Once all the food is eaten, everyone’s caught up on the news from the past year, and at some stage, you’re all starting to nap on the sofa, it might seem like it’s game over for the holidays. Not so fast! It’s time to lift the energy of the room. You’ve got two options – blast some cheerful music and dance, or get reveal this list of games and encourage everyone to get involved in fun group activities that are even memorable for the people who lose! We’ve compiled a list of holiday games that are suitable for everyone, including your work colleagues and kids! The only things you need to do are pick your favorites, and then gather everything you need for some super fun evenings full of laughter and (serious) competition!
Holiday Party Games for Adults
Christmas Name That Tune
This game will be fun for every music lover (though it might be a bit tricky for those who’re not). This game has many variations; however, the traditional version of this game involves simply playing the first few bars of the song, and whoever guesses it first wins the points. You can find playlists on Spotify or YouTube.
Christmas Movie Trivia
This one is similar to Christmas Name That Tune, but with movies! In this case, put your guests’ holiday movie knowledge to the test with Christmas Movie Trivia. Create a compilation of trivia inquiries related to well-known holiday films, like Home Alone or Die Hard. Those cards can be passed around to the guests for individual responses and each correct answer equals a point. Those with the highest points can be awarded a gift or simply a ‘Movie Trivia King/Queen’ title.
Christmas Trivia
Here, everyone’s fundamental trivia knowledge is tested. This Christmas quiz could cover your favorite food, famous celebrities, or holiday traditions. Rules similar to the previous two games apply here: divide your guests into two or three teams, and have one person call out the questions. Once the quizmaster shouts out the question, teams can take turns answering. If you have only a few people playing, the host can give each person a question in turn.
Rock Paper Switch Gift Exchange Game
The Rock Paper Switch Gift Exchange Game adds a twist to traditional gifting. Mark all the gifts with numbers. Players draw numbers and gifts from a pile. Participants then choose rock (keep), paper (swap), or switch (pass), creating a lively gift-shuffling experience. You can take turns deciding to unwrap your gift or challenge someone else. Win a challenge with rock-paper-scissors to steal their gift, but if you lose, you can keep yours. Players take turns until all the gifts are opened.
Holiday Party Games for the Whole Family
Tree Decorating Competition
Get ready for the Tree Decorating Competition (and a challenge: try to keep peace in your family afterward relationships afterward!) First, set up a Christmas tree, or more than one tree, if there are several people involved in the game. Decorations like lights, wreaths, ribbons, and candy canes can be used for the game. You can organize your family members into teams, matching the number of trees available, and then divide each team into smaller groups. Each group gets a specific part of the tree to decorate and the decorating happens in rounds, with one group tagging the next until all sections are completed. Speed and creativity count, as winners are determined by both the pace of completion and the quality of the decorations.
Christmas Bingo
This game is fun as it’s easy to set up and play, and it’s suitable for all ages! You can prepare for it by creating your own Bingo cards or printing and cutting them out. Each player gets a Bingo card and 25 markers (such as M&Ms). The game begins by flipping all calling cards upside down, revealing one, and then announcing it (e.g., “Santa!”). The game continues until someone gets a Bingo. You can choose to continue with the same game, or start a new one by clearing the boards for another round of fun.
Christmas Word Search
This is another classic game that can create a joyful family atmosphere! Simply get word search cards printed, and then set a time frame in which everyone can search for words. The person with the most words found wins. Another enjoyable thing about this game is that you can also play this game on your own (it’s something fun to do when everyone’s asleep!)
Christmas Song Scramble
Be the first to unscramble the Christmas song titles. The game is very straightforward: give everyone a card and let the unscrambling begin. People can play it in pairs or as individuals, and the team/person with the most words resolved wins.
