16 Fun Christmas Party Games For Teens

These 16 Christmas party games for teens include quick icebreakers, team challenges, drawing games and festive relays. Pick a few that suit your group, whether you’re hosting friends, cousins or a family Christmas gathering.

Each game below includes the number of players, supplies and instructions. Some need only paper and pens; others need a little setup and room to move.

Choose games that suit your group

• Small space or seated play: Two Truths and One Lie, Stocking Guessing and What’s On Your Phone?.
• Creative teams: Song and Movie Pictionary or Playdough Pictionary.
• Room to move: Candy Cane Relay and Santa’s Helper Relay.
• Getting everyone talking: Fun Fact Snowballs makes a simple opening game.

For a relaxed party, start with an icebreaker, follow with one team game and finish with something creative. Let players join in as a pair or take a turn keeping score if they prefer. For classroom use, choose seated games and check your school’s rules on phones, food and supplies.

Want printable games ready to play?

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My BHLS Teen Christmas Games Bundle is a paid printable pack with nine games, including festive Would You Rather, teen Pictionary, a selfie scavenger hunt and What’s On Your Phone? The DIY games below can be played without buying the bundle.

16 Christmas party games for teens

Here’s a video of what an inflatable reindeer ring toss game looks like in action.

Setup and scoring: Mark one throwing line and give every player the same number of rings. Score one point per ring that stays on the antlers; rotate the wearer after each round. Keep throws gentle and use only soft inflatable rings.

Good Santa/Bad Santa Pass The Parcel is a riff on the classic game of Pass The Parcel that brings a little friendly competition and excitement into play.

• Number of players: 6+
• Props: Wrapping paper, tape, a selection of good and bad little gifts, music.

How to play:

Wrap up a main gift and a series of smaller gifts layer by layer to make a parcel to pass.

The twist is that every other gift is a bad gift.

Examples of bad little gifts:

• A clean mismatched sock
• An empty gift box with a silly note
• A stone
• A lighthearted Christmas challenge the player can choose to try or pass
• A paper Christmas cracker joke

Play the game in the usual way, with everyone sitting in a circle, taking turns to pass the parcel until the music stops and the person holding the parcel gets to open a layer of the parcel.

Before you start: Use clean, harmless gag prizes and mix them with small treats. Avoid anything embarrassing or personal. Decide whether a player who has already opened a layer should pass their next turn so everyone gets a chance.

The Santa’s Beard Relay Race is pure comedy, and I challenge anyone not to fall about laughing while playing it. I must note it’s probably not a game for any teens who don’t want to mess up their make-up!

• Number of players: An even number of players
• Props: A couple of large plates, cotton balls, and Vaseline or any type of petroleum jelly 

How to play:

Pour cotton wool balls onto two large plates and put the plates on a table at one end of the room.

Divide the players into two teams and get them to stand at the other end of the room from the table.

Smear the lower half of each player’s face with Vaseline.

At the start of the race, the first player from each team must race to the table and bury their face in a plate of cotton wool balls. The aim is to get as many balls as possible to stick to their face and create a ‘Santa beard’.

They are not allowed to use their hands to stick the cotton wool balls on.

Once they’ve had their turn, they must return to their team, and the next player sets off.

The winning team is the one who has managed to collectively collect the most cotton wool balls.

Party tip: Participation should be optional. Offer a paper-beard alternative: players take turns adding a cotton ball to a card beard with a glue stick, without putting anything on their faces. Set the same time limit for both teams and count the attached cotton balls.

This Christmas guessing game works with younger and older teens. Keep the stories lighthearted and avoid jokes at someone else’s expense.

• Number of players: Unlimited number
• Props: Paper and pens for each player

How to play:

Ask each player to write down three Christmas-related stories: two true and one made up. They could describe an unusual gift, a holiday mishap or a memorable Christmas meal. Two of the gifts have to be actual gifts they have received, and one has to be made up.

Each player, in turn, reads out their list and must try to be as convincing as possible about the gift that is a lie.

