30 Awesome Christmas Games for Families and Friends

The favorite day of most of us is finally here, and we have a huge list of Christmas Games for Families that you and your entire family and friends will enjoy.

All of these amazing game ideas are family-friendly, but you can definitely make them for grown-ups, too!

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Christmas is a magical time when families and friends gather and make beautiful memories that will last a lifetime. 

If seasonal movies have taught us anything, it is that they are not the presents under the tree or the grand banquets with fancy or expensive stuff.

It is about the people (or pets) who surround you and the joy that you spend with them. All the moments that you share together are what stay with us.

That’s why I wanted to help you build those magical moments with one of the joist parts of all Christmas gatherings.

How do you entertain your Family at Christmas?

There are a lot of things you can do at a family gathering. For example, you can do together one traditional Christmas activity per day. Using this incredible Christmas Games for Families list, you can also plan a Christmas movie marathon or make an incredible game night.

With this list, you will have no option but to have much fun. And choose which ones you want to play out of these 30 options!!

What are the best Christmas Games for Families?

Out of this very list, I would say that the best Christmas games for families are these top three. The Santa’s hat games, the snow race, and the Jingle Bell Shakes. You will find a description for each one on the next section.

1. Christmas Game Headbands
2. Jingle Bell Jam
3. Hook’em candy cane
4. What is in Santa’s hat
5. Christmas Cup tree
6. Reindeer toss
7. Snow race
8. Elf suit relay
9. Seasonal true or false
10. Christmas Trivia
11. Name that tunes Christmas Games
12. Christmopoly
13. Jingle Bell Shake
14. Christmas Rush
15. Santa’s belly limbo
16. Scavenger Christmas Hunt
17. Pin the heart on the Grinch
18. Really? Think you know me?
19. Build the snowman paper rolls
20. Christmas Party Deck
21. Pass the ornament
22. Christmas Carols and Songs Game
23. Guess the smell
24. Snowman bowling with recycled bottles
25. Christmas Dart Board Game
26. Draw a snowman on a plate
27. Christmas Clue Game
28. Plastic wrap game with joke gifts and mittens
29. Christmas Game Pictionary
30. Face in the gingerbread game

1. Christmas Game Headbands

If you already own the Game Headbandz this one will be easier. 

But if you don’t, don’t worry. You just have to cut several pieces of elastic the size of your head (just make sure it is comfortable) and tie them together. Use cards or pieces of paper to write Christmas words to them. Write as many as you can, and from different categories. For example, you can write random words, such as reindeer, bells, or ornament. You can also write movies, characters, and such. 

The family gathers into a circle and puts the card over the headband without looking at the word. Then, everyone turns to ask only one question that can be answered with the words yes or no.

This means you can ask: Am I a person? But not: When I was born? When the player guesses their card, they take a new one. The one with more cards at the end wins.

2. Jingle Bell Jam

This is a very nice variation of the Christmas Games. Use small boxes of whatever you have on hand and place a certain number of jingle bells in them. 

Each player must guess how many bells are in each box. Whoever guesses the closest or the exact number in each box wins.

3. Hook’em candy cane

2 Players each time. You will have two bowls in front of you, one filled with candy canes and the other empty. 

Each player has to hook the candy canes with another candy cane from one bowl to the other. Here is the twist: you must use your mouth to hold the hooking candy cane!!

Everyone has one minute to move as many canes as possible to win.

4. What is in Santa’s hat

Place small objects inside a Santa’s hat, but do not let anyone see what they are.

Then each person will try to guess what is inside a hat by touching it. Try to put weird or unusual-shaped things inside the hat to make guessing harder. You can put keychains, clock batteries, socks, a sunglasses case, nuts, a candy wrapper…

When a player guesses the thing, he gets to keep it, and you place a new thing in the hat until it runs out. The player with the most objects guessed wins.

5. Christmas Cup tree

Perfect addition for 1-minute-to-win Christmas games.

Using party cups, two players compete to make the tallest ”Christmas Tree” (tower) in any way they want.

They have 2 minutes to decide who wins. But be careful: if the tower falls, they will have to start over from scratch.

6. Reindeer toss

You can buy a deer antler headband like this one or, if you know how to sew, make your own.

