42 Best Christmas Games for Kids, Adults and Family Members

Because a little Christmas contest among family members is always a good idea.

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The holiday season might not offer a lot of free time with all the cookie baking, crafting, decorating and shopping. But that doesn't mean there's no chance to have some downtime during the Christmas season — and what better way to spend it than sipping on hot cocoa and festive cocktails and playing Christmas games with family and friends?

We know it can be hard to relax, especially when you're the one in charge of cooking Christmas dinner, securing gifts for the family-wide Secret Santa and wrapping the gifts. But having time to partake in friendly competition is the best way to enjoy some lighthearted fun when the holidays seem stressful. Our list includes traditional games like Christmas bingo or "I Spy" and guessing and memory games. There are also active party games like "Pin the Nose on the Reindeer" and gingerbread house decorating, which are great for kids and adults.

There's sure to be at least one game on this list you and your guests or family members will enjoy. If you really want to make it more competitive, pick up a few prizes or little Christmas gifts on Amazon so players have something to look forward to if they win.

Before popping your marshmallows into a cup of hot cocoa, build your own "snowman" by going around in a circle and having each player add a marshmallow to the growing stack when it's their turn. Repeat to see how many you can stack before the tower of marshmallows falls down. Each time someone knocks it down, they're eliminated and the snowman starts from the bottom again.

It's time to see how well you know your Christmas songs. Divide players into teams and have one person in charge of playing music. To play, that one person will play short clips of classic Christmas ballads and teams have to try to guess what song it is based on only hearing the first few notes. You can also make it so players have to guess the next line of the song or which artist sings it. Let players guess as a team or make it so an individual from each team is left to play one-on-one against each other for a point.

RELATED: Top Christmas Songs of All Time for the Greatest Holiday Playlist

We guarantee you will be giggling up a storm trying to win this game. Divide players into teams of two. When the hosts yells "Go!", one team member has to "build" a snowman by wrapping the other entirely in toilet paper, finishing off the "snowy" friend by sticking on snowman buttons and a nose as well as a scarf and hat. First one to finish wins!

It's time to play Family Feud! Break your guests up into two teams. Since you're stepping into the role of Steve Harvey, create a list of holiday-themed questions like "Name two of Santa's reindeer" or "Name a popular Christmas song." Poll for answers by asking family and friends, ones who aren't playing in the game, for their top five answers. One team has control of the board until a player guesses wrong. Then, the other team has a chance to have their turn. Go back and forth until you run out of questions.

An easy game that's simple to play. Stand in a circle, and instead of passing a hot potato, pass a big bow until the music stops playing or until time runs out. Whoever is holding the bow is eliminated. Continue the game until there's only one person left standing.

Just like an Easter egg hunt but with candy canes! Hide the sweet peppermint sticks all over your home and let the kids loose trying to find them. They can either keep any they find or you can have alternative prizes for the little ones who collect the most.

RELATED: Festive Candy Cane Crafts That Are a Delight to Make

Icebreakers are a must at any holiday party. Kick yours off with a fun guessing game. Fill a clear jar with peppermints or themed M&Ms (or another candy of your choice) and have everyone who enters the party take a guess at how many are in the jar. The person who guesses correctly, or comes the closest, wins. You can even take the time to decorate the top of the jar with Christmas bows and tinsel to really bring in the holiday spirit.

Challenge your little ones to a festive game of "I Spy." Have them count how many Santas, snowflakes, Christmas trees and more they can find on this printable.

Get the printable at Let's DIY It All »

For a festive take on the Oreo race challenge, give this game a try. First, create stick-on Santa beards for those who will participate. Then, have everyone attempt to get an Oreo into their mouths without using their hands.

Get the tutorial at Happiness is Homemade »

For a fun race against the clock, gather the people in your home to play Rudolph Race. The game requires each player to attempt to pin the nose on Rudolph using only their nose, Vaseline and a pom ball. Challenge accepted!

Get the tutorial at Play Party Plan »

Bundle up and get ready to work off that post-dinner slump with sled races. Have participants line up at the top of a hill (a safe distance apart to prevent crashes) and let 'er rip. First to the bottom wins!

RELATED: Best Christmas Party Games for Adults Only

Write the names of classic Christmas characters on sticky notes and have each player paste one to their forehead without looking at what it says. Then, everyone has to help each other guess whose name is on their heads without saying the word. It's a guaranteed laugh fest! Can't come up with your own? No worries. Try the online holiday"heads up" generator here!

Get to know the faces around the table even better with a rousing game of family trivia. Have everyone write down a little-known fact about themselves when they arrive, then read them out after dessert or whenever you've got some downtime. Ask everyone to guess which piece of trivia belongs to who. It's a game and bonding experience all rolled into one!

TRENDING NOW: Holiday Facts for Trivia Night

Get all of your [nouns] together to [verb] an [adjective] game of Mad Libs. The silliest, most creative or just downright weird combo wins the day. It's also a great way to work on the kids' vocabulary, to sneak some learning into the festivities.

SHOP CHRISTMAS MAD LIBS

Instead of stressing about how beautifully your gifts are wrapped, gather some helper Elves and see who can wrap their gift as quickly as possible. Sure, you may not exactly save paper this way, but it does take the pressure off the perfectionists among us.

Think of this game like the holiday version of ring toss. Pick up a reindeer antler headband or make your own if you're feeling crafty. Twist red and white pipe cleaners together to make candy cane-striped rings. One person puts on the headband, while the rest try to hook the rings onto the antlers. Don't want to DIY? Pick up cute inflatable versions on Amazon.

Get the tutorial at Kid Friendly Things to Do »

Instead of sitting around the TV digesting after dinner or while waiting for the roast to come up to temp, embark on a holiday-themed scavenger hunt. Personalize it by including items that have sentimental value to your family. Get help from this deck of more than 200 cards that has an indoor deck and an outdoor deck, so there's an option for all kinds of weather.

SHOP CHRISTMAS SCAVENGER HUNT GAME

Personalize the iconic game of Guess Who by making cards with pictures of family members. Polaroid photos would give it an easy, vintage twist. To get your competitor to guess the correct person, use holiday prompts like, "Who makes her signature Christmas dessert?" or "Who's celebrated the most Christmases in our family?" When you're finished playing, incorporate the pictures into your decor.

Turn rockin' around the Christmas tree into a competition by holding a holiday dance-off. Turn on the music and get groovin', then shut it off without warning and shout "freeze!" Whoever stops moving last is out. You'll get the giggles, guaranteed.

Opening Christmas gifts while wearing oven mitts is just as challenging (and hilarious) as you think. As an added perk, giving unwrapping an element of difficulty will make everyone slow down and savor the moment when tearing into those presents on Christmas morning — not to mention result in some really fun photos.

Get the tutorial from RKO Ideas Galore by Karen »

Lauren is a senior editor at Hearst. She was previously the senior editor at WomansDay.com and the home editor at GoodHousekeeping.com and HouseBeautiful.com. Her book club, ramen, and jean jackets are a few of her favorite things.

Lizz (she/her) is a senior editor at Good Housekeeping, where she runs the GH Book Club, edits essays and long-form features and writes about pets, books and lifestyle topics. A journalist for almost two decades, she is the author of Biography of a Body and Buffalo Steel. She also teaches journalism as an adjunct professor at New York University's School of Professional Studies and creative nonfiction at the Muse Writing Center, and coaches with the New York Writing Room.

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