The other players may ask one question each, then vote for the story they think is made up.

Continue until everyone has had a turn.

Scoring: Each correct guess earns one point. The storyteller earns one point if nobody identifies the lie. Let anyone pass on sharing a personal story.

This guessing game can lead to fits of giggles and much hilarity if you manage to get a really good selection of items for the players to guess.

• Number of players: 3 – 10
• Props: A Christmas stocking, about 20 random items, paper and pens for players to use.

How to play:

Without anyone seeing, fill the Christmas stocking with five items from the selection you’ve put together.

Pass the stocking around the players, who must feel the stocking and write down what they think the items are.

Once everyone has written their answers, reveal the items one by one and see who has the correct answers and who has the zaniest or most inappropriate answers.

Play again with the next selection of items.

Scoring: Award one point for each correctly identified item. Use soft, clean objects without sharp edges, and keep the stocking tied closed until everyone has written an answer.

6. Candy Cane Relay

This is a great game for large festive gatherings or for school classes. You will need a large room or space outdoors to really make the most of playing this relay race game.

• Number of players: Teams of four players
• Props: Enough candy canes for one per player, plus an extra one per team.

How to play:

Divide the players into teams with four players in each team and ask two members of each team to stand at one end of the race track and the other two to stand at the opposite end.

Give each player a candy cane.

Give the first player in each team to race an extra candy cane, which they must hook onto the candy cane they already have.

When the race starts, the first player must run as fast as they can to the opposite end of the track without dropping the candy cane they have hooked onto the cane they are holding.

Once at the other end of the track, they must transfer the hooked candy cane to the cane of the next player in their team to race. They must make the transfer without touching the hooked cane with their hands.

Once the candy cane is hooked, the second player must race back to the start line and transfer the hooked candy cane to the third person to run. Rinse and repeat until all players have run.

The winning team is the first to have everyone successfully transfer the hooked candy cane and reach the finish line.

Setup tip: Players hold their candy canes in their hands, not in their mouths. Use a clear route and a brisk walk for indoor play. If the extra candy cane drops, pick it up and restart from that handoff point.

7. Christmas Song and Movie Pictionary

Christmas Song And Movie Pictionary is a twist on classic Pictionary. It works particularly well with smaller groups but can also scale to be played with a large group of players.

• Number of players: Unlimited number
• Props: Note cards, pens, whiteboard, and markers

How to play:

Write down the names of a bunch of well-known (and not so well-known if you want to be tricksy) Christmas songs, carols and movies, each one on an individual note card. Place the cards face down.

Divide the players into two teams and ask a player to come over and pick a face-down card.

The player should then attempt to draw the song or carol on the whiteboard so that their team can guess what it is. Words and numbers are not allowed.

Set a time limit (five minutes works well). If the team guesses correctly, they score a point.

If they don’t guess correctly, the opposing team can steal the point if they can guess correctly.

For a ready-made drawing game, the paid BHLS Teen Christmas Games Bundle includes Holiday Pictionary alongside eight other printable games. Its prompts are a separate option from the DIY song-and-movie version above.

Prompt ideas: Try Home Alone, The Polar Express, Jingle Bells and a Christmas tree. Use a 60–90 second drawing turn for a faster game, choose prompts your group knows, and give each team the same number of turns.

Who says playdough is just for little kids?! Playdough Pictionary is a brilliant alternative 3D take on Pictionary. It’s hilarious how competitive this can get, plus it’s great for sparking nostalgia for childhood, which teens secretly love.

• Number of players: Unlimited number
• Props: Playdough (Play-Doh), note cards, and pens

How to play:

Write down the names of a bunch of Christmas-related items, each one on an individual note card. Place the cards face down.

Divide the players into two teams. Challenge each player in turn to choose a note card and then use playdough to create the item on the card.

The player’s team should try and guess the item.

Set a time limit (five minutes works well). If the team guesses correctly, they score a point.

If they don’t guess correctly, the opposing team can try to steal the point.

