35 Christmas Party Games for Work, Family and Zoom (2026)

TL;DR: Here are 35 Christmas party games, each with the number of players, how long it takes, what you need, how to play and a variation. They're grouped for office parties, family gatherings, large groups, virtual or Zoom parties, no-prep games and printable games. For most parties, pick one gift game (White Elephant or Secret Santa), one team game (charades, trivia or Pictionary) and one quick filler that needs nothing. Full White Elephant and Secret Santa rules are included. Everything here is clean and works for all ages, including Christmas party games for adults at work. Updated 29 October 2026.

The best Christmas party games get everyone playing within a minute, don't need a long explanation and still work when half the room has a mince pie in one hand. The 35 below were chosen for exactly that. Each one lists players, time, what you need, how to play and a variation, so you can plan a whole evening from this page.

The best Christmas party games at a glance

How to choose Christmas party games

1. Count your guests. Under 10 people: charades, Pictionary, twenty questions. Ten to 30: White Elephant, trivia in teams, Who am I? Over 30: bingo, left-right gift pass, Don't say "Christmas".
2. Match the crowd. For Christmas party games for work, keep everything clean, voluntary and team-based, and skip anything that singles people out. For family, choose games that mix ages in each team.
3. Mix energy levels. Alternate a loud game (musical chairs, snowball toss) with a sitting game (trivia, bingo).
4. Plan two to four games for a two-hour party. One gift game, one team game and one or two fillers is plenty.
5. Keep prizes small. Chocolates, a candy cane or first pick of the leftovers is enough.

Office Christmas party games (clean games for work)

1. White Elephant gift exchange

• Players: 6–30
• Time: 30–60 minutes
• You need: one wrapped gift per player within an agreed price limit, numbered slips of paper
• How to play:
  1. Everyone brings one wrapped gift and adds it to a pile. Agree on a price limit in advance; guides commonly suggest around $15 to $30.
  2. Each player draws a number to set the turn order.
  3. Player 1 unwraps a gift from the pile and shows it to the room.
  4. On each turn after that, a player either unwraps a new gift from the pile or steals a gift someone has already opened.
  5. A player whose gift is stolen either unwraps a new gift or steals a different opened gift. They can't take back the gift that was just stolen from them in the same turn.
  6. A gift can be stolen only once per turn, and after its third steal it's frozen and stays with whoever has it.
  7. When the last gift is unwrapped, player 1 gets one final turn to swap with any gift that isn't frozen. The game ends when someone keeps their gift.
• Variation: Yankee Swap is the same game under another name. For a faster round, freeze gifts after two steals; for a calmer one, allow only one steal per gift.

These are the common rules as described by Elfster and SecretSanta.com; house rules vary, so read yours out before the first turn.

2. Secret Santa

• Players: 4–50
• Time: names drawn a week or two before; 15–30 minutes to open gifts
• You need: a hat or an online name draw, a budget, a date
• How to play:
  1. Agree on a budget and an exchange date before anyone draws a name.
  2. Each person draws one name at random and keeps it secret. Anyone who draws their own name puts it back and draws again.
  3. Add exclusions if needed (partners, people who already swap gifts), and invite everyone to share a short wish list.
  4. Each person buys and wraps one gift for the name they drew and labels it with the recipient's name only.
  5. Gifts go under the tree or in a box, and everyone opens theirs at the party. Recipients can guess who their Secret Santa was, or the giver can stay anonymous.
• Variation: Theme it ("something under $15 that's handmade" or "a book you love"), or run a Secret Santa where everyone leaves three small anonymous treats over a week.

The draw-again and guessing steps follow Elfster's Secret Santa rules; exclusions and the budget are for your group to agree.

3. Christmas trivia quiz

• Players: 4–60, in teams of three to six
• Time: 45–90 minutes
• You need: a question list, answer sheets, pens
• How to play: Read each question twice, give 30 to 60 seconds, collect sheets at the end of each round and score a point per answer. Our 120 Christmas trivia questions are split into rounds with answers next to each question.
• Variation: Add a picture round (stills from Christmas films) or a music round with the first five seconds of a song.

