72 Christmas This or That Pairs for the Family Table

These this or that questions for Christmas are built for one specific moment: everyone is still at the table, dessert plates are pushed back, and someone needs to start something before the uncles fall asleep. No pens, no scorecards, no standing up. One reader calls a pair, hands go left for option one or right for option two, and the room immediately splits in ways nobody predicted.

Seventy-two pairs are sorted into six rounds that gently escalate from easy crowd-pleasers to the kind of question that ends with grandma surprising everyone. Print the card sheets, stack them by your plate, and you are ready.

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How to Play

One person reads a pair aloud: for example, “Turkey or ham?” Everyone raises their left hand for the first option or their right hand for the second. The reader counts the split, reacts to any surprises, and moves on. No elimination, no teams, no wrong answers. Work through as many pairs as the table has energy for, use the printed cards so the reader never has to think of the next question, and treat any pair that gets a unanimous vote as a reason to ask a quick follow-up before moving on.

Round One: Christmas Food

Start here: food opinions run strong, the room already has opinions before anyone raises a hand, and the first split of the evening always gets a laugh.

1. Turkey or ham?
2. Roast potatoes or mashed potatoes?
3. Stuffing inside the bird or cooked separately?
4. Bread sauce or cranberry sauce?
5. Pigs in blankets or stuffing balls?
6. Christmas pudding or yule log?
7. Mulled wine or eggnog?
8. Mince pies warm or straight from the box?
9. Gravy from the tin or made from scratch?
10. Brussels sprouts in or Brussels sprouts out?
11. Starter before the main or straight to the main?
12. Leftovers that same evening or save them for tomorrow?

Round Two: Presents and Wrapping

The wrapping paper mountain is still in the corner and everyone has a hot take on how presents should be handled, which makes this round reliably divisive.

1. Neat wrapping with crisp corners or the “rustic” crumpled look?
2. Open gifts one at a time together or free-for-all all at once?
3. Ribbon and bows or plain and simple?
4. Gift receipt tucked inside or no receipt, full commitment?
5. Wrapping paper recycled and folded or ripped off and binned?
6. Gifts piled under the tree or stored in a separate room until the moment?
7. One big present or several smaller ones for the same budget?
8. Name tag handwritten or printed label?
9. Same wrapping paper for everyone or a different paper per person?
10. Secret Santa with a limit or everyone buys for everyone?
11. Unwrap on Christmas Eve or strictly Christmas morning?
12. Sentimental gift or something from the wish list?

Round Three: Films and Music

Christmas film allegiances run deeper than most family members admit, and music taste turns out to be the fastest way to find out where everyone really stands.

1. Home Alone or The Muppet Christmas Carol?
2. Elf or National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation?
3. It’s a Wonderful Life or A Christmas Story?
4. White Christmas (the film) or Holiday Inn?
5. A Christmas Carol (any version) or Miracle on 34th Street?
6. The Holiday or Love Actually?
7. Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas Is You” or Wham’s “Last Christmas”?
8. Bing Crosby’s “White Christmas” or Frank Sinatra’s “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas”?
9. Christmas carols from a choir or Christmas pop songs on a playlist?
10. One Christmas film every year on rotation or something new each time?
11. Film on Christmas Eve or film on Christmas Day afternoon?
12. Subtitles on or subtitles off?

Round Four: Traditions

Traditions are where the table discovers that two branches of the same family have been doing completely opposite things for thirty years and both think theirs is the normal one. See the Christmas Eve party games post for more ways to make the lead-up just as fun as the day itself.

1. Stockings hung on the fireplace or at the end of the bed?
2. One big family gathering or rotate between households each year?
3. Christmas crackers pulled before the meal or saved for pudding?
4. Advent calendar with chocolate or one with little gifts?
5. Real Christmas tree or artificial?
6. Tree up in late November or not until December?
7. Outdoor lights on the house or keep it inside only?
8. Church service on Christmas morning or sleep in?
9. A formal sit-down Christmas dinner or buffet-style?
10. Matching family pyjamas on Christmas Eve or personal choice?
11. Write a letter to Santa (for the kids) or skip it these days?
12. Same menu every single year or something new alongside the classics?

