11 Christmas Party Games for Family That Kids Will Love

Planning the perfect Christmas party games for family doesn’t have to be stressful. Whether you’ve got toddlers doing laps around the couch or teenagers pretending they’re too cool for fun (they’re not), this list has something that’ll get every single person laughing before dessert hits the table.

These 11 games are a mix of active chaos, printable fun, and sweet quiet moments — so the energy stays balanced all night. No giant budget needed, no trip to a specialty store. Just grab some marshmallows, candy canes, and a little Christmas spirit, and you’re ready to go.

1. Jingle in the Trunk

This one is pure comedy from the first second. Each player straps a tissue box loaded with jingle bells around their waist — think fanny-pack style — and then has to shake their hips until every single bell bounces out. No hands allowed. The first person to empty their box wins, and the whole room wins because the dancing is absolutely hilarious.

Set up is as simple as it gets: fill a tissue box with 8–10 jingle bells, thread a belt through it, and buckle it around the player’s middle. Wrap the boxes in Christmas paper to make it feel extra festive. You can run this as a head-to-head race between two players at a time, or do a full tournament bracket if you have a big crowd.

This game works especially well as an icebreaker early in the party, when everyone needs something ridiculous to break the ice. Even the most reserved family members tend to loosen up the moment they see grandpa shimmying to get those bells out.

2. Christmas Emoji Pictionary

Everyone knows their holiday emojis, but can they decode an entire Christmas movie title spelled out in tiny pictures? This printable gives players a grid of emoji combos — each one represents a classic Christmas film — and they race to write down as many correct answers as possible before time runs out. It sounds easy until you’re staring at 🦌🔴👃 and your mind goes completely blank.

Print one sheet per player or team, set a 5-minute timer, and go. This game works beautifully at the dinner table or anywhere with a flat surface. Older kids and teens tend to dominate, which makes it a great way to balance teams: pair a teenager with a younger sibling and suddenly it’s a real competition.

Keep the answer key at the host’s table so you can announce results with a little fanfare. Award a candy cane or small treat for each correct answer, and give a bonus prize to whoever gets a perfect score. It’s a low-energy game that still feels competitive and fun for the whole family.

3. Snowball Relay Race

Divide everyone into two teams and line them up at one end of the room. Each player must carry a white pom-pom snowball across the room and back using only a plastic spoon held in their mouth — no hands! If the snowball drops, that player has to stop, pick it up with the spoon (still no hands), and keep going. First team to have every player finish wins.

This relay scales perfectly for mixed ages. Give younger kids or toddlers a larger spoon or a bigger pom-pom to make it manageable, and challenge older teens with a smaller spoon. Running the race in relay format means everyone gets a turn and the whole team is cheering, which keeps energy high even when someone’s waiting on the sideline.

Clear a hallway or push back the living room furniture to give teams a straight runway of at least 10 feet. Crank up the Christmas music, count down from three, and watch very careful faces turn into absolute chaos the second the spoon tilts. This one reliably produces the best party photos of the night.

4. Christmas Trivia Scratch Sheet

A Christmas trivia printable sheet is one of the easiest things you can add to any family party. Each player gets a sheet with 20 trivia questions — a mix of easy, medium, and hard — covering holiday traditions, Christmas movies, songs, and fun facts. They answer individually, then you read the correct answers aloud so everyone can score themselves.

The magic of a printed trivia sheet is that it’s genuinely inclusive. Little ones can team up with a parent, while competitive uncles battle it out solo. Questions can range from super simple (“What color is Rudolph’s nose?”) all the way to stumpers that challenge trivia-loving adults (“In what year did ‘A Charlie Brown Christmas’ first air?”). A good mix keeps every age group engaged from question one to the final tally.

Tally scores publicly and give silly prize categories: Most Festive Brain (highest score), Best Guesser (lowest score but most confident), and Holiday Spirit Award (most enthusiasm). This keeps it light and makes sure nobody feels bad about missing a tough question.

