- Christmas Party Games for Kids & Family Fun works best when the ideas are practical, easy to adapt, and flexible enough to fit different occasions. Use the suggestions below as a starting point, then tailor to your age group and venue.
From preschoolers to teenagers, here are 19 Christmas party games that bring the holiday spirit to any gathering.
Easy Holiday Party Games for All Ages
1. Christmas bingo - custom cards with holiday symbols (candy canes, presents, snowmen); pictures for younger children, words for older kids; small candy pieces as markers; add sound effects when items are called ("ho ho ho" for Santa). 2. Gingerbread house contest - teams compete with basic kits; set a time limit; categories like "Most Architectural" and "Best Winter Wonderland" ensure multiple winners; photograph before eating. 3. Cookie decorating competition - plain Christmas cookies with various frostings, sprinkles, and edible decorations; categories like "Most Creative" and "Most Festive" make everyone feel like a winner.
Preschool Christmas Party Games
4. Santa says - holiday spin on Simon Says; commands like "Santa says touch your red nose" or "Santa says march like a toy soldier"; the leader wears a Santa hat. 5. Freeze dance - freeze like snowmen when holiday music stops; suggest different poses (wrapping a present, decorating the tree). 6. Sort the Christmas ornaments - sort plastic ornaments by colour, size, or shape; cooperative version: work together to decorate a tree with sorted ornaments. 7. Holiday I Spy - observation skills and Christmas vocabulary; "something red" or "something that sparkles" for younger children.
Elementary School Christmas Party Games
8. Snowball race - transfer cotton balls ("snowballs") from one container to another using plastic spoons; teams race against each other or the clock. 9. Pin the nose on the reindeer - blindfolded players place a red pom-pom nose on a large reindeer picture; spin three times before attempting. 10. Candy cane hunt - hide candy canes around the space; assign different point values to different sizes or colours for added complexity. 11. Holiday Mad Libs - laugh-out-loud holiday-themed stories; children practice parts of speech while creating silly tales about Santa's workshop or reindeer adventures.
Middle & High School Christmas Party Games
12. White elephant gift exchange - set a reasonable price limit; consider themed exchanges like "only red and green items." 13. Shake the snowballs out - players with a tissue box of ping pong balls tied around their waist must shake them all out without using their hands; first to empty the box wins. 14. Holiday charades - Christmas movies, songs, traditions, and characters; modern references alongside traditional themes. 15. Christmas movie trivia - multiple-choice questions about holiday films; team play encourages cooperation.
Outdoor Christmas Party Games
16. Snow paint - mix food colouring and water; children create colourful designs in the snow. 17. Snowman building competition - traditional accessories plus unexpected items; categories for "Most Original" and "Most Holiday Spirit." 18. Christmas obstacle course - holiday-themed challenges: crawl through "Santa's tunnel," toss "presents" into a chimney, weave through candy cane poles. 19. Campfire storytelling - cozy atmosphere for sharing holiday memories and traditions; serve hot chocolate and Mrs. Fields Christmas cookies around the fire for a complete winter evening.
Explore Christmas party games for kids and family fun with examples and practical details that make every game easy to set up and run.
Related ideas to explore next If you want to keep building on this topic, good next reads include 17 Christmas Activities for Families, 20 Christmas Party Ideas, and Gingerbread Cookie Decorating Ideas. They are useful for comparing techniques, finding adjacent inspiration, or choosing a Mrs. Fields option that fits a different craving or occasion.
FAQ
1. What are the best Christmas party games for young children?
For young children, Santa Says, Freeze Dance, and Christmas Bingo work best because they're simple, require no reading, and have minimal setup. Cookie decorating and gingerbread house competitions are also excellent for young children - they're creative, tactile, and produce a take-home result. Keep games short (5-10 minutes each) as young children's attention spans are brief.
2. What Christmas party games work for mixed age groups?
Christmas Bingo, gingerbread house contests, cookie decorating competitions, white elephant gift exchanges, and holiday charades all work well for mixed age groups because they don't require a specific skill level. Bingo in particular can be adapted with picture cards for younger children and word cards for older participants, making it genuinely inclusive across a wide age range.
3. What do you need for a cookie decorating competition at a Christmas party?
Pre-baked plain Christmas cookies (or a Mrs. Fields cookie assortment works perfectly as a premium base), royal icing in several colours in piping bags or squeeze bottles, sprinkles and edible decorations in small bowls, wax paper mats to work on, and a judging system with fun categories. Set up before guests arrive so everything is ready the moment the activity starts.
