---
title: "Christmas Party Games for Teens: 15 Ideas That Need Almost Nothing"
description: "Fifteen Christmas party games for teens and friends that need little more than paper, a pen and a phone: charades, a quiz, a wrapping race, video-call games and more."
url: https://decomytree.link/blog/christmas-party-games-for-teens
language: en
last_updated: 2026-11-08
---

Blog · Party

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

The best Christmas parties have one or two games that get everyone laughing. These need little more than paper, a pen and a phone, and most work for four people or forty.

By [Ömer Ercan](https://decomytree.link/about#founder), founder

## 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

1. 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.
2. Paper snowball fight
   Everyone writes a question on a piece of paper, scrunches it up and throws it. Grab one, open it, answer it.
3. Musical chairs with Christmas songs
   The classic, with a holiday playlist. Fewer chairs every round.
4. Photo scavenger hunt
   Teams have twenty minutes to take photos of a list: a red door, a snowman, someone in a Christmas jumper, anything with a reindeer on it.
5. Cookie decorating contest
   Plain cookies, icing and sprinkles. Vote for the best, the ugliest and the most creative.

## Quiz and party starters

1. A Christmas quiz
   Ten questions, three teams. Pick your ten from the list below.
2. Ugly jumper vote
   Everyone wears their worst festive jumper; the group votes.
3. 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](https://decomytree.link/blog/secret-santa-rules).

| Quiz question | Answer |
| --- | --- |
| In which country did the decorated Christmas tree tradition begin? | Germany |
| Saint Nicholas was a bishop in Myra. In which country is Myra today? | Türkiye (the town of Demre) |
| In which season is Christmas celebrated in Brazil and Australia? | Summer (December is summer in the Southern Hemisphere) |
| What is the Brazilian name for Secret Santa? | Amigo secreto (also called amigo oculto) |
| On which date do Orthodox churches that use the old calendar celebrate Christmas? | January 7 |
| Which city sends London the Christmas tree for Trafalgar Square every year? | Oslo, as a thank-you for Britain’s help in the Second World War |
| In the song “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, how many gifts are given in total? | 364 |
| Which red-leaved Christmas plant is named after the first US envoy to Mexico? | The poinsettia |
| What did the Wise Men bring? | Gold, frankincense and myrrh |
| In Iceland, how many Yule Lads visit children before Christmas? | 13 |
| Which Christmas song did astronauts play in space in 1965? | Jingle Bells |
| In which country is a fried chicken dinner a popular Christmas tradition? | Japan |

Need more questions? Our posts on [the history of the Christmas tree](https://decomytree.link/blog/history-of-the-christmas-tree) and [Christmas in Brazil](https://decomytree.link/blog/christmas-in-brazil) are full of quiz material.

## 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.

| Group | Try these |
| --- | --- |
| 4 to 6 people | Who am I?, two truths and a lie, the drawing game |
| 10 to 20 people | Charades in teams, the quiz, the wrapping race |
| A big party | Paper snowball fight, the ugly jumper vote, the photo scavenger hunt |
| Friends far apart | The quiz, guess the baby photo, show and tell |

## Games over a video call

1. Guess the baby photo
   Everyone sends a Christmas photo from when they were little to the host before the call. Guess who is who.
2. Show and tell
   Everyone has one minute to show the weirdest thing on their Christmas tree, or in their fridge.

Keep it kind

Pick games where nobody is embarrassed. Laughing together is the point, not at one person.

## 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](https://decomytree.link/create-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.

Make your Christmas tree

Share it in the group chat and see who writes first.

- [Create your tree](https://decomytree.link/create-tree)
- [Send a message](https://decomytree.link/send-message)

## Questions

### What are good Christmas games for a small group?

Who am I?, two truths and a lie, a quick quiz and the festive drawing game all work with four or five people.

### What Christmas games need no supplies?

Charades, would you rather, two truths and a lie and the quiz need nothing but people. A pen and paper add the drawing and snowball games.

### Can we play Christmas games online?

Yes: charades, the quiz, guess the baby photo and show and tell all work well over a video call.

## Sources

Facts checked against these pages on November 7, 2026.

1. [Christmas Traditions Worldwide](https://www.history.com/articles/christmas-traditions-worldwide), HISTORY
2. [Oslo’s Christmas tree gift to Trafalgar Square](https://www.gov.uk/government/news/oslos-christmas-tree-gift-to-trafalgar-square), British Embassy Oslo, GOV.UK
3. [Harmonica, Gemini 6](https://airandspace.si.edu/collection-objects/harmonica-gemini-6/nasm_A19670148000), National Air and Space Museum, Smithsonian
4. [Poinsettias Flourish at the U.S. Botanic Garden](https://www.usbg.gov/poinsettias-flourish-us-botanic-garden), United States Botanic Garden
5. [The 13 Yule Lads and Christmas in Iceland](https://www.ferdamalastofa.is/en/news/the-13-yule-lads-and-christmas-in-iceland-1), Icelandic Tourist Board
6. [Discover Antalya following the footsteps of Santa Claus](https://goturkiye.com/branding/press-releases/discover-antalya-following-the-footsteps-of-santa-claus), GoTürkiye
7. [Christmas, Soviet Style](https://blogs.loc.gov/law/2016/01/christmas-soviet-style/), Library of Congress
8. [Matthew, Chapter 2](https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/2), United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
9. [Christmas in Japan: 5 Fun Facts!](https://www.japan.travel/en/uk/inspiration/christmas-in-japan-5-fun-facts/), Japan National Tourism Organization

## More pages

- [Secret Santa rules](https://decomytree.link/blog/secret-santa-rules): Draw names, set a budget and keep it a secret until the end
- [Cheap Christmas gifts for friends](https://decomytree.link/blog/cheap-christmas-gifts-for-friends): 20 ideas under 10 that still feel personal
- [Christmas around the world](https://decomytree.link/christmas-around-the-world): How the world celebrates, country by country
- [Christmas countdown](https://decomytree.link/christmas-countdown): Live countdown to December 25