Take white and red pipe cleaners and twist them to make them look like candy canes and make a big-ish ring.

The players should try to get the rings on their teammate player who will be wearing the antlers. 

The goal is to try and get the most rings on the other player’s antlers.

7. Snow race

You need a bag of cotton balls and spoons.

Everyone gets a spoon (we don’t want to share those). Make two lines, one for each team, and divide the cotton balls equally. Put each half on the side of each line. The first person in each line has to grab a cotton ball and put it on the spoon, which they will be holding with their mouth. 

They must run to get it to the other side without dropping it. If they do, they must return to the end of the line with the cotton ball. When they get to the other end, they can leave the cotton ball and then run back to the end of the line if the members run out. 

The goal is to be the first team to carry all the cotton balls to the other end.

8. Elf suit relay

Let’s embrace Santa’s helper’s spirit. Get an Elf’s (or Santa’s) costume and place it on a chair across the room. Make two teams. 

Each team will make a line, and one by one, they will run to the chair, put on the Elf’s costume, pose for a picture, take the costume off, and run to the line to relay for the other player to do the same. 

If you only have one costume, take turns between the teams and measure the time it takes each team to complete all the pictures of the members. 

But if you can get two, do it simultaneously and see who finishes taking all the pictures first. Memories in the making.

9. Seasonal true or false

Get everyone to bring a small gift for prices. 

Then, get to Google and research facts about Christmas. It can be about history or traditions. Write them down and make some facts look slightly like a lie. Put at the bottom of each sentence if the answer is true or false. 

Gather in a circle and take turns. One of you reads, and one of you guesses. If you guess right, you win a gift.

10. Christmas Trivia

A classic Christmas Game all ready for you to play.

These Christmas Trivia Cards are perfect to play after a Christmas movie marathon.

It has questions about all the best movies for this season, including The Grinch, Elf, Home Alone, and Miracle on 34th Street.

Divide the family into two or more teams and get turns to see who has the bigger Christmas head.

11. Name that tunes Christmas Games

Make a playlist of Christmas Songs only.

Each player gets a turn to guess the song by hearing only 3 seconds of it. 

You only have three opportunities to guess the song; if you lose, it is the next player’s turn.

12. Christmopoly

This game is perfect for playing with teens and adults.

A relatively simple version of your classic Monopoly game, the Christmas version. You will acquire seasonal “properties,” you can upgrade their value by getting… you guess right.

Christmas presents!

13. Jingle Bell Shake

Another classic. 

I don’t know who invented this game, but she or he is a genius of laughter!! You will need two empty tissue boxes and lots of ping pong balls or cotton balls.

Make holes on the sides of the box to pass a long ribbon so you can tie the boxes over your hips. Then, fill the box with the balls. Put some music on and make the players shake their booties to make the balls fall out of the box. 

Whoever gets all the balls out of the box first wins, this is a boomerang waiting to happen!

14. Christmas Rush

For up to 8 players, Christmas Rush is a card game similar to the chairs game that can be played around a table.

You all get 3 cards and start passing them around the table. When someone collects 4 of the same card, they have to put their hand in the center.

The last one to put it in loses. Keep playing until there is a final winner.

15. Santa’s belly limbo

Use a broomstick or anything resembling that that you have on hand. 

There are no complicated rules, just the basic limbo concept. Oh well, just a little twist…

All the players must put a pillow inside their clothes to have a “Santa’s belly” and then bend to pass under the stick.

Play some Christmas songs and get ready to laugh while your friends try to pass under the stick with a huge belly.

16. Scavenger Christmas Hunt

This is one guaranteed to have a blast. The Scavenger Hunt cards game.

It’s perfect to play after dinner so you get everyone moving around before dessert. Each team pictures 10 cards and goes out to look for the object in each one.

Take pictures or proof of finding them and return to being the first team to complete the task.

Thanks to their personalized cards, it is great because you can play it outdoors or indoors.

17. Pin the heart on the Grinch

Come on! Who doesn’t love The Grinch??

The only thing you have to do is to google one nice picture or illustration of him.

Print it and draw a big heart on red craft paper. 

Put a piece of tape on one side. Then, blindfold the player and make his teammate guide him to put the heart on the Grinch.

