Special activities and games are some of the best things about the holiday season.
They’re really helpful for having fun and laughing through all the family togetherness. Whether you’re going to a big family party, a small get-together, or just for something to do after opening presents, family-friendly holiday games can be a great way to bond and enjoy each other’s company.
We go to a Christmas Eve party every year, where we usually play cards and do a white elephant gift exchange. Games during the holidays can be a great way to spend time with friends and family. There are a ton of options out there for holiday family games that you can play whether you include the kids or not.
Here are our top family-friendly holiday games
White elephant
The best part about presents is not knowing what you’re getting. White elephant is a fun game to play with others. Everyone who wants to play needs to buy a present, usually under a certain price point, to bring. Then you pick numbers, and people choose presents one at a time and open them. You can either keep what you pick, or steal from someone who picked before you. Candy works well for this one.
Holiday freeze dance
With so many jolly tunes, there are many to choose from to have a dance party. You can take things one step further and make it a freeze dance for the kids or even musical chairs for everyone. It gets everyone up and moving to help burn off some of that extra sugar energy you’re gaining.
Baking challenge
If you’re already doing a potluck, this game feeds right into it. You can have people pick specific categories to bake or cook something in—appetizers or desserts. Then, you can have everyone judge, and the person that wins can get a prize or pick the movie to watch for the evening.
More of a decorator than a baker, grab a ready-made kit tonight ->
Cards
My in-laws usually play cards every year. The kids can be involved in this one or not. You could play Texas Hold Em, or another option for a fun and competitive activity. You can use chips instead of money, so you don’t have any bad feelings going around.
Find the best card games for your family at Walmart ->
Name the Christmas song
I’ve played something similar to this one at other parties and it is one of my favorite family-friendly holiday games to play at home. You play just the first few seconds of a song, and then everyone needs to write down what they think the song is. The person who gets the most correct answers can get a prize.
Murder mystery
There are many places online where you can get cards to play your own murder mystery. I once had a New Year’s Eve party, and we did this. Everyone dressed up, and then we had to figure out who did it. This game can be fun for both adults and kids.
Looking for a mystery game? Check out this collection ->
Holiday movie trivia
If you love Christmas movies, this is a fun game that you can play together. Make up a quiz with obscure Christmas movie trivia and see who can get the most correct answers. For instance, did you know that the song “White Christmas” was not first sung in the film? It was in the movie “Holiday Inn.”
Take a look at Amazon’s collection of fun holiday trivia games ->
Ugly sweater contest
Have everyone wear their favorite ugly sweater and pick the best one for the winner. Give a fun prize, and you can have a lot of fun with this one.
Walmart has some great family ugly sweaters for your collection ->
Guess what’s in the Santa hat
This is a fun game, especially for kids. Put an object into a Santa hat and find out who can figure out what it is by feel alone. You could use some figurines or toys and let whoever figured it out keep what was in the hat.
Find a Santa hat or two for your game night ->
Hunting for candy canes
Like an Easter egg hunt, hide candy canes around for people to find. You could offer a prize to the person who finds the most. Just be sure to count them, so you aren’t finding them months later.
Grab some fun-sized candy canes now ->
What’s so wonderful about family-friendly holiday games?
Playing family-friendly holiday games at this time of year is a great way to spend the time together. Pick a few of the above or make up some of your own. The important thing is to have fun!
