The Top Ten Christmas Party Games

Curling up next to the fire with a drink to play a board game or watch a Christmas film is as much a part of the Christmas tradition as mince pies. From Monopoly to charades, everyone will have a favourite that they will want to play at least once over the holiday season.  

Board games or a trivia quiz can be a fantastic way for your family and friends to reconnect after so long spent apart. Party games encourage guests to put down their phones and get involved with the fun. If you are playing a game like a quiz which relies on memory, asking all the players to place their phones in a box in the centre of the table will prevent anyone googling the answers.  

From small and intimate family gatherings to company Christmas parties with over a hundred guests, Salomons Estate is the perfect place to host such an event. In order to keep the party engaging, bringing in Christmas games can help everyone get involved and chatting. This article will discuss a range of party games that will help you and your guests get in to the spirit of the holiday.  

1. Charades

Charades is one of the most popular Christmas party games to play, as it is suitable for those of all ages. To play charades, first fill a jar with folded strips of paper with place names, popular movies, book titles, or simply objects like a mop, written on them. Once a player has taken a paper strip from the jar they must then act out whatever is written on the paper for the other players to guess what it is. Yes and no questions are fine, so questions such as ‘is it living?’ or ‘Is it non-living?’ can quickly cut down the number of options there are.  

In some games there will be a set amount of time in which each team has to guess correctly, and others can go on as long as needed, depending on your house rules.  

2. Trivia Quiz

Organising a trivia quiz is a great way to kick of an evening, and the game can be customised to fit the festive theme. Selecting categories such as Christmas movie trivia or Christmas song trivia can help everyone pitch in and enjoy the holidays.  

It is important to cover a range of different topics when you are playing this game, in order to include as many people as possible. If you ask questions on a range of topics it is more likely to give everyone a chance to contribute to the game so it can be enjoyed by everyone.

3. Monopoly

This board game is an eternal classic, with some variation of the game found in cupboards around the country. Whether you are playing a themed variation or the timeless classic, Monopoly is family fun for any occasion.  

Monopoly is a Christmas classic which has led to many tension-filled evenings next to a warm fire, as you duel over the remaining house spaces. This game, when played in its complete form, can take a long time and is best played with a small group. If you are planning on playing a quicker game there is now Monopoly Deal – this is very similar to the board game but involves only cards, so games can be over in as little as 15 minutes.  

4. Wink Murder

A player is sent out of the room and is designated the detective. While the detective is out of the room another person is secretly told that they are the murderer. Each time the murderer winks at someone the person that has been winked at must then fall to the floor and pretend to be dead. The detective must guess who the murderer is. If they guess correctly within three tries, the detective wins. If they guess wrongly three times, then the murderer wins the game.  

This is a party game requiring no prior preparation and is best played with a large group of people, and so makes for the perfect Christmas party game.  

5. Musical Chairs

Musical Chairs is a classic game which many will have played while growing up. While some may find it rather childish, it can bring an energy to the room and get everyone involved. The game is played by placing chairs at the centre of the room and playing music. Everyone must move or dance, and when the music is paused everyone must take a seat. The one missing a chair is then knocked out of the running. The last two can then play a thumb war to determine the winner of the round.  

Much like charades, this game doesn’t require much preparation and can be set up at short notice.  

6. Who am I

Each player has the name of a famous celebrity or character stuck to their forehead, and by asking questions they must determine who it is. Yes, or no questions are used, such as ‘do they star in a movie?’. The last one to guess the identity of their celebrity loses the round. This is a game that is fairly similar to charades and can be customised to suit the occasion. Changing around celebrity names for different Christmas films, for example, can add a bit of holiday flair to the game. 

7. Candy Canes (Spoons)

Spoons is a popular card game that can be played with up to 13 people. The game involves dealing out four cards to each player, the cards are then passed around in an attempt to gather four of a kind. Once someone has gathered four of a kind they must take one of the spoons – or in this case candy canes – from the centre of the table. There will be one less candy cane than the number of players, and the player too slow to get a candy cane of their own loses the match. This game is very competitive and a lot of fun to play. 

8. Twister

Twister is a party classic, particularly popular with kids. The game comes with a mat with a series of spots of different colours.  During each round of the game a wheel is spun for each participant; they have to place their hands or feet on the assigned colour without moving their other limbs. With multiple people competing and a limited amount of space, it requires some truly painful contortions.  

Once someone has fallen or fails to reach the assigned colour they’re out of the game.  

9. Pictionary

Pictionary is a popular family game. Each player must pick a card (or slip of paper) with a name of either a film, song, or object. Then they must use their drawing skills to indicate what was written on the card. The first to guess correctly wins the game.  

While this game can be played using the traditional board, the version discussed in this blog post can be organised easily without it.  

 10. Musical Statues

Musical statues is a fun game for all ages. The premise is simple – while the music is playing everyone dances, but as soon as the music stops everyone must pause and act like a statue. The last to stop moving is out of the running. One of the best attributes of this game is that it requires no prior preparation and can be set up almost anywhere.  

If you are considering contacting Salomons Estate in order to book a venue, then please contact us here. If you are interested in our Christmas events, then please follow this link to look at what we have organised for this Christmas season.