The best Christmas games for family get everyone off their phones and into the same room: kids, teens, parents and the grandparents who claim they “do not play games.” This list covers 22 tried-and-true favorites, from cup games and gift-exchange games to classic party games, with how to play each one, how many people you need and what supplies (if any) to grab.
Christmas games at a glance
| Game | Type | Players | Ages | Supplies |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cup Christmas Tree Stack | Cup game | 2+ | 5+ | 10 plastic cups per player |
| Ornament Toss | Cup game | 2+ | 4+ | Cups, ping pong balls |
| Christmas Cup Punch | Cup game | 2+ | 3+ | Cups, tissue paper, small prizes |
| Jingle in the Trunk | Minute to Win It | 2+ | 5+ | Tissue box, bells, belt |
| Snowman Wrap | Team game | 6+ | 5+ | Toilet paper |
| Unwrap With Oven Mitts | Minute to Win It | 2+ | 6+ | Oven mitts, wrapped box |
| White Elephant | Gift game | 6+ | 10+ | One gift per person |
| Left-Right Christmas Story | Gift game | 6+ | 5+ | One prize |
| Plastic Wrap Ball | Gift game | 4+ | 6+ | Plastic wrap, small prizes, 2 dice |
| Dice Gift Swap | Gift game | 6+ | 6+ | Gifts, 1 die |
| Christmas Charades | Party game | 6+ | 6+ | Slips of paper |
| Christmas Pictionary | Party game | 4+ | 6+ | Paper, pens |
| Christmas Trivia | Party game | 2+ | 8+ | None |
| Hum That Carol | Party game | 4+ | 6+ | None |
| Candy Cane Hunt | Kids | 2+ | 3+ | Candy canes |
| Indoor Snowball Fight | Kids | 4+ | 3+ | Scrap paper |
| Reindeer Ring Toss | Kids | 2+ | 4+ | Antler headband, rings |
| Spoons | Card game | 4 to 13 | 7+ | Deck of cards, spoons |
Christmas games with cups
Plastic cups are cheap, reusable and surprisingly good for holiday games. A single pack covers all three of these.
1. Cup Christmas Tree Stack
Give each player 10 plastic cups (green if you can find them). On “go,” players stack them into a tree: a bottom row of four, then three, two and one on top. Then they unstack back into a single pile. Fastest time wins. Add a twist by putting a red cup at the top as the “star.”
2. Ornament Toss
Set up a triangle of cups on a table like a Christmas tree. Players stand behind a line and bounce ping pong balls (“ornaments”) into the cups. Each landed ornament scores a point, and the top cup is worth three. Move the line back for older players.
3. Christmas Cup Punch
Put a small prize in each of 12 to 20 cups, cover each cup with tissue paper secured with a rubber band, and glue or tape the cups to a poster board in a tree shape. Players take turns punching through one cup to claim the prize inside. It doubles as a decoration until the party starts, and little kids adore it.
Christmas Minute to Win It games
Each player or team gets 60 seconds to complete a silly challenge. Run several in a row and keep a scoreboard.
4. Jingle in the Trunk
Tie or tape an empty tissue box to the back of a player’s waist with a belt or ribbon, and fill it with jingle bells or ping pong balls. With hands off the box, the player has one minute to wiggle and jump until the box is empty. Guaranteed to get the whole room laughing.
5. Snowman Wrap
Split into teams of three. Two players wrap the third in toilet paper to make a snowman, adding a scarf, hat or paper nose. Best snowman after two minutes (judged by a grandparent) wins.
6. Unwrap With Oven Mitts
Wrap a small box in several layers of paper. Players put on oven mitts and try to unwrap it within a minute. For extra laughs, wrap a treat inside so the winner gets a reward.
Christmas gift games
These games make the gift exchange part of the fun instead of a quick swap.
7. White Elephant (Yankee Swap)
Everyone brings one wrapped gift within an agreed price limit. Draw numbers to set the order. Player 1 opens a gift. Each next player either opens a new gift or steals an opened one; anyone who has a gift stolen picks again. Common house rules: a gift can be stolen no more than three times, and the last steal locks it in. Player 1 gets a final chance to swap at the end.
8. Left-Right Christmas Story
Sit in a circle and give one person a wrapped prize. Read a Christmas story full of the words “left” and “right.” Each time you say “left,” pass the gift to the left; each “right,” pass it right. Whoever holds the gift at the end keeps it. Many families write their own story starring the family members at the table.
9. Plastic Wrap Ball
Wrap small prizes (candy, gift cards, mini toys) into a large ball of plastic wrap, adding layers between each prize. Sit in a circle. The first player starts unwrapping while the player to their left rolls two dice. As soon as the roller gets doubles, the ball passes to them and the next person starts rolling. Whatever falls out while you unwrap is yours.
