Holiday Party Ice Breakers
From LoveToKnow Party
Start the celebration off on the right foot by using holiday party ice breakers to get everyone involved.
Getting To Know You
A party is a great time to meet new people. Whether you are hosting a neighborhood, office or family party, there will inevitably be some people who are not as well acquainted with one another, if at all. To help them and other partygoers mingle, have a few ice breaker games on your party checklist.
Regardless of what getting-to-know-you-game you play, you want it to serve two purposes:
- To help everyone feel more comfortable with the other guests
- To honor the particular holiday you are celebrating
Be sure to cater your ice breakers to the crowd and type of party you are having. A large adult party might get rowdy, while small work parties might call for a more dignified game. Use your best judgment when picking your party games.
Holiday Party Ice Breaker Suggestions
Almost any holiday offers an excuse to party. Here are some suggestions for holiday party ice breaker activities for several major U.S. holidays.
New Year’s Eve
Making New Year’s resolutions is a tradition. Help guests get to know each other at a New Year’s Eve party by playing a resolution game. When guests arrive, ask them all to write down their resolution on a slip of paper. It can be real or fake.
After everyone has arrived, pass a bowl around with the resolutions. Each person should draw a slip out, then everyone must mingle in order to find out who wrote the resolution they picked. At the end of the game, have each person read his or her resolution out loud.
Valentine’s Day
Once your guests have all arrived at the party, ask them to sit at a table or in a circle. Pass around a bag of conversation hearts, with everyone grabbing a few out of the bag. Then guests must say one thing about themselves for every heart they have. Do not tell everyone at the Valentine’s Day party the reason for taking the hearts. Otherwise, some shyer guests may not choose more than one or two.
Easter
Plastic Easter eggs are the perfect prop for playing a fun passing game. Fill the eggs with various items such as chocolates, jelly beans and toy trinkets. Be sure to fill several with chocolate-covered raisins, also known as bunny droppings!
Place eggs in a basket in the center of the room. Once everyone has arrived, have the guests introduce themselves, say what Easter means to them and choose an egg. After everyone has been introduced, open the eggs at the same time. The people who get the ones filled with bunny droppings must wear furry bunny ears for the rest of the evening.
You can expand on this game by making a rule that if the people donning the ears hear someone say the word "bunny" during the Easter party, they can pass the ears on to that person.
Fourth of July
A patriotic game to celebrate the nation’s heritage is a fun way to get a Fourth of July party started. This game can be played indoors or outdoors, depending on the weather. First, create an imaginary line and have everyone stand on one side. Then read from a list of famous United States historical monuments and places, such as the White House and Yellowstone National Park. Everyone who has visited the site should cross the line. If the next place is one they have not visited, they must cross back over. Start with places close to your home. This is a fun way to get conversations started about history, work travel or family vacations.
Halloween
Horror movies are a popular viewing choice for many people, especially around Halloween. Play an ice breaker that takes advantage of this. Ask everyone to share what kind of monster they would want to be in a horror movie and why. Guests with really creative imaginations can get this Halloween party game off to a spooky start.
Thanksgiving
Play a faux Mad-Libs game for Thanksgiving. Write up a short comical story about how the turkey came to be on your table, leaving out certain words. Going around the room, ask everyone for a word, whether it is an adjective, person, place or feelings. Fill in the story with everyone’s answers and read aloud the hilarious tale.
Christmas
A Christmas game is a good way to break the ice at a holiday party. A fun game to play at a home party with family and friends is speed dressing. Divide everyone up into two teams. Hand each team a plastic bag filled with winter attire, which may include boots, coats, long underwear, sweatshirts and snowpants. The team that can dress and undress everyone in the fastest amount of time is the winner.
Ice Breaker Tips
To keep your holiday party interesting, keep games to about 20 minutes total. Try playing them with your immediate family or friends to judge how long they will take. Play an ice breaker after everyone has arrived, so no one misses out on any introductions or feels uncomfortable.
Keep in mind the party guest list when picking out an ice breaker game. After all, a Christmas office party game might not be so fun to a group of 10 year olds and their grandparents. Tailor the game to the audience so that everyone has a good time.
Learn More
This page has been accessed 5,567 times. This page was last modified 19:00, 9 December 2008.
© 2006-2009 LoveToKnow Corp.
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