6 Christmas Games to Play at the Table

by Bex Band | Nov 11, 2025

You’ve decorated the table and cooked an incredible meal……..now, how do you make your dinner party feel truly unforgettable? Simple: add a game! A well-chosen game can turn a lovely evening into one filled with laughter and those brilliant moments that guests talk about for weeks afterwards.

Note that all the games and activity ideas in this post are taken from my jam-packed book: Christmas Games: 100+ Fun Ideas for Festive and New Year Celebrations!

In this post, I’m sharing my favourite tried-and-tested games that work perfectly around the dinner table. They’re easy to learn, require very little preparation, and most can be adapted for either an adults-only evening or a family-friendly gathering. Whether you’re looking to break the ice, keep the energy flowing between courses, or give the night a memorable twist, there’s something here for every group.

Christmas-themed games always add a touch of magic to our meals, bringing everyone together and filling the room with festive cheer. Once you start playing, the time will vanish in the best possible way. Let the fun begin!

1. Gift Truth or Lie

Number of players: Minimum 6, no maximum
Equipment needed: Paper and pens

Each player takes a turn describing the funniest or most unusual Christmas gift they have ever received. Everyone else is given a piece of paper and asked to mark whether they think each person is telling the truth or making up a Christmas lie.

At the end, everyone reveals whether they were telling the truth or lying (you can ask for context if it was the truth!). Tally up the scores to reveal the winner.

2. Santa Says

Number of players: Minimum 2, no maximum
Equipment needed: A dictionary

Grab your dictionary off the shelf and start this challenge around the table. The first person can open the dictionary to any random page and read the first word they see. Then everyone goes round and says a sentence that contains that word, as Father Christmas would say it (try to speak from his perspective). For example, if the word is table, Father Christmas might say to his elves, “Lay all the toys out on the table.”

When everyone has had a turn, pass the dictionary to the left and let the next person find a word.

3. Candy Cane (AKA: Spoons)

Number of players: Minimum 4, no maximum
Equipment needed: Candy canes, a deck of cards

A festive twist on the classic card-and-reaction game Spoons, only this time you play using candy canes.

Place the candy canes in the middle of the table and deal four cards to each player. The dealer takes the top card from the deck (placed on their right) and discards one card to the player on their left.

All other players then pass a card to their left in a continuous loop.

Play continues until a player collects four of a kind. The first player with four of a kind grabs a candy cane. Everyone else must also grab one as soon as they realise this has happened. Whoever is left empty-handed is eliminated.

Repeat the game, removing a candy cane each round, until only two players remain.

4. What Christmas Carol Am I?

Number of players: Minimum 2, no maximum
You will need: Sticky notes and pens

Everyone writes down in secret a famous Christmas song or carol, then sticks it onto the forehead of the person seated to their left.

Each player takes a turn asking one yes-or-no question to work out what is written on their sticky note. Sample questions:

“Was my song sung by a famous band?”
“Is it traditionally considered a carol?”

On your turn, you may either ask one question or make a guess. Keep going until each player has successfully guessed their own song.

To play again, switch themes: Christmas films, festive foods, holiday characters, winter objects, or anything seasonal.

Don’t forget to check out my book, Christmas Games: 100+ Fun Ideas for Festive and New Year Celebrations!

5. Christmas Letters

Number of players: Minimum 24, no maximum
You will need: Paper and pens

Each player picks a letter. Write everyone’s letters in a column down the left-hand side of your page. Along the top, write these subjects:

Christmas Song
Christmas Film
Popular Christmas Present
Christmas Word
Christmas Decoration

Players have a few minutes to fill in the grid, coming up with the most obscure option they can for each category. For example: If your letter is S and the category is Christmas Song, you might write Santa Baby.

When everyone has finished, go round the table sharing your answers. For every other person who has written the same answer as you, you receive one point. The player with the fewest points at the end wins.

You can play another round with different letters.

6. Festive Monikers (Christmas Edition)

This is a Christmas-themed adaptation of Monikers, transformed into a festive guessing game using holiday characters, traditions, films, foods, and iconic seasonal references.

Divide into two teams. Prepare a shared deck of cards featuring Christmas-themed names and ideas. You can write your own (e.g. “The Grinch”, “Mrs Claus”, “Kevin from Home Alone”, “Figgy Pudding”, “Rudolph”, “The Snowman”, “A Cracker Joke”, “Michael Bublé”, “Nutcracker Soldier”, etc.). Each team contributes around 10 cards. You can expland the theme, by also including things that are relevant to the group you are playing with.

The game is played over three rounds. The same deck is reused each round, making the clues easier as players become familiar with the cards.

Start by putting all the cards into a bowl and mixing it up.

Round 1: Describe (60 seconds)
One player takes a card at random from the bowl and has to get their team to guess what it is. They give clues about the card without saying any word written on it. Example: “This character tries to steal all the presents” (The Grinch). Each correct guess earns a point. When the minute is up, pass the turn to the other team. Continue until the dish is empty.

Round 2: One Word (60 seconds)
Now you’ll play another round. Put all the cards back in the bowl and mix it up. Using the same deck, clue-givers are now restricted to a single word per card. Example: “Abandoned!” Teammates must rely on memory from Round 1 – “Kevin from Home Alone”. Each correct guess earns a point. When the minute is up, pass the turn to the other team. Continue until the dish is empty.

Round 3: Christmas Charades (60 seconds)
Now you’ll play another round. Put all the cards back in the bowl and mix it up. This time, no words allowed—only gestures, miming, and acting. Example: Pretending to grow antlers for “Rudolph”. Each correct guess earns a point. When the minute is up, pass the turn to the other team. Continue until the dish is empty.

Add up the points from all rounds. The team with the most points wins.