18. Really? Think you know me?

A great conversation starter. Especially if you have new members of the family.

This card game will get everyone talking by making them guess things about themselves.

19. Build the snowman paper rolls

I have played this game with my family, and it’s simply hilarious!

Make two-person teams, and each one gets one toilet paper (or if you are like me and don’t want to waste a long string of craft paper rolled), an orange triangle piece (nose), and three black paper circles (buttons).

Also, a scotch tape.

The deal here is that you have to cover up your partner in white and glue the nose and buttons before anyone else.

Don’t forget to take a picture of your Snowmen!

20. Christmas Party Deck

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A lot of Christmas games in one deck of cards!

The Christmas party deck is a game board that includes all your favorite classic Christmas games and challenges.

21. Pass the ornament

Make a circle and take one round ornament from the tree. 

The game is simple: you have to pass around the ornament from one person to another using every part of your body except for your hands!

Whoever lets the ornament drop is out of the circle, and the last person wins.

22. Christmas Carols and Songs Game

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This is a very simple, yet exciting and fun game.

This card game has six different types of challenges: name that song, song trivia, sing the next line, keywords in the song, fill in the blank, and the player’s choice.

If you are a true caroler, you will have hours of fun.

23. Guess the smell

Put your smell sense on trial!

In turn, use a scarf as a blindfold to the player and place different Christmas-related (and smelly) things inside jars or boxes.

Try to guess as many things as you can to be the winner.

24. Snowman bowling with recycled bottles

Here is an exciting game, plus an excellent opportunity to recycle.

Yeah! Recycling is fun.

Gather some empty plastic water or soda bottles and paint them all white. With a black Sharpie, add some eyes and buttons, and paint the tap black, too.

If you are feeling crafty, you can also draw a little carrot nose and a scarf.

Fill the bottles with a little bit of weight (just a little). It can be rice or beans.

Make 2 teams. Each player gets to try to throw as many snowmen as they can simultaneously as the other team’s player.

The winning team is who throws the most snowmen when every player has their turn.

25. Christmas Dart Board Game

You won’t have to lift a finger or think of anything elaborated.

In fact, this could also be a great way to start a conversation with family members who don’t like to mingle too much.

Put this dartboard near the entrance of your home, and be sure to mention it where your guests arrive.

26. Draw a snowman on a plate

Use whatever you have on hand. Games and fun don’t have to be difficult or expensive.

After eating, there are always leftover plates.

So take some of those plates with a sharpie and put them over your and your friend’s head.

Everyone should try to draw a snowman on the plate. Whoever draws the best snowman wins.

Don’t forget to take a picture with your contemporary art!

27. Christmas Clue Game

If you are a fan of board games, you will love the Christmas version of the classic game Clue.

Ultimately family and kids-friendly!!

28. Plastic wrap game with joke gifts and mittens

Do you know the classic gift wrap game? 

Well, add a pair of mittens and a couple of stupidly funny joke presents. 

The basic concept is to wrap a giant ball of food wrapper and to place little presents and candies between each layer. 

Each player will take a turn throwing a pair of dice. When they hit 4 or 8, that person gets to try to unwrap the most presents until the next player’s turn. 

The twist here is that you have to do it with oven mitts on and that you can get crappy presents at some layers.

29. Christmas Game Pictionary

The classics never fail.

Use the Pictionary rules, but it’s all Christmas-themed!

Make a list of Christmas movies, objects, or concepts. It can include anything from random related words such as “Santa Clause” or “Jingle Bells” to a Christmas song such as “Baby.”

Make 2 or 3 teams and take turns between the players of each team to be the one who draws the word. The rest of the team has to guess as many words as they can in one minute.

No talking or making sounds, just drawing!! The team that guesses the most words at the end is the winner of the game.

30. Face in the gingerbread game

This is one of the cutest, funniest, and delicious Christmas Games.

Two players put a gingerbread cookie on their foreheads, and when the time starts, they try to slide it down to their mouths and eat it.

Make sure to have your camera ready. This game makes a lot of funny faces you will want to remember.

I hope you enjoy these Christmas Games and that you spend an amazing time with your friends and family

Merry Christmas!!!