Hey, planning the perfect Christmas party can be tricky. Sometimes your guests are more naughty than nice (we’re looking at you, questionably handsy Santa), the egg nog takes more casualties than you’d intended, or the catering’s a flop, and you all spend the evening crowded around some decidedly un-festive hummus.
Here’s the good news: no matter how the rest turns out, you can turn a Christmas party into the season to be jolly with a good holiday game.
Christmas Party Game 1: Ornament Guess
Ho-ho-how many do you think? Round your guests up for an ice-breaker game. Everyone guesses how many ornaments they think are on the tree (no long-winded counting sessions, guys), and puts their guess on a piece of paper. Once the arrival cocktails are done with, the winner is announced and the gift-giving begins with a prize. Take that, Secret Santa
Christmas Party Game 2: White Elephant
If you think Secret Santa’s been so done to death that even Rudolph wouldn’t fly him, it’s time to switch things up. For White Elephant, everyone brings in a gift (with a price limit to keep things even), and guests pick things out of a communal pile.
Now, keep your eye on Gus from Trade Services, ‘cause this is where things get serious. Every guest takes their turn, either picking a gift off the table, or stealing a previous gift someone has already unwrapped. Once someone has stolen your gift, you can pick a new one off the table or steal an existing gift. The game ends once all the gifts on the table have been taken (and everyone’s seriously craving a post-game whisky).
Christmas Party Game 3: Candy Cane Relay
Forget the sweet-talk under the mistletoe: here’s the real party treat. Challenge guests to take as many candy canes out of a bowl as you can in 60 seconds. The catch? You have to use a candy cane in your mouth to fish them out. Whether you’re celebrating with coworkers or kids at the family festivities, this is sure to be a hit.
Christmas Party Game 4: Holiday ABC
Annnnnd break! Split into teams and let’s get quizzical. With the alphabet written vertically down pieces of paper, challenge everyone to write a holiday word starting with each letter. First team to finish wins!
Christmas Party Game 5: Message under a plate
Planning a Christmas feast? Surprise your dinner party guests with messages under their plates. On hidden slips of paper, write strange phrases each guest needs to casually fit into the conversation without being caught. If you accuse someone of using their phrase, and you’re wrong, you’re out of the game.
Get ready for some really weird conversations about purple monkey dishwashers.