4. Ugly Christmas sweater contest

• Players: any number
• Time: 10–15 minutes for the judging
• You need: sweaters (bought, borrowed or homemade), voting slips
• How to play: Guests wear their most outrageous Christmas jumper. Everyone parades once, then votes on slips for categories such as "most festive", "most handmade" and "brightest". Count the votes and announce winners.
• Variation: Run a 20-minute "decorate a plain sweater" round with tinsel, felt, safety pins and stick-on bows.

5. Two truths and a lie: Christmas edition

• Players: 4–20
• Time: 15–30 minutes
• You need: nothing
• How to play: Each person shares three short Christmas facts about themselves, two true and one made up ("I've never seen Home Alone", "I once ate four mince pies in a row", "I've been carolling in the snow"). Everyone else guesses the lie.
• Variation: Play it in teams, or ask everyone to write theirs down in advance and the host reads them out anonymously.

6. Gingerbread house challenge

• Players: teams of two to four
• Time: 30–45 minutes
• You need: a gingerbread kit or graham crackers per team, icing, sweets
• How to play: Each team builds a house in a set time. Judges score on looks, creativity and whether it's still standing after one minute.
• Variation: Give each team a theme card ("ski lodge", "our office", "lighthouse") or ban the use of hands for the roof.

7. Don't say "Christmas"

• Players: 8–50
• Time: all party
• You need: one clothes peg per guest
• How to play: Clip a peg to everyone's clothes as they arrive. Anyone who hears someone say the word "Christmas" can take that person's peg. The guest with the most pegs at the end wins.
• Variation: Change the banned word to "Santa", "snow" or "present" halfway through.

Christmas games for family

8. Christmas charades

• Players: 4–20, in two teams
• Time: 20–40 minutes
• You need: slips with Christmas films, songs and objects, a bowl, a timer
• How to play: A player draws a slip and acts it out without speaking while their team guesses in one minute. Teams take turns and score a point per correct guess.
• Variation: Play "reverse charades": the whole team acts and one person guesses.

9. Christmas Pictionary

• Players: 4–20, in teams
• Time: 20–40 minutes
• You need: a whiteboard or large paper, markers, word slips
• How to play: One player draws a Christmas word ("snow globe", "nutcracker", "sleigh bells") with no letters or numbers, and their team has one minute to guess.
• Variation: Draw with your non-writing hand, or with eyes closed for the final round.

10. Pin the nose on Rudolph

• Players: 3–20
• Time: 10–20 minutes
• You need: a reindeer poster or drawing, a red paper nose with tape, a blindfold
• How to play: Each blindfolded player is spun gently three times and tries to stick the nose in the right spot. Mark each attempt with the player's initials; the closest wins.
• Variation: Pin the star on the tree, or the hat on a snowman.

11. Candy cane hunt

• Players: any number
• Time: 10–20 minutes
• You need: wrapped candy canes, hiding spots
• How to play: Hide candy canes around a room or garden and give everyone a bag. The person who finds the most wins, and everyone keeps what they find.
• Variation: Hide one golden (gift-wrapped) candy cane worth a bonus prize.

12. Dress the Christmas tree

• Players: teams of three to five
• Time: 10 minutes
• You need: one box per team with tinsel, paper chains, unbreakable baubles, bows and a paper star
• How to play: One volunteer per team is the "tree". The team has five minutes to decorate them using everything in the box. The best-dressed tree wins.
• Variation: Decorate with eyes closed, or with one hand each.

13. Christmas memory tray

• Players: 2–15
• Time: 10 minutes per round
• You need: a tray, 15 to 20 Christmas objects, a tea towel, pens and paper
• How to play: Show the tray for one minute, cover it and give everyone two minutes to write down as many items as they remember.
• Variation: Remove one object while everyone looks away and ask what's missing.

14. Snowball toss

• Players: 2–20
• Time: 10–15 minutes
• You need: scrunched white paper or cotton-wool balls, buckets or bowls
• How to play: Set buckets at different distances worth 1, 3 and 5 points. Each player throws five "snowballs"; the highest score wins.
• Variation: Play in teams with a relay, or throw over your shoulder.

