8 (Individual players)
• How much time: 2 hours
• Difficulty: Easy

How to Play: This game is best played in the comfort of your own home. Select your favorite Christmas movie and create some rules for when everyone takes a sip of their alcoholic beverage (check out our list of great Christmas cocktails for some ideas). For example, if you are watching The Grinch, you could take a drink every time a word starting with “Who” is said. Remember not to overdo it and drink responsibly!

• How many people: 2-8 (Individual players)
• How much time: 20 minutes
• Difficulty: Medium

How to Play: Find out who has the best sense of smell! Blindfold contestants and have them smell Christmas-themed objects that have been placed in different mason jars or little boxes. Players can then write down what their guesses are — give the person who gets the most correct answers a fun, on-theme prize like a holiday candle.

Possible scented items include:

• Gingerbread
• Pumpkin Pie
• Peppermint
• Eggnog
• Pinecone
• Chocolate
• Cranberry

• How many people: 2-4 (Individual players)
• How much time: 15 minutes)
• Difficulty: Easy)

How to Play: Have the holiday party host act as a referee. Seat two to four people in front of everyone and have them put on oven mitts. Place three shoe-box-sized boxes that have been wrapped in festive wrapping paper in front of each contestant. Once the referee says “go”, all contestants race to unwrap their gifts with their oven mitts on.

• How many people: 4-20 (split people into teams)
• How much time: 20 minutes
• Difficulty: Easy

How to Play: This is the messiest of our Christmas games so far, which makes it a great option for kids. Have your children take turns transforming each other into giant snowmen! Provide materials like toilet paper rolls, colored construction paper, tape, scissors, sunglasses, mittens, and more. Set a time limit of about 10 - 15 minutes for each child to transform their siblings into a giant toilet paper snowman. The best-looking snowman wins the contest. Get the cameras ready!

• How many people: 1-8 players
• Items needed: Christmas puzzle
• Difficulty: Medium to Hard

How to Play: Turn quiet evenings into family bonding moments with a holiday-themed puzzle challenge. Set up a dedicated puzzle table where family members can drift in and out, adding pieces at their leisure. Choose an easy Christmas-themed puzzle — something whimsical like Minted’s Nutcracker Puzzle is perfect for the occasion. Make it even more festive with holiday music and hot cocoa. Some families even time themselves to see if they can complete it before Christmas Eve, or leave it out for visiting relatives to add their own touch to the holiday masterpiece.

• How many people: 2-8 (Family activity)
• How much time: 1-2 hours
• Age recommendation: 5+ (with adult supervision)

What to expect: Building projects are a wonderful way to bring the family together for creative fun, letting everyone contribute their unique touches to create lasting holiday memories. Minted's Ice Castle Model Building Kit is perfect for young fairy tale lovers, offering a magical experience inspired by the architecture of castles and churches. Kids can build and decorate their creations, transforming them into a wonderland complete with frozen landscapes and a penguin friend. For a sweet alternative, gather the family to construct and decorate a charming gingerbread house, where everyone can express their creativity using colorful candies, swirling frosting patterns, and delightful edible embellishments. Either way, it's perfect for a cozy afternoon of holiday creativity!

• How many people: 1+ (Individual players)
• Items needed: Christmas cookies and a chair
• Difficulty: Medium

How to Play: Seat the contestant in a chair and have them tilt their head back so a Christmas cookie can be placed on their forehead. They have one minute to wiggle the cookie down their face and into their mouth, without using their hands. If the cookie falls to the ground they can pick it up and put it back on their forehead.

• How many people: 1+ (Individual players)
• Items needed: Minted's Blizzard Buddies Magnetic Dress Up Game
• Difficulty: Easy

How to Play: This challenge tests who can dress up their snowman the fastest and most creatively! Place all magnetic pieces face up beside the game board. When the timer starts, the player has one minute to create a complete snowman using at least 8 different magnetic pieces. The snowman must include essential items (like a hat, scarf, and arms) and at least 2 decorative accessories to count as complete. If any pieces fall off during the minute, the player must pick them up and reattach them. For an extra challenge, try creating two complete snowmen in the one-minute timeframe!

• How many people: 1+ (Individual players)
• Items needed: 36 plastic cups and a table
• Difficulty: Medium

How to Play: This Minute-to-Win-it Christmas game will test who has the quickest hands. One minute is all the time you have to stack 36 plastic cups into a giant pyramid. The cups should start in one stacked column and also end in one stacked column.

