Christmas party games for teens: 15 ideas that need almost nothing

Classic games with a Christmas twist

1. Christmas charades

   Write Christmas films, songs and things on slips of paper (“building a snowman”, “wrapping a present”). Teams act them out without words, one minute each.

2. Festive drawing game

   The same slips, but players draw instead of acting. Use a big sheet of paper or a whiteboard app on a phone.

3. Who am I?

   Stick a note with a Christmas character on each person’s forehead. They ask yes-or-no questions to guess who they are.

4. Two truths and a lie, holiday edition

   Everyone shares three facts about their past Christmases. The group guesses the lie.

5. Would you rather

   “Spend Christmas on the beach or in the snow?” Quick, silly and a good way to start a party.

Games that get people moving

6. Wrapping race

   Pairs wrap a box as fast as they can, one hand each, or wearing oven gloves. Best wrapping wins, not just the fastest.

7. Paper snowball fight

   Everyone writes a question on a piece of paper, scrunches it up and throws it. Grab one, open it, answer it.

8. Musical chairs with Christmas songs

   The classic, with a holiday playlist. Fewer chairs every round.

9. Photo scavenger hunt

   Teams have twenty minutes to take photos of a list: a red door, a snowman, someone in a Christmas jumper, a reindeer anything.

10. Cookie decorating contest

    Plain cookies, icing and sprinkles. Vote for the best, the ugliest and the most creative.

Quiz and party starters

11. A Christmas quiz

    Ten questions, three teams. Start with the ones below.

12. Ugly jumper vote

    Everyone wears their worst festive jumper; the group votes.

13. Secret Santa reveal game

    Everyone guesses their Santa before it’s revealed; one point per right guess. Here is how to set up Secret Santa.

How to host the games

• Pick three games, not ten. Start with a quick one, put the loudest in the middle and end with something calm.
• Prepare the slips, the quiz and the playlist the day before. Nobody wants to wait while the host writes.
• Make teams of four or five, and mix friends who don’t know each other yet.
• Set a timer on your phone for every round. It keeps the game moving.
• Have a few small prizes, like chocolate coins or a paper crown. People play harder for silly prizes.

Games over a video call

14. Guess the baby photo

    Everyone sends a Christmas photo from when they were little to the host before the call. Guess who is who.

15. Show and tell

    Everyone has one minute to show the weirdest thing on their Christmas tree, or in their fridge.

Quiet games for the end of the night

• Story chain: one person starts a Christmas story with one sentence, and everyone adds the next. It gets strange very fast.
• Best moment of the year: everyone shares one, in under a minute. Simple, and often the part people remember.

A game that lasts until Christmas

Here’s one more for the end of the party: everyone makes a Christmas tree and shares the link in the group chat, and each person leaves a message on everyone else’s tree. Nobody can read theirs until Christmas Day, so the party gets a second ending on the 25th.