Holiday Party Games for Office
Holiday Karaoke
Everyone knows this activity (and here in Zazzle, it’s one of our favorites!!) Regardless of whether it’s a holiday occasion or just an ordinary get-together, karaoke will always lift the atmosphere and even reveal hidden talents. For this, you’ll either need a karaoke app on your smart TV or you can purchase a full-on karaoke machine. You can also just head on to YouTube, as there’s a good karaoke-friendly song choice there too. Prepare a little stage in a common area where singers can see the screen, and let the show start!
Pro tip: do check the sound system before you host karaoke, and check if the microphone and machine are connected and working properly!
Secret Hall Deckers
Secret Hall Deckers combines holiday desk decorations and the Secret Santa game. Employees are paired off and must decorate each other’s desks. To maintain the element of surprise, have the desk decorating take place while the employee is away and ensure secrecy among coworkers. Guessing the decorator adds to the fun. You can spread the activity over a week or month for larger groups!
Ugly Sweater Contest
Most of us have already participated in the festive tradition of wearing ugly Christmas sweaters from Grandpa’s closet, which we’ve then shamelessly worn to one of those tacky Christmas parties! Well, now you can elevate this tradition by making it a contest where your office gang rate each other’s sweaters or ‘ugly’ outfits. Remember, the uglier, the better!
Ornament Decorating Contest
For this game, collect plain ornaments and a variety of decorating supplies from your Christmas decoration stash. You can pick these up in any arts and crafts shop, or just find some blank white decorations. Participants can decorate ornaments individually or in teams, and the most creative or unique ornament wins a prize. Someone can act as a judge who will rate all the artwork, or all decorations can be rated by each member of the team.
Holiday Party Games for Kids
Gingerbread House Decorating
This game is a sweet way to amuse the kids at a party (and it’s also fun for adults who want to join!) Let the little architects entertain themselves, as they craft and decorate their very own gingerbread houses. For this, the kids can use colorful candies and frostings to create delicious masterpieces. This activity is not only a blast of creativity but also a yummy way to bring home some goodies from the party!
Holiday Scavenger Hunt
Make your young adventurers join the Holiday Scavenger Hunt! Hand everyone printed cards with clues and riddles to solve, and then they can head venture out in the garden or nearby nature spots, to find hidden treasures and surprises. Whether they form teams or work together, this exploration adds an exciting touch of mystery and holiday joy for them!
Candy Cane Olympics
With this game, kids can enjoy a series of playful challenges. In candy cane races, each participant holds out their hands, and then another person hangs the hook end of one candy cane from each of the player’s fingers. Two or more people can then start hopping at once and compete. You can also experiment with candy cane balancing games. Make sure to prepare for it by getting a bunch of wrapped candy canes (so they don’t get sticky after a while playing), and then decide which type of cane Olympics you want to play. We recommend checking out Play Party Plan’s blog, where you can learn all the rules for different types of games.
Christmas Scent Game
This game is easy to set up as you can collect everything from your kitchen! In the Christmas Scent Game, kids can take part in guessing seasonal aromas, from the warm scent of cinnamon to the tempting aroma of freshly baked cookies. This delightful sensory adventure adds a unique and exciting element to the festive gathering, making it a hit among the little ones (note: this can be super-fun for adults as well!)
These holiday games will not only bring some additional entertainment to your party but will create a lovely bonding opportunity for you and your family, friends, or colleagues! To make the atmosphere the best it can be, make sure to check with everyone as to what type of game they’re into, and explain all the rules beforehand. However, in terms of when to play these games, there aren’t any rules: if the morning after the party feels like it’s the best time for everyone to be involved, stick with that and make it count!
And if you’re looking for some extra holiday activities check out our “5 Thanksgiving Fitness Activities” article, where you can find fun movements that benefit your body (especially after those hefty holiday dinners!)
Tena is a Content Specialist hailing from Croatia. She’s always on the lookout for new travel adventures and loves to explore new lands and cultures. You can also find her spending quality time with her pup or wandering around the city in search of new artsy cafés.
