Every year, I come up with some Christmas game ideas to make the holidays more fun. After all, some of our best memories involve us sitting around the table as a family on Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve playing games together. There are some classics we revisit year after year, but I also like to mix it up with something different every now and then, too. Here are some Christmas game ideas the whole family can enjoy!

1. Uno

This is a classic for a good reason. It’s super simple, which means everyone from little kids who are too young to follow more structured games to older people who aren’t as quick as they used to be can get in on the fun. Anyone who knows how to match colours or numbers can participate! Personally, it’s our favourite!

2. Pictionary – with a Christmas twist

If you’re looking for Christmas party games that will provide plenty of laughs, it’s hard to go wrong with Pictionary. Make up some cards beforehand or find some online to print with a Christmas theme, such as building a snowman, hanging stockings or wrapping presents. 

Then, divide your group in teams, with one person from Team A picking up a card out of a bag and then drawing whatever appears on it on a piece of paper. Their teammates have 1 minute to guess what it is; if they do, they score a point. If not, the other team gets a chance to guess and steal the point. Then, it’s Team B’s turn, and this continues until you’ve gone through all the cards.

3. Jenga – Customise it for more fun!

Jenga is always a crowd-pleaser, but you can take it up a notch on Christmas by taping some tiny slips of paper with questions or commands to the underside of each tile that each person must answer or act out when they pull or place that tile.

For example, you could ask them to sing the chorus of their favourite Christmas song, do a cartwheel, or share their favourite Christmas tradition.

4. Christmas charades

Charades is always a fun game for everyone, and it’s one of the best Christmas party games for kids. Print out a list of Christmas terms you can act out, or choose a theme, like Christmas carols. 

Split everyone into teams and have one person from each team do the acting while the others guess; no talking or signalling of letters allowed!

5. 20 Questions

This is one of those easy Christmas game ideas that requires no props or items whatsoever. Each person, on their turn, thinks up a Christmas-related object. The other players must ask them questions that can be answered with either “yes” or “no”. 

If no one correctly guesses what it is within 20 questions, the person who thought up the object wins; if someone does guess correctly, it is their turn to think of an object and answer questions!

6. Stocking guessing game

This is destined to become one of your household’s most-requested family-friendly Christmas games. Choose a host to place a set number of random items inside a stocking. Then, tie a ribbon around the top so no one can see inside of it. 

Sit in a circle and pass the stocking around, letting everyone feel what is inside. Everyone has to write down their guesses and then the stocking is opened to reveal what’s inside. Whoever got the most right is the winner!

7. 5-Second Rule

If you have the 5-Second Rule board game, Christmas is a great time to pull it out, but if not, you can easily make your own. Write down a bunch of categories on small slips of paper, such as Christmas movies, winter clothing items, or desserts. 

Then, draw a card and set a timer for 5 seconds. The first person has to name 3 items that fit the category before time’s up. If they succeed, the next person has to name three more items, taking care not to repeat any that have already been said. This continues until someone trips up by either accidentally repeating someone’s answer or failing to name 3 items in the category within the set time, at which point you draw a new card and work on a new category.

8. Rummikub

If you want to invest in a board game, Rummikub is a classic that you’ll use again and again. Simple to play but difficult to master, it involves creating runs of tiles featuring either the same number in different colours or consecutive numbers of the same colour. Of course, there’s a strategy involved in winning consistently, but everyone’s always up for a round of this one!

I hope you enjoy playing a few of these games this Christmas!

Love,

Nakita xxx