5. Wrap the Snowman

Split the family into pairs. One person is the “snowman” — they stand with their arms slightly out — and their partner has one roll of white toilet paper and exactly 60 seconds to wrap them head to toe. When time is up, judges pick the best-looking snowman based on coverage, creativity, and how much they’ve managed to give their person a proper snowman silhouette. The results are always unforgettable.

Add some props to a central table: a hat, a scarf, a construction-paper carrot nose, and two black circles for button eyes. Once wrapping time is up, each team has 30 more seconds to add accessories. Now you’ve got actual snowmen standing in your living room and someone’s definitely going to trip. In the best possible way.

This game is a crowd-pleaser for absolutely every age, and it moves fast enough to run multiple rounds without losing momentum. Little kids love being wrapped almost as much as they love doing the wrapping, and teens will go all-in on the competitive decorating portion. Set up a photo spot afterward — these pictures are keepers.

6. Christmas Wishes Cards

This is the quiet heartwarmer that balances out all the loud relay races. Set out a basket of small cards — one per person — and ask everyone to write down their Christmas wish for the family in the coming year. Not a gift wish. A real one, like “I wish we go camping together next summer” or “I wish Grandma feels better by spring.” Everyone writes privately, then shares aloud if they want to.

Keep it simple: cute card stock, a few holiday pens, and a decorated collection box. You can read them all aloud at the end of the night or save them in an envelope to open next Christmas as a time-capsule moment. Either way, it gives the party a genuine emotional anchor that kids and grandparents both appreciate.

This moment tends to sneak up on people — someone shares something funny, someone shares something sweet, and suddenly the whole room feels like the holidays mean something beyond the presents. It’s a five-minute activity that people remember for years. Keep a tissue nearby just in case.

7. Gingerbread Man Face Race

Place a gingerbread-shaped cookie (or a flat round cracker if you want a less sweet version) on each player’s forehead. On the count of three, everyone has 60 seconds to wiggle their face, raise their eyebrows, and contort their features in any way possible to move the cookie from forehead to mouth — without touching it with their hands. The first person to get the cookie into their mouth wins the round.

This game is genuinely hilarious to watch and play at the same time. Everyone looks absolutely ridiculous, and the more competitive someone is, the funnier their face gets. Run it tournament-style so multiple players go head-to-head, with winners advancing until you’ve crowned one glorious Gingerbread Champion. Keep a napkin nearby for anyone whose cookie takes a kamikaze dive to the floor.

Younger kids can use a larger, softer cookie that’s easier to grip with facial muscles, and you can extend the time limit to 90 seconds for the littles. This is one of those Christmas party games for family that requires zero setup time and zero cleanup — just unwrap the cookies and go.

8. Christmas Movie Emoji Scramble

This printable takes a different spin from trivia: instead of answering questions, players unscramble holiday words hidden inside a grid of Christmas-themed letters. Each puzzle row hides one scrambled word (ELON → NOEL, NDIREEER → REINDEER, and so on), and players race to unscramble all 15 before anyone else. It’s fast, satisfying, and quietly competitive in the best way.

Word scrambles are a brilliant option for families with a wide age gap because they require no prior knowledge — just pattern recognition and a little patience. A six-year-old who loves puzzles can genuinely beat a sharp-minded adult. Hand out pencils, set a soft timer, and watch the room go quiet in that focused, satisfying way. The silence is actually a nice contrast to the active games on either side of it.

Call out answers one by one after time is up to let people self-score, and give a small prize (a candy cane works perfectly) for the winner. Then give everyone a candy cane anyway, because it’s Christmas and you’re a wonderful host.

9. Santa Says

This is Simon Says with a Christmas makeover, and it’s the perfect game for a crowd with toddlers all the way up to grandparents. One person is Santa, and they bark out commands: “Santa says touch your nose!” “Santa says shake your booty like a jingle bell!” “Fly like a reindeer!” — anyone who moves on that last one (no “Santa says” in front) is out for the round. Last one standing wins a small prize.

The secret to making this game great is the caller. Ham it up. Use a deep Santa voice. Give commands that are a little silly and physically funny — “Santa says pretend to be a Christmas tree slowly falling over” will have the whole room in stitches. Keep rounds short (2–3 minutes) so kids who get eliminated aren’t sitting out too long, and jump straight into the next round.