Christmas party games for large groups

15. Left-right gift pass

• Players: 8–40, in a circle
• Time: 10 minutes
• You need: one or more wrapped gifts, a short story full of the words "left" and "right"
• How to play: The host reads a story and the gift moves one person left or right every time either word is read. Whoever holds the gift at the end keeps it. A story can be as simple as: "Mrs Wright left the house, turned right at the bakery, and realised she'd left the cake right on the counter..."
• Variation: Start with several gifts going round at once for more chaos.

16. Who am I?

• Players: 6–60
• Time: 15–30 minutes
• You need: sticky notes with Christmas characters (Santa, Rudolph, Frosty, the Grinch, Scrooge, the Nutcracker)
• How to play: Stick a note on each guest's back or forehead without them seeing it. Guests mingle and ask yes-or-no questions to work out who they are.
• Variation: Use Christmas objects or films instead of characters.

17. Name that Christmas tune

• Players: 4–60, in teams
• Time: 15–30 minutes
• You need: a playlist, a speaker
• How to play: Play the first five seconds of a Christmas song. The first team to shout the title (or write it down) gets a point.
• Variation: Hum the tune instead of playing it, or play it from the middle.

18. Christmas musical chairs

• Players: 6–30
• Time: 10–15 minutes
• You need: chairs (one fewer than players), Christmas music
• How to play: Players walk around the chairs while music plays. When it stops, everyone sits; the player left standing is out and one chair goes. The last seated player wins.
• Variation: "Musical statues": freeze when the music stops, and anyone who moves is out.

19. Toilet-paper snowman

• Players: teams of three or four
• Time: 5 minutes
• You need: two rolls of toilet paper per team, a scarf and a paper carrot nose
• How to play: Each team wraps one volunteer as a snowman in three minutes, then adds the scarf and nose. The best snowman wins.
• Variation: Wrap with one hand each, or only the volunteer's partner can tear the paper.

20. Reindeer antler ring toss

• Players: 4–30
• Time: 10–20 minutes
• You need: a reindeer-antler headband, inflatable or rope rings
• How to play: One player wears the antlers while teammates try to toss rings onto them from a marked line. Most rings in 60 seconds wins.
• Variation: Swap who wears the antlers every 30 seconds.

Virtual and Zoom Christmas games

21. Online Christmas quiz

• Players: 3–60
• Time: 30–60 minutes
• You need: a video call, a question list, breakout rooms for teams
• How to play: Post each question on screen or in the chat. Teams talk in breakout rooms and send answers privately to the host, who reveals scores after each round.
• Variation: Use a free online quiz tool so answers come in from phones.

22. 60-second scavenger hunt

• Players: 3–40
• Time: 15 minutes
• You need: a list of things found at home
• How to play: The host calls out an item ("something red", "a mug", "something that sparkles", "a sock") and everyone has 60 seconds to bring it on camera. The first back gets a point.
• Variation: Give bonus points for the most creative item.

23. Christmas emoji quiz

• Players: 3–40
• Time: 15–20 minutes
• You need: a list of emoji clues for Christmas films and songs
• How to play: Post an emoji clue in the chat, such as ⛄🎩✨ for Frosty the Snowman or 🔔🔔🔔 for "Jingle Bells". The first correct answer in the chat scores.
• Variation: Let teams write their own emoji clues for each other.

24. Whose ornament is it?

• Players: 4–30
• Time: 15–20 minutes
• You need: each guest sends the host a photo of their favourite ornament in advance
• How to play: Share the photos one at a time. Everyone guesses whose ornament it is, then the owner tells the story behind it.
• Variation: Use favourite festive mugs or holiday socks.

25. Festive background contest

• Players: any number
• Time: 10 minutes
• You need: a video call
• How to play: Everyone sets a Christmas virtual background or decorates the space behind them. Guests vote in a poll for the best one.
• Variation: Theme it ("Christmas film scene", "North Pole office").

No-prep Christmas games

26. Christmas alphabet

• Players: 3–15
• Time: 10 minutes
• You need: nothing
• How to play: Go around the group naming something Christmassy for each letter: A for angel, B for bauble, C for candle. Anyone who repeats a word or takes longer than five seconds is out.
• Variation: Each player must repeat the whole list so far before adding their word.