Prompt ideas: A snowman, stocking, candy cane, wrapped gift and reindeer all work well. Use a 60–90 second turn and award one point per correct guess; playdough is for modeling, not eating.

9. Santa Limbo

I just love the silliness of Santa Limbo, it’s exactly the kind of game that works well with teens.

• Number of players: Unlimited number
• Props: Santa hats, a broomstick, a pole or scarf, and pillows

How to play:

Ask two players to hold the broomstick/scarf at shoulder height.

The rest of the players take turns putting on a Santa hat and a pillow under their clothes for Santa’s belly. They then have to try to limbo under the broomstick/pole without touching it and without their hat falling off.

The hat and the belly make it even harder than usual to limbo, especially as the pole goes lower.

The two players holding the broomstick/scarf should move the broomstick lower after everyone has had a turn, and then the players try to go again.

The winner is the person who manages to keep the hat on and go the lowest.

Adapt it for your group: Use a soft scarf instead of a rigid pole, keep the area clear and let players skip a turn. A seated version works too: pass the scarf overhead and beneath a cushion while keeping the Santa hat on.

10. Fun Fact Snowballs

This game turns a ‘snowball’ fight into a fun facts guessing game.

• Number of players: Unlimited number
• Props: Lots of white paper, a selection of pens and a big glass bowl.

How to play:

Give each teen a few sheets of white paper and ask them to write a fun fact about themselves on each piece of paper and then scrunch it up into a ‘snowball’.

Put all the snowballs in the glass bowl.

Get all the players to sit around in a circle. One player picks a snowball from the bowl and gently passes it to another player.

The player who catches the snowball must read out the fun fact, and everyone else has to guess whose fact it is. This can be particularly fun if the person reading out the fact happens to be the person who wrote the fact because they will have to try hard not to give themselves away.

Keep it lighthearted: Ask for facts players are happy to share publicly. For example, a favorite Christmas snack or a funny holiday tradition. Read every fact once; players can reveal their own answer after the guesses.

11. Christmas Karaoke Challenge

You can go one of two ways when setting up a Christmas Karaoke Challenge. You can either go for popstar-like performances, or you can go down the novelty Christmas song route and aim for comedy.

• Number of players: 8+
• Props: Karaoke machine or the Smule app gets good reviews (iOS/Android)

How to play:

Put together a playlist of Christmas classics or Christmas novelty songs and get everyone taking turns to sing their heart out and entertain everyone else.

You could introduce a competitive element and offer a Christmas gift as a prize for the best performance.

Low-prep option: A speaker and a playlist can be enough for a singalong. Let teens sing in pairs, choose suitable songs and avoid recording or posting performances without permission. If using an app, check its age rules and any paid features before the party.

12. Christmas Scavenger Hunt

A Christmas Scavenger Hunt is a great game for teens. Go for a simple game where you just give everyone a list of items to find. Or make it more challenging by creating clues in the form of riddles or puzzles for players to guess the locations.

• Number of players: 4+
• Props: Christmas-themed items, lists of the items to be found and clues for how to find them, a prize

How to play:

Create a list of items for the players to find. Give the items a Christmas theme for a little festive fun. So things like:

• Christmas ornament
• Candy canes
• Santa hat
• Snow globe
• Red Rudolph nose prop
• A sparkly star
• A mini Christmas tree
• Little gifts (with candy/sweets inside)
• Letter to Santa (write out a comedy list of toy requests)
• Paper mistletoe decoration
• An angel
• Winter scarf

Hide the items around the house or outdoor area where the scavenger hunt will take place.

Make sure to keep track of where you hide each item, just in case!

Divide the players into teams. Each team should have at least two players, but you can have as many teams as you like.

Give each team a copy of the scavenger hunt list and clues and a bag to collect the items in.

Set a time limit for the scavenger hunt. Depending on the number of items and the size of the playing area, the time limit can be anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.

As the teams find the items on the list, they should collect them in their bag or basket and check them off the list.