• How many people: 3+ (Individual players)
• Items needed: 6 31/2” flat head nails and at least 4 feet of string
• Difficulty: Hard

How to Play: The secret to winning this tough challenge is a slow and steady approach. Have two bystanders hold the string taut at shoulder level. The player has one minute to hang six nails from the string in unison. This one is a nail-biter!

• How many people: 2+ (Individual players)
• Items needed: bubble mix, bubble wand, tape, and hula hoop
• Difficulty: Easy

How to Play: This outdoor challenge requires two people simply because one person needs to hold a hula hoop steady about four feet off the ground. Mark a line with tape on the ground and have the person with the hula hoop stand at least six feet away. The contestant must blow a bubble from behind the line and gently coax the bubble through the hula hoop in one minute. If the bubble pops, the contestant must run back to the line and start again.

• How many people: 1+ (Individual players)
• Items needed: 6 empty soda cans, 50 rubber bands, and a stool
• Difficulty: Medium

How to Play: Stack six empty soda cans in a pyramid on a stool. Line up the player six to eight feet from the stool and provide them with a bowl of rubber bands. In one minute, you must shoot all the cans over.

• How many people: 1+ (Individual players)
• Items needed: Slinky toy and a headband
• Difficulty: Medium

How to Play: Have the person doing this challenge place a headband around their head. Thread about four or five coils of the Slinky through the space between the headband and the person’s forehead. The contestant then leans over and lets the Slinky hang down to the floor like an elephant trunk. Without using their hands, they must flip the Slinky to land fully compressed for three seconds on their forehead.

• How many people: 1+ (Individual players)
• Items needed: 30 index cards and a table
• Difficulty: Hard

How to Play: Fold 20 index cards in half so they create tented upside-down “V’s”. Assemble the folded index cards alongside 10 straight index cards on a table. In one minute you must create a 10-level paper tower using two folded cards and one straight card for each level. (Pro tip: Make sure all windows are closed and ceiling fans are turned off to avoid a draft knocking over the tower!)

• How many people: 1+ (Individual players)
• Items needed: Bag of cotton balls (preferably red), two paper plates, and Vaseline
• Difficulty: Medium

How to Play: This is the messiest of our Christmas Minute-to-Win-it games. Place a healthy portion of Vaseline on a paper plate. On a separate paper plate placed next to the plate with Vaseline, dump out 15 to 20 cotton balls. Lastly, put a third paper plate on the other side of the room. Family members must put their hands behind their back and dip their nose in the Vaseline. Once their nose is sticky, they can collect cotton balls from one plate (on their nose) and transfer them over to the third plate. Once five cotton balls have been transferred across the room, the challenge is complete.

• How many people: 1+ (Individual players)
• Items needed: Empty tissue box, eight ping pong balls, tape, and string
• Difficulty: Medium

How to Play: If you want the energy level at your Christmas party to liven up, simply introduce this game. To play, attach a string to both ends of an empty rectangular tissue box. Fill the tissue box with the eight ping pong balls and detach the clear plastic covering that encloses the tissue box hole opening. With the string, tie the tissue box around your waist with the box sitting just below your lower back and the box hole facing outward. In one minute, the contestant must bounce, wiggle, and shake to jostle the eight ping pong balls free.

• How many people: 1+ (Individual players)
• Items needed: Three balloons.
• Difficulty: Easy

How to Play: This Minute-to-Win-it Christmas game sounds like it should be easy, but you will be surprised how quickly things turn out of control when a balloon starts to go adrift. Simply keep three separate balloons in the air for one full minute and you win. If you find that the challenge is too easy, try adding a balloon or prohibiting the use of your hands.

• How many people: 1+ (Individual players)
• Items needed: Ruler, tape, two full TicTac containers
• Difficulty: Hard

How to Play: Using glue or tape, attach a full container of TicTacs to each end of a ruler (both face up). Have a contestant bite down on the middle of the ruler. Once the clock starts, the contestant can shake their head to and fro to try and rattle all TicTacs out of both containers in one minute. For this game as well, be sure to refresh the supplies after each round to ensure that the game is safe and fun.

• How many people: 1+ (Individual players)
• Items needed: 15 plastic cups, a table, and a balloon
• Difficulty: Hard

How to Play: Line up 15 plastic cups face down on the edge of a table (about six inches from the ledge). Players have one minute to blow up a balloon and use the air from the balloon to blow cups off the table. You can repeatedly blow up the balloon during the one minute. If playing multiple rounds with different family members, be sure to use different balloons each round to keep players germ-free!