Christmas Games for Family: 15 Ideas for Every Age

A note before the list: we make Tribute, the group video maker, and it's one of the 15 ideas.

What are the best Christmas games for family?

Good Christmas games to play with family need three things: no setup that pulls the cook out of the kitchen, rules a preschooler can follow, and a role for the grandparent who would rather watch. Playing together is more than a way to pass the hours between presents and dinner. In its report The Power of Play, the American Academy of Pediatrics notes that play builds social skills and helps children manage stress, and a full house on December 25 tests both.

1. Wrap the cousin

Split into teams of three. Two players wrap the third in the wrapping paper left on the floor after presents, using tape and bows, while a timer runs for three minutes. The best-dressed "gift" wins, and grandparents serve as judges.

• Time needed: 10 minutes
• Cost: Nothing; it uses the paper you were about to throw out

Best for: Kids and teens with energy to burn after opening gifts.

Why it works: It turns the cleanup pile into the first game of the day.

2. The ornament hunt

Pick one ornament nobody would miss, such as a small glass bird, and hide it on the tree while the kids are out of the room. The first to spot it without touching the branches gets to hide it next.

• Time needed: 15 minutes
• Cost: Nothing

Best for: Little kids, with an older sibling as the hider.

Why it works: It needs sharp eyes, not reading, so the youngest players stand a real chance.

3. Hum that carol

One person hums a Christmas song with their mouth closed while the rest of the room races to name it. Anyone who names the tune and can sing the next line earns a bonus point.

• Time needed: 15 minutes
• Cost: Nothing

Best for: Mixed ages, from kids who know the movie songs to grandparents who know the hymns.

Why it works: Every generation has its own songs, so the lead changes hands.

4. The far-away family guessing round (a Tribute group video)

Two weeks before Christmas, start a Tribute and send the link to everyone who won't be in the room: the aunt in another time zone, the cousin working a holiday shift, the grandparents spending the day at home. Tribute is a group video maker that turns messages from friends and family into one surprise video. It works by inviting everyone to record a short clip from their phone; Tribute compiles the clips, music and photos into a finished video you share or play together.

Ask each person to open with a clue instead of their name: "I'm the one who set the oven mitt on fire in 2019." On Christmas afternoon, play the video on the TV and pause after each clue so the room can shout a guess before the face appears. Unlike a video call, nobody has to be online at the same time, and the clips are there to watch again next year. Over 8 million videos have been sent on Tribute, and it holds 4.9 stars from 7,000+ reviews.

• Time needed: 15 minutes on the day; open it 2 to 3 weeks ahead so people have time to record
• Cost: Free to start a draft; you pay from $35 when you publish and start collecting videos

Best for: Families split across cities, shifts or time zones.

Why it works: The people who can't make it still get a turn in the game, and the room hears them together.

👉 Start your holiday Tribute

5. Sock snowball toss

Roll pairs of white socks into balls and set a laundry basket across the room. Each player gets five throws, and kids stand closer than adults. Move the basket back a step after every round until only one thrower is left.

• Time needed: 10 minutes
• Cost: Nothing

Best for: Ages 3 and up, and any room with breakable ornaments, since socks bounce off.

Why it works: A snowball fight with no snow and no wet mittens.

6. The worst joke contest

Print a page of corny Christmas jokes or save the ones from your crackers. Players take turns reading one aloud while everyone else tries to keep a straight face. Anyone who laughs is out, and the last stone face wins.

• Time needed: 10 minutes
• Cost: Nothing

Best for: Grandparents and kids, who share a love of bad puns.

Why it works: The worse the joke, the harder it is not to laugh, so everyone loses in the best way.

Which Christmas games work for little kids?

Short rounds, a bit of movement and a prize they can eat. These silly Christmas family games keep the youngest guests busy while the grown-ups clear the table.

7. Bow face

Pair up. One partner gets a pile of stick-on gift bows and 60 seconds to stick as many as possible on the other partner's face. It's one of the most fun games for families at Christmas because the photos last longer than the game.

• Time needed: 5 minutes
• Cost: A bag of bows

Best for: Kids, and adults who don't mind looking ridiculous.

Why it works: It takes one minute and produces the photo of the day.

8. Candy cane fishing

Fill a bowl with candy canes. Each player holds one candy cane in their mouth by the straight end and tries to hook others out of the bowl with no hands. The player with the most hooked canes after one minute wins them.

• Time needed: 10 minutes
• Cost: A box of candy canes

Best for: Ages 5 and up.

Why it works: Kids have steadier aim than you'd expect, and the prize is the game piece.

9. Wrapping paper Pictionary

Flip used wrapping paper to the plain side and tape it to the wall. Teams take turns drawing Christmas words while their side guesses: reindeer, chimney, burnt cookies, Grandpa asleep in the armchair. Compared to the boxed version, the giant paper means little kids can draw with their whole arm.

• Time needed: 20 minutes
• Cost: Nothing

Best for: Ages 6 and up.