Once the time limit is up, have the teams return to a designated meeting spot to tally up their scores.

Award points for each item found.

The team with the most points at the end of the scavenger hunt wins a prize.

Make it fair: Give each team its own color-coded set of hidden props, or make this a photo hunt so teams can find the same things. Use an agreed search area and a 10–15 minute round; leave fragile ornaments and real decorations in place.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to import snow into your home! This is a food-based game. The aim of the Indoor Snowman Building Competition is for the players to compete to create the best-looking edible snowman. It’s a great game for smaller groups of teens.

• Number of players: 2-10
• Props: Vanilla ice cream, candy sticks, raisins, chocolate chips, pretzels, marshmallows, chocolate or fruit sauce, and/or other edible decorations, scoops, spoons, plates, and a timer.

How to play:

You can either divide the players into teams, or everyone can play individually.

The challenge is for the teams or individuals to build a snowman as quickly as possible before the ice cream melts. They can use as many of the ingredients as they want to make the best-looking snowman.

To make the game more challenging, only allow the players to use one hand to build the snowmen.

The winning team is the team with the best-looking snowman.

As an added bonus, the players can also enjoy eating their ice cream snowmen after they’re done!

Before you play: Check food restrictions, give each team separate supplies and use marshmallows in place of ice cream if you want a less messy option. Allow three minutes, then vote for categories such as funniest, most festive and most creative.

This relay challenges teams to wrap small empty gift boxes and deliver them to the finish line. It works indoors when you have a clear walking route, or outside with more space.

• Number of players: 4+, divided into equal teams
• Props: One small empty box per player, wrapping paper, tape, ribbons and a table per team

How to play: Give each team the same supplies and mark a start and finish line. The first player wraps one box, walks it to the finish line and returns to tag the next teammate. Continue until everyone has had a turn.

Scoring: Give one point for each completely covered box. The team with the most points wins; if tied, the faster team wins. Keep scissors at the wrapping table and do any cutting before players set off.

15. Santa’s Helper Relay

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In Santa’s Helper, teams wrap empty boxes and then carry a stack of them along a clear route. It adds a balancing challenge to the gift-wrapping relay and works well for larger groups.

• Number of players: 4+
• Props: Boxes and objects to be wrapped as gifts, wrapping paper, tape, ribbons, and bows

How to play:

Divide the players into teams and give each one of them an equal number of gifts – around 7 or 8 is a good number. Try and make sure that each team gets similar or identical shapes to wrap.

At the start of the race, each team should start wrapping the gifts as fast as possible. 

Once a team has wrapped all the gifts, they should then take turns each team member to become Santa’s Helper and race to the other end of the race track and back with the stack of gifts. If they drop a gift, they have to return to the start line and begin again.

The winning team is the one whose players finish the relay race first.

Setup tip: Use empty lightweight boxes, keep the stack low enough to see over and use a clear walking route indoors. Start with three boxes per team and add more only if players can comfortably carry them.

16. What’s On Your Phone?

What’s On Your Phone is a great excuse for teens to get on their phones, but it’s also a great way to break the ice at the start of a party. 

The aim of the game is to score points based on stuff that’s on your phone. There are different points available for different items. 

• Number of players: 3+
• Props: Phones, paper and pens and a game sheet, which you can do yourself or use the What’s On Your Phone? sheet included in the paid BHLS Teen Christmas Games Bundle. 

How to Play:

Get everyone to get their phones out and one player is in charge of the What’s On Your Phone game sheet. 

That player reads out the list of items on the sheet and every time someone has that item on their phone they score the allocated number of points. 

The player with the most points at the end of the game wins. 

Privacy rule: Each player keeps their own phone and decides what they want to show. Skip anything involving private messages, passwords or personal photos. Players without phones can join a teammate; check the prompts in advance and award points only once per item.

Need more party games?

Grab the 22 Game Christmas Bundle with a bunch of delightfully festive games for all ages.

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Planning a party for more than one age group? Explore our Christmas games and activities for kids, teens and adults.