Family Christmas Party Games

You’ll love these family Christmas party games! They are simple, frugal and most of all… a blast!

Have you ever noticed that Christmas is the time of year when life gets so busy we often neglect what is important to us? Every year I vow to find ways to make sure family is at the top of my list, even when gift wrapping, shopping, and baking demand my attention. A few years ago, we created our own Christmas Family Fun Night as the perfect way to bring back the right focus and unify our family with laughter. It was an immediate hit! How can you go wrong with family Christmas party games?

We usually do this on Christmas Eve because we don’t have family locally, but it would be just as fun any day or night in December!

In the interest of saving the already-stretched Christmas budget, I’ve put together 6 relatively frugal games. I went to Walmart and purchased the supplies for 4 kids for about $18. I also repurposed some of these supplies for gifts and saved some for later years. If $18 is out of your budget, try picking just a few games instead of doing all 6.

Oh, and as a bonus, these Christmas games for kids don’t require a lot of set-up or fanfare. They promise holly jolly fun in minutes! I literally just bought the supplies and set up as we went along.

Supplies to gather:

• Gingerbread cookies (buy a bag of cheap ones at the store- this is for fun, gourmet not needed)
• A few boxes of candy canes (I’d say a box or so per player)
• Bag of Hershey’s kisses
• Bag of chocolate bell-shaped candy
• Can of Reddi-Wip for each player
• Paper plates (or use real ones if desired)
• Small, red plastic cups (or use the large ones- we used the shot glass size)
• Ruler for measuring
• Something to time one minute (phone, egg timer, microwave timer, etc.)

Family Christmas Party Games

Gingerbread Shuffle

Supplies: small gingerbread cookies (I buy them from the store in a large bag)

How to play: Each player places a gingerbread cookie on their forehead. On cue, players have to get the cookie from their forehead to their mouth without using their hands.

Repurpose: We got a fairly big bag of cookies at Walmart for $1. We only used 4 cookies out of the bag, so we put the rest in a food processor and made it into a cookie crumble crust for a Christmas dessert (really awesome with a peppermint cheesecake!) It was delicious!

Candy Cane Slide

Supplies: a box of candy canes for each player

How to play: Each player holds a candy cane in her mouth with the hook facing down. On cue, players work to get as many candy canes hooked on to the one in their mouth as possible. At the end of one minute, the player with the most hooked on wins.

Repurpose: Since you don’t eat any of the candy canes, all of them are left over to give out to others. We love to RACK (random acts of Christmas kindness) a parking lot and “bomb” the cars with candy canes and an encouraging note. You can use this free printable to learn more and/or do the same.

Family Christmas Mistletoe Kissing Toss Game

Supplies: one bag of Hershey’s kisses

How to play: Divide players into teams of two. Each team needs to choose someone to toss and someone to catch. A pile of WRAPPED kisses should be placed in front of each player who plans to toss. On cue, players must unwrap the kiss and toss into their teammate’s mouth. The team with the most catches in 1 minute wins.

Repurpose: We used most of the kisses in the bag because this game was so much fun we tried it many times. However, if you have leftovers, put them in a clear bag and give them to a friend. What a sweet treat!

Tannenbaum Avalanche

Supplies: Small, red plastic cups (or use the large ones- we used the shot glass size)

How to play: Each player gets a stack of red cups. On cue, players have one minute to create a Christmas tree. The tallest Christmas tree wins. You can measure with a ruler or by the number of rows built.

Repurpose: We saved these cups after the game was over. They are a bit more sturdy than the large cups, so perfect to use year after year. I put them in the Christmas decorations box so we would remember each year to use them to play the game again.

Family Christmas Bell Stack Party Game

Supplies: one bag of bell-shaped candy

How to play: Each player gets a handful of candy. On cue, players have one minute to stack them as high as possible. Any design counts. When the timer sounds, the player with the highest bell tower wins.

Repurpose: After we played this game, we used the entire bag of bells to give out to people as a part of our annual RACK tradition. Ok, we did eat one or two, but most of the bag was able to be repurposed!

Oh, Christmas Tree

Supplies: one can of Reddi-Wip and one plate per player (I use paper plates)

How to play: Give each player a can of Reddi-Wip and a paper plate. On cue, players must spray the whipped cream on the plate to form a Christmas tree. At the end of one minute, the player with the tallest tree wins. Alternatively, you could judge on the basis of the best looking tree.

Repurpose: When the game is over, there isn’t much left of this one. But hey, it really was yummy, wasn’t it?

Share your Family Christmas Party Games

And that’s the grand finale! As you can imagine, my kids look forward to this night every single year. Who doesn’t love a plate full of whipped cream and a good bit of chocolate with their games? Haha.

Have you tried family Christmas party games? Leave us a comment with some of your favorite games. Also, check out our other family game night ideas here. They promise simple, frugal family fun that will warm your hearts! Family fun is the glue that knits our hearts together!

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