Are you planning a Christmas party this year? If so, you should know that all good parties require three things: Good food, good people, and good entertainment. Entertain your guests this year by coming up with some fun games that will yield great photos and even better experiences for all of your attendees, no matter what!
Fortunately, you don't have to purchase a lot of specialized board games to have a good time. With some simple props that you can find around your home - or no materials at all! - you'll find that you can have a great time at your upcoming Christmas party. We've taken the hassle out of your planning entirely and provided a helpful ranking of the best games you need to try this year!
Below, find our recommendations for holiday party games that all adults are sure to enjoy.
Gift Wrap Challenge: We'll start off simply with a utilitarian-sounding game: See who among your party can wrap a gift the fastest. However, there is a twist that should make it a little harder - and a lot more hilarious: your guests have to pair up to gift-wrap together; and, what's worse, each person can only use one hand to get the job done!
Christmas Carol Pictionary or Charades: On pieces of paper or card stock, write out little pieces of the lyrics to your favorite Christmas carols. Place them all in a hat or bowl, and then invite everyone to join the fun! For Pictionary, hand paper and pencils to your guests; for Charades, no further equipment is needed. Take turns drawing a piece of paper from the bowl and acting out (or quickly drawing) the Christmas carol lyric while everyone else guesses. Add a time limit in so that everyone knows the pressure's on!
Two Truths and a Lie, Holiday Edition: Take turns coming up with two holiday-related 'truths' you can tell as well as a lie that sounds like maybe it could be true - anything from the worst Christmas presents you've ever received, to whether or not you think you made Santa's 'nice' list! Everyone else will guess which is a truth, and which is the lie, for a Christmas-themed way to get to know everyone just a little bit better.
Christmas Limbo: It's the classic game, made festive with the use of an extra-long Candy-cane, a roll of gift wrap, or a Christmas scarf used as the traditional limbo stick. Have two people hold up the prop, first at about shoulder height as everyone else passes under it. Then, have the two people holding the scarf or Candy-cane lower it progressively, as the people going under it have to resort to increasingly awkward poses to keep going!
How Many Ornaments? Just as much a game as a conversation starter or competition, this simple game just requires everyone to make a guess - verbally or on paper - as to how many ornaments are on the tree in the host's home. If you come up with a simple prize for the winner, that's all you need to bestow easy fun for your friends! (Just make sure that you tell them that no actual counting is allowed!)
Name That Tune: Using the same card stock prompts from Charades above, have your guests pair off into teams. One person will select a card and start to hum the melody of the Christmas carol. The other person will only have a few seconds to guess it! Set a timer and see which team can correctly identify the most carols in a set amount of time.
White Elephant: If your Christmas party involves casual gift-giving, spice up the process just a little bit by introducing a swap element. In a white elephant format, everyone puts their presents in the center of the room and, one at a time, everyone selects a present - either from the center, or something that someone else has already unwrapped!
20 Questions - Christmas Edition: For a good game to play as everyone's relaxing and the evening is winding down, simply play 20 questions with a holiday focus. Have one person select an object and keep it to themselves - anything from the movie Elf to a specific ornament to their favorite Christmas tune! - and see if you and your friends can guess what it is…all within 20 questions.
Stocking Guessing Game: Have the host or someone else fill a stocking (or even just a regular sock!) with random objects, ornaments, candies, or anything else you have on hand. Tie the top of the sock off securely, and then have people feel the sock to guess what's hidden inside. No peeking! Then, at the end of the party, you can reveal what was inside. The person whose guess was closest wins!
Blind Christmas Drawing Game: Start by grabbing pieces of paper and pens or pencils for everyone playing. Then, have everyone except for one person close their eyes or put on a blindfold (perhaps by pulling a Santa hat down over their eyes!). The one remaining person will call out a Christmas-themed object (a candy cane, a present, an elf) and everyone else will draw that object without looking at their paper! The resulting works of art should be very hilarious!
Christmas Photo Props: Cut out a few holiday-themed objects onto thick card stock, and, if it's helpful, attach them to long dowel sticks. For example, you could cut out a Frosty the Snow Man top hat! Assemble other props, such as a Santa hat, a Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer nose, presents, holly and ivy, and anything else that comes to mind. Set up a corner of your home to be a simple photo booth. (All you need is a fun background - perhaps a sheet with a design on it, or just a simple Christmas tree!) People will love posing with the props and you will always treasure the photos people take with them!
Next time you have a holiday-themed party, suggest one of these games and your event will instantly be unforgettable. It's simple: With these party games, your Christmas party will be the merriest of holiday occasions!
Mia Jones
Mia is a freelance bathroom designer and writer with over a decade of professional experience. From space planning, cabinetry, storage solutions, and tile design to hardware and fixture selections, she knows a thing about creating baths that strike a perfect balance between functionality and aesthetics.