Round Five: Christmas Day Itself

This round gets personal fast because everyone at the table actually lived through the same day and will defend their version of it. For a longer evening of Christmas games for family game night, bookmark those ideas now and save them for when the cards run out.

1. Wake up before six or sleep until you wake naturally?
2. Cosy in pyjamas all day or dressed properly by noon?
3. Cook together or one person in charge of the kitchen?
4. Board game after dinner or the this or that questions continue?
5. Long walk between courses or stay on the sofa?
6. Phone on the table or phones away for the day?
7. Nap after dinner or power through?
8. Queen’s Speech (or King’s Speech) at three or skip it entirely?
9. Paper hats from crackers kept on all through dinner or quietly removed?
10. Read the joke from the cracker aloud or skip it?
11. Christmas music playing through dinner or comfortable quiet?
12. Candles lit on the table or good overhead lighting?

Round Six: The Boxing Day Round

Save this round for when the day has run long and the table is still together: these pairs are a little more opinionated and work best once everyone is relaxed. If the group wants to keep playing after this, the Christmas party games for big groups list has plenty of options that also need nothing more than a chair and a voice.

1. Leftovers cold from the fridge or reheated properly?
2. Turkey sandwich or turkey curry?
3. Boxing Day sales in person or online from the sofa?
4. Relatives still staying or back to just your household?
5. Return unwanted gifts immediately or wait until after New Year?
6. Decorations down on Boxing Day or leave them until Twelfth Night?
7. Thank-you notes sent by text or handwritten cards in the post?
8. New Year’s Eve plans sorted now or figure it out later?
9. Big sport on the television or no sport whatsoever?
10. Board games with what is left of the group or everyone peeling off early?
11. One last glass of something festive or strictly on water by now?
12. This game again next year or try something completely different?

How to Keep It Moving and When to Stop

The single rule that keeps a table game alive is a brisk pace. Read the pair, count the hands, say one thing about the split, and move to the next card. The moment a pair needs explaining, skip it and come back later if anyone asks.

Watch the table, not the card deck. If two consecutive pairs produce a unanimous vote and no conversation, the group is winding down. That is the cue to stop: put the remaining cards away on a high note rather than running every pair to the end. Six rounds of twelve is a ceiling, not a target.

Splitting the reading duty helps. Pass the card deck one seat clockwise after every two pairs so a different voice is calling the room. It keeps everyone alert and stops one person carrying the whole evening. If younger children are at the table, let them read a pair each: the room will react warmly regardless of the answer, which gives the game a second wind.

For a fuller evening of seated games that also need nothing more than voices and hands, the funny Christmas party games roundup has eighteen ideas that fit the same post-dinner window.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many players do you need for Christmas this or that questions?

Four is the practical minimum because you need enough hands to create a visible split. The game actually gets better the more people are at the table: eight to twenty players makes every vote dramatic. It works equally well with mixed ages, since no pair requires specialist knowledge.

Do you need any equipment to play?

Nothing at all if you read from a screen or a printed list. Print the card sheets if you want a dedicated reader who can hold up a card instead of squinting at a phone. That is genuinely all the prep involved.

How long does one round take?

A round of twelve pairs runs about eight to ten minutes at a relaxed pace. Six rounds in a row is forty-five minutes to an hour, which is usually one dessert and coffee. Stop earlier if the table is flagging: four rounds is a perfectly complete game.

Is this suitable for children and grandparents at the same table?

Yes. Every pair is designed to be read aloud at a multigenerational table with no awkward edits needed. Younger children vote alongside adults on food and traditions rounds; the Boxing Day round skews slightly toward adult sensibilities but stays completely family-safe.

How do I print the card sheets?

Download the sheet, print at home on white cardstock for the best result, then cut along the dashed lines. Print two sheets per round to get all twelve pairs as individual cards. A home laminator keeps them reusable year after year. A binder ring through one corner holds each round together as a neat deck.

Can I use these questions without printing anything?

Absolutely. Read straight from the list on your phone or tablet, prop it against a water glass, and pass the reading duty around the table. The printed cards are a convenience, not a requirement.