10. Dice Gift Swap
Everyone brings a wrapped gift and puts it in the middle. Players take turns rolling one die: a 1 or 2 means take a gift from the middle, 3 means swap with someone, 4 means pass a gift to the left, 5 means pass to the right, and 6 means roll again. Set a timer; when it goes off, you keep whatever you are holding.
Classic Christmas party games
11. Christmas Charades
Write holiday words and phrases on slips of paper: decorating the tree, snowball fight, building a snowman, wrapping presents, ice skating, Santa stuck in the chimney, burnt cookies, sledding. Split into teams and act them out silently within one minute.
12. Christmas Pictionary
Same slips, different rules: draw instead of acting. Teams take turns drawing while their teammates guess before the timer runs out. Kids can be paired with adults to keep it fair.
13. Christmas Trivia
Read these out loud, and keep score by team.
- Which store asked Robert L. May to write the story of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer in 1939? Montgomery Ward.
- In what year did Christmas become a federal holiday in the United States? 1870.
- The poinsettia is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett. What was his job? He was the first US minister to Mexico.
- How many gifts are given in total across all verses of “The Twelve Days of Christmas”? 364.
- What year did the military’s “Santa tracker” (now NORAD Tracks Santa) begin? 1955.
- Name Santa’s eight reindeer from the 1823 poem “A Visit from St. Nicholas.” Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder (often Donner) and Blitzen.
- Which country is credited with popularizing the decorated Christmas tree? Germany.
14. Hum That Carol
One person hums a well-known Christmas carol or song without singing any words, and everyone else races to name it. Whoever guesses first hums next. It is harder than it sounds and needs no supplies.
15. Christmas Would You Rather
Go around the room with holiday questions: Would you rather build a snowman or have a snowball fight? Would you rather get socks every year or no presents at all? Great for the dinner table.
Christmas games for kids
16. Candy Cane Hunt
Hide candy canes around the house or yard like Easter eggs. Give each child a bag and a time limit. Hang a few on curtain rods and branches so they can hook them.
17. Indoor Snowball Fight
Crumple scrap paper or wrapping paper into “snowballs,” split the room into two sides with a line of tape, and throw. When the timer stops, the side with fewer snowballs wins.
18. Reindeer Ring Toss
One player wears a pair of reindeer antlers (a headband works). Others toss rings made from pipe cleaners or paper plates with the centers cut out, trying to land them on the antlers. The reindeer can help by leaning in.
19. Pin the Nose on Rudolph
Draw a big reindeer face on poster board. Blindfolded kids take turns trying to stick a red paper nose in the right spot. Closest nose wins.
Christmas card and table games
20. Spoons
When the whole family is at the table, Spoons is the most chaotic card game you can play with one deck. Everyone passes cards to collect four of a kind, then grabs for one of the spoons in the middle, and there is always one spoon too few.
21. Kings in the Corner
A calm card game for grandparents and kids to play together while dinner cooks. See how to play Kings in the Corner.
22. Card games for two
When it is just you and one other person on Christmas evening, try one of these card games for 2 people, like Speed or Gin Rummy.
How to plan your family Christmas games
- Pick three games, not ten. One active game, one gift game and one calm game cover most gatherings.
- Buy supplies once. A pack of cups, a deck of cards, ping pong balls, dice and a roll of plastic wrap cover most of this list.
- Mix teams by age. Pairing a teenager with a 6-year-old keeps things fair and friendly.
- Have small prizes ready. Candy canes and chocolate coins make every game feel like a big deal.
- Save the gift game for last. It gives everyone a reason to stay until the end.
Hosting Thanksgiving too? See our Thanksgiving games for the whole family.
Christmas games FAQ
What are good Christmas games for the whole family?
Christmas Charades, Left-Right Christmas Story, White Elephant, Ornament Toss and Spoons all work for mixed ages because the rules are simple and teams can mix kids with adults.
What Christmas games can you play with cups?
Cup Christmas Tree Stack, Ornament Toss and Christmas Cup Punch all use plastic cups. A single pack of cups covers all three.
What are fun Christmas games with gifts?
White Elephant, Left-Right Christmas Story, Plastic Wrap Ball and Dice Gift Swap all turn the gift exchange into a game.
What Christmas games need no supplies?
Hum That Carol, Christmas Would You Rather and Christmas Trivia need nothing at all. Charades only needs paper slips.
What are good indoor Christmas games for kids?
Candy Cane Hunt, Indoor Snowball Fight, Reindeer Ring Toss and Pin the Nose on Rudolph are all easy to set up inside.
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