Family Christmas Games: Having a Ball and Enjoying Holiday Fun
Christmas time is that time of love and pure joy in making memories with family. One way people can really enjoy this festive season is by actually enjoying Christmas games with everybody. With any family gathering or just wishing to add something a little extra on Christmas Day, games bring people together, fill the house with laughter and excitement.
Explore and learn in this article a myriad of family Christmas games which are suitable for any age. Traditional favorites and new ideas with a holiday twist, all these games will ensure Christmas celebrations are fun.
1. Christmas Charades
How to Play: Christmas Charades is just like the game of charades, but around the holiday. Write down words like "decorating a Christmas tree," "building a snowman," or "Santa Claus delivering presents" on tiny pieces of paper. Divide the family into two teams. Players take turns acting out the words while their team guesses.
Why It's Fun: Charades is always a fun way to get laughs, and when the words are Christmas-themed, it is especially festive. Try to catch a family member acting out "reindeer pulling Santa's sleigh" – lots of giggles ensue!
2. Christmas Pictionary
Play this game as charades but using drawing instead. Pictionary is about drawing Christmas-themed words on paper and letting your team try to guess the word. You can use a whiteboard or large pieces of paper for this activity. "Christmas tree" to "snowball fight" or even "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer" can be drawn by participants. A time limit can be put for each drawing to make it challenging.
Why It's Fun: It is always hilarious to guess what a person is drawing within a time frame. Christmas Pictionary is very enjoyable for kids and adults; anyone who won't think of himself/herself as an artist can participate too.
3. Christmas Bingo
How to Play: Prepare Bingo cards with Christmas images or words. The examples of words can include "snowflake," "candy cane," "elf," or "stocking." Make sure to give the small Christmas candies like peppermints or chocolate kisses for the bingo marker. Calls are random and can be in the form of pictures, done by the host to players, who mark the words or image called on his bingo card. A small prize awaits those who complete a row first.
Why It's Fun: Christmas Bingo is a fantastic activity for all ages and allows the little ones in your household to play along as well. Easy, festive fun with minimal setup, and winning little prizes like candy really gives little boosts of motivation!
4. Pass the Present (With a Twist)
How to Play: Take a small gift and wrap it up in many layers of wrapping paper. Play some Christmas music while passing the gift to all members in the circle. When the music stops, the person who is holding the present gets to remove one layer of wrapping paper. The game continues until the last layer of wrapping is removed, and the gift is revealed.
Add fun layers, perhaps with a little note or challenge between some of the layers.
Why It's Fun: Passing the Present creates suspense because it brings the gift closer and closer to being unwrapped. The different activities will add more lively and humorous effects in the game with their loud laughter and entertaining fun things done while passing the package.
5. Christmas Trivia
How to Play: Put Christmas knowledge to the test in your family with a trivia game filled with questions on Christmas traditions, movies, and carols. Divide the family into teams or let everyone go solo.
Why It's Fun: Christmas trivia is great- fun and learning at the same time. It's a great for members of families that enjoy a little friendly competition. Of course, it's also a good way to learn something new about the holiday.
6. Pin the Nose on Rudolph
How to Play: This is a celebration version of "Pin the Tail on the Donkey." Draw or print a large picture of Rudolph without his red nose and hang it on the wall. Cut out red noses from construction paper and give each player one with double-sided tape on the back. Blindfold each player, spin them around lightly, and see who can pin the nose closest to where it belongs.
Why It's Fun: This is a simple, silly, fun game for younger children. Even adults can join in on the fun-let's face it; it's harder to pin the nose in the right place than you'd imagine after being spun around!
7. The Candy Cane Hunt
Gameplay: This is an Easter egg hunt game but with a Christmas twist. The fun that is meant to be achieved is through placing the candy canes around the house or yard for kids, or even adults, to go searching for. The person who finds the most candy canes wins a prize such as a little Christmas treat or toy.
Why It's Fun: This candy cane hunt really brings out the explorer in everyone. It is easy to set up, and it's especially great for keeping the kids occupied while the adults finish preparing for Christmas dinner. Plus, everyone gets to enjoy the candy canes afterwards!
8. Christmas Scavenger Hunt
How to Play: Create a list of Christmas-related items the children are to locate somewhere around the house or yard. They may have to find something as simple as a red ornament, candy cane, or Santa hat. Divide the family into teams to discover who can locate all the items on this list the quickest.
Why It's Fun: Scavenger hunt gives a pinch of adventure to the holiday fun. It's a great activity to get people of all ages moving and brings some exciting team and friendly competitive spirit.
9. Snowball Toss (Indoor Version)
How to Play: Set up an indoor version of "snowball" toss, using soft white cotton balls or small plush snowballs. Prepare several buckets, clearly labeled with their respective point values. Players take turns tossing the snowballs from a designated distance into the buckets. The winner is the player with the most points accumulated at the end.
Why It's Fun: Snowball Toss is great for indoor play, especially on one of those days when you really don't want to go outside because it's too cold.
It's safe for all ages, and since the "snowballs" are soft, you don't have to worry about breaking anything in the house!
10. Christmas Cookie Decorating Contest
How to Play: Set up a decorating station with plain sugar cookies, colored icing, sprinkles, and other edible decorations. Let each member of your family decorate his or her cookie in the most creative Christmas design he or she can come up with. You can either vote on the best cookie or just enjoy admiring each other's creations before eating them!
Why It's Fun: This is the game that lets your creativity shine through with every player. Decorating cookies with loved ones is great fun and deliciously yummy, and makes for the perfect personalized addition to a Christmas dessert table or spread.
11. Christmas Carol Karaoke
How to Play: Set up a karaoke machine or access a music app with Christmas carols, and hold a singing competition. Take turns going around the family room singing favorite Christmas songs, and come up with awards for best performance, funniest performance, and most enthusiastic performance.
Why it's Fun: There is nothing that makes people feel more festive and Christmas-like than singing carols. Maybe the person singing is a great singer, or maybe they just want to have fun, but Christmas Carol Karaoke creates a lot of laughter and cheer in the room.
12. Guess the Christmas Scent
Game: Directions: Readiness for the Christmas season is suggested with some pine needles, peppermint, cinnamon, and gingerbread. Then blindfold the players and allow them to smell each item and guess who can name the scent correctly.
Reason It's Fun: This game is an activity of the senses as well as a different type of challenge for the player. It is a fun lighthearted game that brings a sense of fun to the holiday season in a whole new perspective.
Conclusion
Here are excellent family Christmas games that can bring everyone together through the holiday season. From lively games like Christmas Charades and Pictionary to more laid-back activities like Cookie Decorating Contests, there's something for everybody to enjoy. These family Christmas games make for a chance at fun times, bonding, and creating long-lasting memories.
So this Christmas bring the family together and have some of these entertaining games when, as they say, time only lasts for so long, but for this holiday season at least, let's make it last a bit longer!