27. Christmas twenty questions

• Players: 2–15
• Time: 10–20 minutes
• You need: nothing
• How to play: One player thinks of a Christmas person, place or thing. Everyone else asks up to 20 yes-or-no questions to guess it.
• Variation: Limit it to Christmas films only.

28. Christmas story chain

• Players: 3–15
• Time: 10 minutes
• You need: nothing
• How to play: One player starts a Christmas story with a single sentence. Each person adds one sentence in turn until the story reaches a ridiculous ending.
• Variation: Each sentence must start with the next letter of the alphabet.

29. Finish the lyric

• Players: 3–30
• Time: 10–15 minutes
• You need: nothing
• How to play: The host sings or says the first line of a well-known carol and stops. The first person to sing the next line scores a point.
• Variation: Change one word in the line and ask players to spot it.

30. Christmas would you rather

• Players: 2–30
• Time: 10–20 minutes
• You need: nothing
• How to play: Ask "would you rather" questions and have everyone move to one side of the room to vote: "Would you rather have a white Christmas or a warm one?", "Would you rather wrap every present or cook the whole dinner?"
• Variation: Each guest has to defend their choice in one sentence.

Printable Christmas party games

31. Christmas bingo

• Players: 5–100
• Time: 20–30 minutes
• You need: printed bingo cards with Christmas words or pictures, a caller list, pens or counters
• How to play: The caller reads Christmas words at random and players mark them. The first full line, then the first full card, wins.
• Variation: "Christmas movie bingo": mark squares when they happen during a film (snow falls, someone hangs a stocking).

32. Christmas word scramble

• Players: any number
• Time: 10–15 minutes
• You need: a printed sheet of scrambled Christmas words (TOLIESTEM for mistletoe, DREENIER for reindeer)
• How to play: Hand out the sheets and set a timer. The player or team with the most unscrambled words wins.
• Variation: Add a hidden bonus phrase made from circled letters.

33. Christmas fill-in-the-blank story

• Players: 2–20
• Time: 10–15 minutes
• You need: a printed short story with blanks labelled "noun", "verb", "adjective", "food"
• How to play: Without showing the story, the reader asks the group for each missing word, writes them in, then reads the finished story out loud.
• Variation: Each table writes a story for another table to fill in.

34. Finish the punchline

• Players: 4–40, in teams
• Time: 10–15 minutes
• You need: printed joke setups with the punchlines on the back
• How to play: Read a joke setup and give teams 30 seconds to write a punchline. A point for the real answer and a bonus point for the funniest wrong one. Our 125 clean Christmas jokes are sorted by topic for this.
• Variation: Read only the punchline ("Santa Pause") and ask teams for the setup.

35. Christmas colouring contest

• Players: any number
• Time: 20–40 minutes
• You need: printed colouring pages, coloured pencils or pens
• How to play: Set up a quiet table with pages and pencils. Everyone colours at their own pace, and at the end the group votes for the most creative page in each category.
• Variation: Leave the table open all evening as a calm corner for anyone who wants a break from louder games. Our free Christmas coloring pages are ready to print.

A sample two-hour Christmas party games plan

Invitations and printables

Put the games on the invitation so guests know to bring a gift, wear a sweater or join early for the quiz. You can design one on our Christmas party invitation page, or make the invitation, bingo cards and score sheets in the Image Studio. A prompt like this works:

Festive party invitation, the words "Christmas Games Night" in bold red and gold lettering at the top, a decorated tree, wrapped presents and a string of lights on a dark green background, cheerful flat illustration, plenty of empty space at the bottom for details

With GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst, one design costs 7.2 credits at 1K. New Kenerate accounts get 25 free credits when you sign in with Google, GitHub or Discord, with no card needed, and Qwen Image 3.0 is open on the free plan at 9 credits an image. Credit packs start at $15 for 1,300 credits. Keep the lettered words to two to five, check the spelling, and add the date, time and address yourself before you print or send.

The short version

For a Christmas party, pick one gift game (White Elephant or Secret Santa), one team game (trivia, charades or Pictionary) and one or two no-prep fillers. Choose games by group size and crowd, keep them clean and voluntary at work, and put any rules, such as White Elephant's three-steal limit, on the invitation so everyone knows them before the first turn.