Why it works: Nobody draws well on a wall.

10. Twelve Days relay

Assign each person one or more of the twelve days from the carol. Sing it through as a room, and each player has to jump up and sing their line alone when it comes.

• Time needed: 10 minutes
• Cost: Nothing

Best for: Big groups of 12 or more.

Why it works: Everybody has one job, so the shy cousin and the loud uncle get the same spotlight.

What are fun family Christmas games for adults and teens?

Once the little ones are down for a nap, the older crowd wants games with more talk and a bit of competition. These Christmas family games for adults lean on memory, stories and inside jokes.

11. Who got what?

After presents, clear every gift out of sight. Then quiz the room: Who got the green scarf? What did Dad unwrap third? The best memory picks tonight's movie.

• Time needed: 10 minutes
• Cost: Nothing

Best for: Teens and adults who were paying attention, or say they were.

Why it works: It makes everyone relive the morning, and it shows who was on their phone.

12. The family history quiz

Before the day, write 15 questions only your family could answer. Which year did the tree fall over, and who cooked the turkey upside down? Read them aloud and let teams argue over the answers.

• Time needed: 20 minutes, plus 15 minutes writing questions
• Cost: Nothing

Best for: Families with stories and a few new partners who need to catch up.

Why it works: The answers come from your own past, so every question starts a story.

13. Board game tournament, holiday rules

Pull out the Christmas board games and the everyday ones, then add one house rule each: every time you pass Go, sing a line of a carol; every word in a word game earns a bonus if it's wintry. Run a bracket across the afternoon and give the winner a paper crown from a cracker.

• Time needed: All afternoon, in short rounds
• Cost: Nothing if you use games you own

Best for: Families who keep score.

Why it works: The rules are already known, and the holiday twist makes them new.

14. The holiday movie pitch

Each player draws three slips from a bowl: a setting, a character and a problem. "A snowed-in airport, a retired elf, a lost dog." They get two minutes to plan and one minute to pitch the plot of a Christmas movie to the room. Picture your grandmother pitching a heist film set at the North Pole, and winning.

• Time needed: 20 minutes
• Cost: Paper and a pen

Best for: Adults and teens who like to perform.

Why it works: Everyone knows the formula of a holiday movie, so anyone can play.

15. Cookie judges

Set out plain sugar cookies, icing and sprinkles. Each player decorates one cookie on a theme drawn from a hat, such as "a reindeer on vacation," and the grandparents judge.

• Time needed: 30 minutes
• Cost: About $10 for cookies and icing

Best for: Ending the day at the kitchen table.

Why it works: It's calm, creative and sweet, which is what the room needs after dinner.

How do you plan Christmas day family games without stressing the host?

Give the games to someone who isn't cooking. A teenager with a timer and a clipboard can run the whole program, and most will enjoy being in charge. Prep the family quiz and the group video the week before.

December is game season in more homes than yours. U.S. Census Bureau data show that 13.7% of 2024 sales at hobby, toy and game stores happened in December alone (The 2025 Winter Holiday Season). Unlike a new boxed game, though, every idea on this list can start without anyone reading a rulebook.

Mix one active game with one quiet one. After a big meal, half the room wants to move and half wants to sit; hum that carol and who got what work from the couch, while wrap the cousin and sock snowball toss get people up. Planning the whole season? Our holiday season guide has the full list, and a Christmas Eve box can hide the supplies for tomorrow's games.

Which family Christmas game ideas work for a party or when relatives can't come?

Bigger crowds need games that scale. If you're hosting more than one household, our list of family games for a Christmas party covers games built for 20 people and three generations.

Distance is a real part of the season: in a 2023 American Psychological Association poll, 25% of adults said not being able to be with family causes them holiday stress (APA Holiday Stress Survey). The group video round lets those relatives play from wherever they are. The same holiday family games carry into the next week, too; see our New Year's Eve activities for the countdown.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are good Christmas day games for family with no supplies?

Hum that carol, the Twelve Days relay, who got what? and the holiday movie pitch need only people and a pen. Wrap the cousin and wrapping paper Pictionary use the paper left over from presents. Most homes have everything needed on Christmas morning.

What is a fun family Christmas game for all ages?

Sock snowball toss and hum that carol work from age three to ninety. Kids and grandparents each have an edge, so the winner keeps changing.

How do you include family who aren't there for Christmas games?

Ask them to record a short video clue ahead of time and play the clips as a guessing game on the day. A group video lets everyone take part even when time zones don't match, and nobody needs to be on a call at a set time.

What Christmas games can adults play with the family?

The family history quiz, who got what? and the holiday movie pitch give adults stories and inside jokes. A board game tournament with holiday house rules works when teens want in on the competition.

When should you play games on Christmas Day?

Play an active game right after presents, while the energy is high, and a calm one after the meal. End with something quiet, like cookie judges, before people head home or to bed.

👉 Start your holiday Tribute and give the relatives who can't make it a turn in the game.