Christmas Eve games for the whole family

Updated: 2026-10-24

Good Christmas Eve games for family are short, work at the table or on the sofa and let kids and grandparents play on the same team. Guessing games like charades or humming carols fill the waiting time, a few rules make opening presents more fun, and a family quiz on the TV gives the evening one big highlight.

Below you find 12 games sorted by moment of the evening, tips for mixed ages and a quiz idea that needs no preparation beyond a laptop and a TV. Most games need nothing more than paper, pens and a phone timer.

While you wait for dinner or presents

Christmas charades: one person acts out a film, song or object, their team guesses. Our list has easy words for kids and harder ones for adults.
Hum the carol: one person hums, everyone else guesses the title. Works with any age and no material.
Who am I: everyone gets a sticky note with a Christmas character on the forehead, for example Rudolph, the Grinch or a nutcracker, and asks yes or no questions until they know who they are.
Cookie estimation: fill a jar with cookies or nuts. Everyone writes a guess, the closest guess gets the jar after dinner.
Christmas packing list: the first person says I am packing Santa's sleigh and I take a candle. Each player repeats the list and adds one item. Whoever forgets something drops out.

Games around the presents

Dice for presents: put small gifts in the middle, roll a die in turn and take one gift on a six. For grown-ups there is a swap version with dice rules.
Shake and guess: before opening, the receiver shakes the gift and makes one guess. A right guess earns a cheer, not a prize.
Oven mitt unwrap: open your present wearing oven mitts. Great for the last gifts when the kids are already playing.
Thank-you round: after the presents, everyone says one thing they liked about the year with this family. A quiet moment before the next game.

At the table after dinner

Blind ranking: name five Christmas cookies one by one, everyone has to place each one at once from 1 to 5. No moving later.
This or that: candles or fairy lights? Real tree or fake tree? Everyone answers at the same time with a thumb up or down.
Family questions: who was the first to wake up on Christmas morning as a kid? Who burned the cookies? Questions about your own family get the biggest laughs.

A family quiz on the TV

Our Family Quiz Show runs in the browser on a laptop that you connect to the TV. It has 60 ready questions in 6 rounds, including a kids' round for age 8 and up, plus a family round with up to 12 questions you write yourself.
With the default of 8 questions per round, a Christmas evening takes about 70 minutes. You can pick fewer rounds or fewer questions per round.
Free demo: 5 sample questions and up to 3 of your own, no sign-up.

The games

1. Christmas charades

One person mimes a holiday film, song or object; their team has 60 seconds to guess. Let shy players pick ‘easy’ cards or play in pairs.

Players: 6 to 20
Time: 15 to 30 min
Materials: Term cards, timer

2. Estimation jar

Fill a jar with sweets or baubles; guests write their guess on a slip. Closest guess wins the jar. Zero pressure, zero explanation needed.

Players: Any
Time: Background
Materials: Jar, sweets, slips, pen

3. Blind ranking

Five holiday items are revealed one by one (e.g. cookies, films, songs) and each must be placed 1 to 5 immediately: no moving later. Sparks easy, low-stakes debate.

Players: 3 to 10
Time: 10 min
Materials: List of 5-item categories

4. Holiday this-or-that

Read two options (“mulled wine or hot chocolate?”, “real tree or fake tree?”); people move to a side of the room or vote with emoji in the chat. A perfect 5-minute warm-up.

Players: Any
Time: 5 to 10 min
Materials: List of questions

Host tips

Mix the generations in each team: one child, one parent, one grandparent.
Keep each game under 15 minutes and stop while people still want more.
Let the youngest pick the next game. It keeps them in.
Celebrating with colleagues too? Ideas for a small team party.

FAQ

What games can the whole family play on Christmas Eve?

Games that work across ages: charades, humming carols, Who am I with sticky notes, cookie estimation and a family quiz in mixed teams. They need little material and can be explained in a minute.

What are good Christmas Eve games for adults?

Blind ranking, harder charades words, a swap game with stealing rules for the presents and a quiz with questions about your own family.

Which games fit opening presents?

Roll a die and take a gift on a six, shake and guess before opening, or unwrap in oven mitts. These slow the unwrapping down and make it last longer.

Do we need to buy anything?

No. Paper, pens, sticky notes, a die and a phone timer are enough for most games. For a quiz on the TV you need a laptop and an HDMI cable.