The 7 games range from a boxed trivia deck with zero prep to a taped floor path that takes over a whole room, and several of the others need little more than plastic cups.
Guest count settles it for me: a big crowd does best with the floor path board game, since everyone plays at once, while a smaller group can crowd around one sturdy table for the pom-pom slingshot target game.
Mixed ages call for a game where luck counts as much as skill, so a small child and a grandparent can play side by side.
1. Christmas Scavenger Hunt
Scatter red plastic cups across the floor and hide the clues under them, and a scavenger hunt needs almost no setup.
Hide a small holiday item under each cup, or leave a few empty so kids have to check them all.
A card like "Can you Find me?" tells players what to look for. I would write one card per cup so the search has a clear end.
Give every searcher a bag to collect finds in, then send them off to hunt. With mixed ages, place a few cups within easy reach for little ones.
2. Snowman Bowling
Stacked white cups with snowman faces drawn on them become the pins, and fluffy white balls become the bowling balls. Draw the faces with a marker, build the pyramid on a bare floor, and roll from a few steps back.
Soft balls keep the tree and the ornaments safe. A wood or tile floor lets the ball travel, so I would skip the rug.
Let each player roll twice per turn and count the cups knocked down.
3. Pom-Pom Slingshot Target Game
A slingshot, a bag of white pom-poms and a nutcracker standing at the far end of a table: that is the whole game. Pom-poms are soft, so a miss costs nothing but a short search under the couch.
Pick a target that stays upright.
I like a figure with a wide base, and a sturdy table helps. Let each player take the same number of shots at the target and tally the hits, so the scoring stays fair.
Mark a line on the table so everyone shoots from the same spot.
4. Floor Path Board Game
Tape squares of red and green along the floor in a winding path, and the room becomes a life-sized board game. Players act as their own tokens, stepping from square to square.
Alternate the 2 colors so each square can carry a rule: red means do a task, green means move ahead. Painter’s tape peels off a wood floor more easily than most tape, though I would test a small corner first.
This works well for a bigger group, since everyone plays at once.
5. Bow and Cup Punch Game
Upside-down cups, each topped with a gift bow, hide whatever you tuck underneath. Players lift or punch a cup to see what it holds, so every pick is a small surprise.
Use sturdy plastic cups, and put candy or a small note under each one.
Mix a few empty cups into the rows for suspense. Bows in different colors make the table look festive before anyone plays.
Set the cups in tight rows, since a crowded table makes the choice harder and more fun.
6. Christmas Trivia Card Game
A boxed trivia set is the easiest game on this list. A boxed set comes with the questions already written, so there is no writing, printing or cutting for the host.
Divide the group into teams so younger players can pair with an adult. Read one card at a time and keep score on a scrap of paper.
A boxed deck runs out once the family has heard every card, so it suits a single gathering better than a yearly tradition.
7. Cup Slide Prize Game
Plastic cups, strips of tape and one decorated bucket at the edge of the counter make a homemade carnival game. Players push a cup along a taped lane and try to land it at the bucket labeled "PRIZE INSIDE."
Use tape in two colors to mark the lanes, so each player has their own and no one argues about whose cup is whose. A smooth countertop lets the cup glide, and I would wipe it clean first.
Give everyone the same number of slides per turn. Keep the prizes small and wrapped, since the whole bucket gets passed around.
Tips for Christmas Party Games
Count your guests before you pick a single game. Some games work best with a handful of people, and others need a bigger crowd to be fun.
Check the ages too. A room of kids, adults or both calls for different picks, so choose activities everyone can join together.
Set up your space ahead of time. Clear a patch of floor for the running-around games, then set up a quiet corner with a table for the sit-down ones.
Gather every card, prop and slip of paper before the first guest arrives, so the fun never stalls while you hunt for supplies.
Alternating lively rounds with calmer ones keeps anyone from wearing out at a Christmas party, and it gives the youngest guests a break.
Small kids can find a Christmas party overwhelming, just as adults do. A few simple activity stations they can drift between help channel that energy, and a Christmas movie is a fair fallback when nothing else works.
Laughing together matters more than who wins, so pick games where a bad round is still funny.
Materials for Games
Most Christmas games run on supplies you already own: paper, markers, glue, scissors and stickers. Add colored paper, glitter and colored pens, and you can set up a whole craft round.
A decorating contest is an easy one.
Hand every guest a small pile of supplies and have them build an ornament, then let the room vote on the funniest or most inventive one. The winners can go right on the tree, so nothing gets wasted.
Another option is dressing a teammate as a Christmas tree using paper and whatever materials you set out. It takes almost no prep, since you provide the supplies and the guests supply the ideas.
Put everything on one table before the game starts, so no one is waiting on the glue.
Chances are that once they start playing one of these Christmas games for kids, their imagination will kick into gear and they’ll be able to pivot to something else independently afterward.
— Today
Engaging All Ages
Pick games you can adjust on the spot. One rule change is often enough to let a small child and a grandparent play the same game side by side.
Give adults a handicap, like using their non-dominant hand or a shorter time limit.
Choose games where luck matters as much as skill, so no one is shut out by age.
Keep the rules short enough to explain in one breath. If a child looks lost, simplify before you start the round.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are some fun gift exchange games for my family?
White Elephant and the Christmas Left Right game are 2 popular picks.
A dice version also works: each person puts 1–2 small gifts in a center pool, then players roll a die in turn, and each number means an action like swapping, skipping, or drawing a gift.
Plan 3–5 rounds per person so everyone gets several chances to trade before the gifts are opened.
How to play Dirty Santa?
Players draw numbers to set the order in which they pick gifts.
Each person then chooses in turn, and later players can steal a gift someone else already holds. Low numbers pick first but get no advantage from it, since gifts can be taken away.
What are some fun and engaging party games for large groups?
Christmas Bingo and Christmas Charades both work well for big groups, since everyone can play at once.
A life-size board game works for a big group: lay down masking tape squares in alternating red and green along a winding path, then let each guest be their own token, where red means draw a task card and green means step forward.
Count your guests before picking, because some games only work with a handful of people.
What are the games of Christmas?
Popular Christmas games include scavenger hunts, gift exchanges, trivia, bingo, charades, and memory matching.
Snowman bowling is the easy homemade pick: draw faces on white cups, stack them into a pyramid, and let each player roll a soft white ball twice per turn.
For a memory game, draw or print 2 each of 8 Christmas images, lay the 16 cards in a 4×4 grid, and have players hunt for matches.