This is one of the best Christmas party games for family because it genuinely works for every age with zero prep, zero supplies, and zero setup. If the party energy starts to drag at any point in the night, pull this out and you’ll have everyone back on their feet in thirty seconds flat.

10. Christmas Predictions Time Capsule

Hand every family member a card and ask them to write down three Christmas predictions for the coming year: something funny, something hopeful, and something they genuinely think will happen. Examples: “Grandma will learn to use TikTok,” “We will finally beat Dad at Monopoly,” or “We’ll take a trip to the snow.” Fold all the cards, put them in a sealed envelope marked “Open Next Christmas,” and tuck it under the tree.

When you open that envelope twelve months from now, reading the predictions aloud becomes a whole event in itself. Some will have come exactly true. Some will be hilariously wrong. Either way, it becomes a tradition people look forward to all year. This is one of those activities that seems simple in the moment but quietly becomes one of the most beloved parts of your family’s Christmas routine.

For younger children who can’t write yet, a parent can scribe for them or they can draw a picture of their prediction. Keep the envelope somewhere safe — tape it to the inside of a decoration box or put it with the Christmas wrapping supplies so it’s impossible to miss next year. This gentle, no-pressure game brings a real sense of continuity and meaning to the party.

11. Pin the Nose on Rudolph

This is the Christmas version of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, and it never gets old no matter how many years you’ve been playing it. Hang a large poster of Rudolph on the wall — you can buy one or print one on a few sheets of tape-joined paper. Each player gets a red circle sticker, gets spun around three times while blindfolded, and then tries to stick the nose as close to Rudolph’s face as possible. Whoever lands the closest wins.

The photos from this game are party gold. Mark each person’s initials lightly on their sticker before they go, so you have a full map of how wildly everyone missed by the end of the night. Stick the poster on the wall as decoration after the game — it doubles as proof of how chaotic the evening was, and the kids will point and laugh at it all night long.

This game is endlessly scalable. Big group? Run it in batches while others cheer. Toddlers playing? Skip the spin and just let them walk forward with the blindfold — they’ll still end up sticking the nose somewhere completely absurd. These Christmas party games for family are the ones kids beg to repeat every single year, and this is absolutely one of them.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the best Christmas party games for large family groups?

For big groups, stick to games that run in teams or allow everyone to play at once. Santa Says, Wrap the Snowman, and Jingle in the Trunk all work beautifully with 15 or more people because you can run multiple pairs simultaneously. Printable games like Christmas Trivia or Word Scramble also shine with large groups — just print enough sheets and everyone plays at once, no waiting required.

What Christmas games can kids and adults play together?

Almost all of the games on this list are designed for mixed ages. Gingerbread Man Face Race, Pin the Nose on Rudolph, and Snowball Relay Race are particular standouts because skill level doesn’t matter — they’re funny and competitive for a six-year-old and a sixty-year-old in equal measure. The Christmas Emoji Pictionary printable also levels the playing field nicely since pop culture knowledge rather than age determines the winner.

What are some easy Christmas party games that require no prep?

Santa Says needs zero supplies and zero setup — just a voice and a crowd. Christmas Wishes Cards only need slips of paper and pens, which you already have. Pin the Nose on Rudolph needs a poster and stickers, which you can grab in five minutes. If you want truly zero-prep, Santa Says and a quick round of Christmas charades (using phone prompts) are your best bets.

How do you play White Elephant at a Christmas family party?

Everyone brings one wrapped gift, usually under a set price limit (often $10–$20). Players draw numbers to determine order. Player 1 picks and unwraps a gift from the pile. Player 2 can either steal Player 1’s gift or open a new one. If your gift gets stolen, you pick from the pile. A gift can typically only be stolen two or three times before it’s “frozen” and can’t move again. The game ends when every gift has been opened. It’s chaotic, funny, and the most-stolen gift is always the most memorable part of the night.

What are fun Christmas minute-to-win-it games for families?

