Adult Christmas Party Games

Have grown-up fun at your Christmas party!

Are you looking for a way to entertain your guests at your next holiday celebration? If so, add a few adult Christmas party games to the mix to add a little spice and entertainment to your gathering.

Christmas Party Games for Adults

Christmas parties can all use a little livening up. Offering some fun and festive games is a great way to break the ice and get your guests mingling with one another. When planning games, be sure to add something for everyone to enjoy. Some great games to consider include:

Icebreakers

Icebreakers are quick and easy adult Christmas party games intended to help guests get to know each other. One popular game for getting guests to talk to each other is the people scavenger hunt. Instead of looking for objects on a list, they are looking for people who can answer yes to a particular Christmas-related statement like, "has gone caroling." Use a printable list, or create your own list of facts based on information you know about your guests.

Pictionary and Charades

Both of these games ask guests to communicate an idea without words. In Pictionary, they must draw, and in charades, they must act out the word, phrase, or title. For a Christmas party, create a list of Christmas related words, Christmas movies, and Christmas carols your guests must try to guess. These are great games to play in teams, and can get the whole party involved in the fun.

What's in the Stocking

Fill a stocking or a thick winter sock with Christmas-related items and seal the top. Then ask your guests to guess what is in the stocking by feeling it. Set a time limit, or leave the stocking out for guests to play at their leisure. The winner is the person who correctly guests the most hidden objects.

Guess That Song

Take fun photos while playing Christmas games!

A guest begins the game by picking a random word from a Christmas song. Other guests try to guess what the song is based on the one word. If no one can guess the song, there can be a challenge where the person who picked the word must sing the song to confirm that the word is actually part of the song.

Drinking Games

If planning to feature drinking games at your party, be sure you have designated drivers so that all your guests remain safe on their way home. Some fun drinking games for the season are:

The Christmas Word Game: Divide guests into two teams and give each team a word related to Christmas. Read a Christmas story and each time the chosen word is mentioned, the team with it will take a drink.
Sing-a-Long: Pick a Christmas carol and have guests take turns singing lines from the song. One guest begins by singing the first line and others continue by singing the next. If someone messes up or forgets a lyric, they must take a drink.

Gift Exchange

If you're planning a gift exchange at your party, you can easily turn the event into a game. Some gift exchange game ideas include:

White Elephant: This type of exchange begins with each guest bringing a "white elephant" gift, a gift that is pointless, kitschy, unwieldy, or otherwise undesirable. Everyone who has brought a gift then draws a number to determine the selection order. When it is your turn, you may unwrap a gift from the pile, or take a present another person has already opened.
Unwrapped Gift: Put a twist on the white elephant exchange and choose to not unwrap any of the gifts until the end of the exchange. This variation adds an extra element of mystery and luck. The plotting and friendly theft involved in the exchange make for great entertainment.
Left/Right: Everyone sits in a circle holding a gift. Someone reads a Christmas-themed story that includes the words "left and "right" several times each. This story is one possible variation. Every time the guests hear "left" in the story, they pass the gifts to the left; every time they hear the word "right", they pass them to the right. At the end of the game, you get to unwrap the gift you're holding.

Saint Nick Story Starters

Story starters are a fun activity at any party. Begin with one sentence and ask everyone to add just one more sentence to the first. This game can get as silly, funny, scary or even raunchy as you please. A few lines to begin this activity for Christmas include:

Saint Nick ran through the workshop on Christmas Eve.
The reindeer pranced nervously as they awaited their fates.
Mrs. Claus looked up in surprise as Santa entered the Christmas kitchen.
John just wished this Christmas Day was over.

Naughty or Nice

The types of games that you feature at your Christmas party should reflect the type of guests you have attending. When planning games, having a creative mix will ensure that everyone feels comfortable and can take part in the fun. Play a few traditional games and offer a more risque one to liven up your celebration.