Top 5 Christmas Party Games: Jingle Bells, Jingle Yells!

Christmas is all about cozy sweaters, cookies, and awkwardly untangling strings of lights. But the real secret to a memorable holiday? Games. Obviously.

We’ve rounded up the top 5 Christmas party games to turn your holiday gathering from “silent night” to “laughing all the way”!

This list includes:

• Christmas party games for family and friends

• Hilarious games to play after too many cookies

• Alternatives to watching the same Christmas movies again

• Games that bring everyone together (and maybe a little chaos)

Let’s dive in!

1. Fish Fight

Forget snowball fights! This year, have a fish fight! Join Team Silly Salmon or Team Greenie Meanies and complete 25 chaotic mini-games that’ll leave everyone laughing.

Here’s how it works:

• Pick your team – Silly Salmon or Greenie Meanies.

• Draw a challenge card – Complete one of 25 wacky mini-games.

• Battle it out – First team to 5 belt titles wins (and maybe the last Christmas cookie).

Christmas tip: Works especially well after holiday dinner when energy levels are low but sugar levels are high!

2. It’s Bananas

Let’s get one thing straight… NO ONE is too classy to act like a monkey, even grandma. In It’s Bananas, you’ll strap on a tail and race to collect rings in ridiculous challenges. It’s equal parts silly and competitive, perfect for family chaos during the holidays.

Here’s how it works:

• Spin the spinner – Determines your challenge for the round.

• Tail on, dignity off – Strap on that tail and prepare for chaos.

• Collect your rings! – Complete challenges, grab rings, and race to five bananas to win.

Christmas tip: Bonus points if someone wears a Santa hat while swinging around!

3. Codenames

Codenames turns your Christmas crew into rival spy teams trying to uncover secret agents using nothing but one-word clues. It’s clever, chaotic, and guaranteed to spark at least one heated debate about whether “Jolly” points to Santa or Snowman.

Here’s how it works:

• Lay out the grid – 25 word cards on the table, looking innocent… but they’re not.

• Spymasters give a clue – One-word clue + a number (“Jingle 2”) to guide teammates.

• Teams guess – Pick the words you hope your Spymaster meant… and pray you don’t hit the Assassin card.

• First team to find all their agents wins – Cue victory dances or festive tantrums.

Christmas tip: Make your Spymasters wear Santa hats. It changes nothing about gameplay but adds Christmas cheer.

4. Fire In The Hole

Let’s face it nothing says “holiday chaos” quite like a pirate ship, soft cannonballs, and a room full of players shouting “FIRE!” This one’s for the land-lubbers and the seadogs, a perfect mix of silliness, strategy, and loud laughs. This game is fun for kids and adults!

Here's how it works:

• Unfold the pirate ship: Open up the 3D pop-up pirate ship; the center of your holiday battleground. Add the felt cannonballs, pirate eye patches, cards, and dice.

• Deal the cards & choose your cannonballs: Each player gets a hand of cards and a set of colored cannonballs.

• Draw, play, fire: On your turn, draw a card, then play one. Cards dictate crazy actions! Maybe you fire normally, maybe you fire blindfolded, maybe you trick your opponent and shift the ship! Then it’s time to launch your cannonball.

• Win the booty: First pirate to connect four cannonballs wins!

Christmas tip: It’s best played after dinner when everyone’s too full to move anyway.

5. Hues and Cues

If your family loves arguing over next to nothing, buckle up! Hues & Cues is a vibrant party game where players give simple clues to lead everyone to a very specific color square on a giant rainbow board. It’s quick, creative, and the absolute best game for discovering who has zero color perception.

Here’s how it works:

• The clue-giver picks a color – One of 480 glorious little squares.

• Give a one-word clue – Something like “Peppermint” or “Cranberry.” Chaos begins.

• Everyone guesses – Players place markers on the color they think matches the clue. Prepare for disappointment.

• Points for closeness – Closer guesses earn more points, and the color-guessing madness continues.

Christmas tip: Use festive clues like “Tinsel,” “Gingerbread,” or “Reindeer Nose.” The arguments will be legendary.

Final Thoughts on Christmas Day

Christmas isn’t just about gifts, cookies, and awkwardly tangled lights, it’s about chaos, laughs, and secretly outsmarting your cousin in a game no one saw coming! I always have a few party games ready to keep everyone entertained while the ham cooks or cocoa steams.

It’s Bananas turns the living room into a jungle of swinging tails and chaotic races, while Fish Fight pits Team Silly Salmon against Team Greenie Meanies in a flurry of fishy mayhem. If your family loves clever thinking (and just the right amount of arguing), Codenames and Hues & Cues will have everyone guessing, debating, and laughing until they can’t keep a straight face. And for those who want pure holiday chaos, Fire In The Hole delivers cannonball-launching pirate action that will have everyone shouting “FIRE!” at the top of their lungs, a unique blend of classic board games and mayhem!

A little friendly competition, a lot of ridiculousness, and maybe a few dramatic defeats make Christmas gatherings unforgettable. These 5 party games bring laughter, energy, and festive mischief to every holiday moment. So grab a Santa hat, shuffle the cards, load the cannonballs, and let the Christmas game day chaos begin!