Christmas minute-to-win-it games are 60-second challenges using simple supplies. Great options include Jingle in the Trunk (shake bells out of a waist-strapped box), the Gingerbread Man Face Race (move a cookie from forehead to mouth hands-free), Snowball Relay (carry a pom-pom on a spoon), and Marshmallow Stacking (build the tallest snowman tower in one minute). These games require very little prep, work for all ages, and most supplies — marshmallows, spoons, candy canes, bells — are already in the house during the holidays.

What Christmas games work best for mixed age groups including toddlers and grandparents?

The key is choosing games with adjustable difficulty. Pin the Nose on Rudolph works for toddlers (skip the spin, keep the blindfold) all the way to grandparents who give it full effort. Santa Says works for every age simultaneously. For quieter moments, Christmas Wishes Cards gives toddlers something to draw while older family members write. The goal is to pick games where participation feels joyful regardless of how well someone performs.

What are the most popular Christmas trivia game questions for families?

Great family-friendly Christmas trivia covers a mix of categories: holiday movies (“Which movie features the character Kevin McCallister?”), songs (“What falls in ‘Let It Snow’?”), traditions (“In which country did the Christmas tree tradition begin?”), and fun facts (“In what year did Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer first appear?”). Include easy questions for young kids and harder ones for adults so everyone has a chance to shine. The Christmas Trivia printable in this list has 20 questions that cover all of these categories.

How do you play Christmas Family Feud at home?

To play Christmas Family Feud at home, divide everyone into two teams. The host reads a survey question (e.g., “Name something people put on top of a Christmas tree”) and asks for the most popular answers. Teams compete to guess what the most common responses would be, earning points for matching the top answers on your pre-prepared list. You can find free Christmas Family Feud question lists online and print them before the party. A whiteboard or flip chart to track scores adds to the game show atmosphere.

What are some free printable Christmas party games for families?

Free printable options abound online and on Pinterest. Look for Christmas Word Scrambles, Christmas Trivia sheets, Emoji Pictionary, Christmas Bingo cards, and Christmas Scavenger Hunt lists — all of which you can print at home for zero cost. The printable games in this article (Christmas Trivia, Emoji Pictionary, and Word Scramble) can be screenshotted and printed directly from this page. For bingo, sites like Play Party Plan offer over 40 unique Christmas card designs free to download.

What are outdoor Christmas party games families can play together?

Outdoor Christmas party games work best when they use the winter setting. A Candy Cane Hunt (hide candy canes in the yard and let kids race to find the most) is a classic. You can also do a Snowball Relay Race using real or fake snowballs, a holiday-themed scavenger hunt around the neighborhood, or a team challenge where each group builds the best snow sculpture in 10 minutes. If you don’t have snow, a Christmas Obstacle Course with hula hoops, cones, and wrapped “gift” boxes works on any lawn.

What Christmas games are good for a family party with a big group of 20 or more people?

For groups of 20 or more, prioritize games that everyone plays simultaneously rather than taking turns. Printable games (trivia, word scramble, emoji pictionary) let 50 people play at once. Santa Says handles any crowd size with no wait time. Team relay races like Snowball Relay or Wrap the Snowman work by running multiple pairs at the same time. Christmas Wishes Cards scale infinitely. Avoid turn-based games like charades with very large groups unless you break into smaller rooms.

What are the funniest Christmas party games to play with family?

The games that reliably produce the biggest laughs are the ones with absurd physical challenges. Jingle in the Trunk (hip-shaking a box of bells), Gingerbread Man Face Race (worming a cookie from forehead to mouth), Wrap the Snowman (full toilet-paper mummification), and Pin the Nose on Rudolph (blindfolded chaos) are the top four guaranteed laugh-generators. The secret to maximum comedy is leaning into the silliness as the host — your enthusiasm is contagious.

There you have it — 11 Christmas party games for family that cover every energy level, every age, and every moment of the night, from the first rowdy arrival all the way to the quiet, heartfelt wind-down. Print the game sheets, grab a bag of marshmallows and a box of candy canes, and you’re officially ready to host the most fun Christmas your family has had in years. Pin this list so you’ve got it ready for next year too — and if you’re looking for even more holiday fun, check out our favorite holiday party ideas for kids and families.

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