Christmas Games for the Family: 12 No-Kit Ideas
Zé · Published 21 October 2026
The best Christmas games for the family can be explained in one sentence, played round the table or in the living room, and work for an eight-year-old and a grandparent at the same time. Here are twelve, sorted by the moment of the day, from the morning to the evening, with an age and everything you need for each: usually paper, pens, a bowl and the crackers you already bought.
Before you start: one host and a running theme
Christmas Day games go best when one person runs them, and that person shouldn't be the one cooking the turkey. The host picks four to six games for the day, writes the slips of paper on Christmas Eve and keeps an eye on the mood. A running score turns the day into a gentle competition: points on a sheet stuck to the fridge, and the winner gets first pick from the tin of chocolates or chooses the evening film. If you would rather have it all ready, The Christmas Championship is built on exactly this idea: 40 Christmas Day games that each score points on a score sheet, a champion crowned at pudding and over 250 cards to cut out.
- We laugh with people, never at them.
- Anyone who doesn't want to play becomes the judge, the scorekeeper or the timekeeper: they're still part of it.
- Stop a game while it's still fun. Three games well placed beat ten in a row.
- If your family watches the King's Speech at 3pm, plan the games around it, not over it.
Games that run all day
1. Secret missions (10+)
Over breakfast, everyone draws a folded slip with a mission to complete before the pudding: get someone to say “sprouts” without asking them to, swap paper hats with the person opposite, get Grandad to tell his favourite story. Anyone who suspects a mission can accuse out loud; if they're right, the mission fails. The big reveal at teatime is half the fun.
2. Christmas Day bingo (8+)
Draw a grid of nine squares for each player, with things that really happen on the day: someone falls asleep in front of the telly, a cracker joke gets a groan, somebody mentions the weather, a paper hat slips into the gravy. Cross them off as they happen; the first full line shouts “Bingo!”. No making things happen on purpose: our guide to Christmas Day bingo has the full rules and 40 square ideas.
3. Predictions (8+)
In the morning, everyone writes down a few predictions: what time lunch is actually served, who nods off first, how many sprouts are left at the end. Seal them in an envelope and open it at teatime. The cook isn't allowed to bet on the time of lunch.
At the table: games that keep the conversation going
4. The cracker joke contest (all ages)
Everyone reads out their cracker joke in their best stand-up voice, and the table votes for the worst one. Whoever earns the loudest groan wears their paper hat for the rest of the meal, no matter what.
5. Banned words (8+)
At the start of the meal, the table agrees five banned words, often the ones that lead to awkward subjects: “work”, “diet”, “politics”. Whoever hears one shouts “Ding!” and the culprit loses a point. Laying a trap with a well-chosen question is allowed, and encouraged.
6. Guess the weight (7+)
How heavy is the turkey? How many satsumas fit in the fruit bowl? How long is the gravy boat? Everyone writes a secret guess, then you weigh, count or measure on the spot. Kitchen scales and a tape measure are all you need, and five rounds is plenty.
7. Who am I? (7+)
Write a Christmas character on a sticky note and stick it to each player's forehead, or tuck it into their paper hat: Rudolph, the Grinch, Scrooge, Buddy the Elf, Mrs Claus, a snowman. Players ask questions that can only be answered yes or no. A classic, and still unbeatable when the table spans three generations.
Between the turkey and the pudding: get everyone moving
8. Christmas charades (7+)
Two teams, slips of paper with films, songs and books (Home Alone, Elf, The Snowman, Jingle Bells, A Christmas Carol), one minute each to get your team to guess as many as possible. Agree the usual signs first: fingers for the number of words, a tap on the arm for syllables. Everybody acts at least once, Granny included.
9. Musical statues (4+)
The music plays and everyone dances. When it stops, the host calls a pose: a Christmas tree losing its needles, a reindeer with hiccups, an angel on top of the tree. Anyone who wobbles becomes a judge and may pull faces at the statues, without touching. The best way to let small children burn off energy before the pudding.
10. Pass the parcel (3+)
A small gift wrapped in several layers of newspaper, with a slip of paper between each layer: sing a carol, do your best reindeer impression, name three things that are red. Pass it round while the music plays; whoever holds it when the music stops unwraps one layer and does the challenge. Make sure every child gets at least one turn.
After dinner: quizzes, hum that tune and quieter games
11. The family quiz (8+)
Everyone writes three questions about themselves or a family memory: “What was my first pet called?”, “Where did we go on holiday in 2019?”. The host reads them out and players write their answers. The winner is whoever knows the family best, which is rarely who you'd expect.
12. Hum that tune (4+)
Take turns humming a Christmas song with no words: Silent Night, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Last Christmas, Fairytale of New York. The first to guess scores a point and hums the next one. Perfect when everyone is too full to move.
Adapting the games to your crowd
- Lots of little ones: musical statues, pass the parcel, charades with animals, and a treasure hunt round the house while the grown-ups finish eating. Avoid elimination games with under-6s.
- A small group of 4 to 6: predictions, guess the weight, the family quiz. No teams needed.
- Teenagers: make them quizmaster or host. They'll pretend they don't care and then run it brilliantly.
- Grandparents: seated word games, and write the slips in big, clear capitals.
- In-laws and touchy subjects: banned words, agreed before anyone sits down.
- In the US: many families play these on Christmas Eve, and the predictions work just as well for dessert as for pudding.
- Boxing Day: a rematch of the family quiz, or a treasure hunt that ends at the leftover trifle, with our Christmas treasure hunt clues to hide around the house.
Practise the games in December
Several of these games are already on cards in our printable family Advent calendar: Christmas charades, pass the parcel, hum that tune and an indoor treasure hunt, each with the time and age, so the children know the rules by the 25th. For 7 to 12 year olds, 100 Screen-Free Challenges includes 32 challenges for two or more players, among them a family quiz, folded sentences and a one-word story, handy for the long days after Christmas. The calendar is also on our printable Christmas activities page.
Games for December and beyond
Frequently asked questions
What games can you play at the Christmas dinner table?
Games that don't need anyone to stand up: banned words, guess the weight, who am I?, the cracker joke contest. Start a game that runs all day in the morning, such as secret missions or Christmas Day bingo, to fill the gaps between courses.
What are good Christmas games for kids and adults together?
Games where age gives no advantage: musical statues from 4, charades, who am I?, hum that tune and guess the weight. Mix the generations in each team.
What are some good Christmas charades ideas?
Films: Home Alone, Elf, The Snowman, The Muppet Christmas Carol. Songs: Jingle Bells, Silent Night, Let It Snow. Actions: building a snowman, wrapping a present, pulling a cracker, a reindeer landing on a roof.
Do you need anything for these games?
Hardly anything: paper, pens, a bowl, sticky notes, kitchen scales, something to play music on and a small gift for pass the parcel. The crackers and paper hats do the rest.