Christmas bingo with your own cards
Seated groups · About 15–25 minutes · Numbered cards and markers
Choose 75 or 90 numbers to match the cards you own. Put the caller where everybody can see it and agree on the winning pattern before the first number.
One host calls and pauses the numbers. Guests mark their cards, and the host checks a claimed bingo against the board. For younger children, an adult can help read the numbers.
Christmas trivia in mixed-age teams
Teams · About 10–20 minutes · One screen or a printed question sheet
Pair younger guests with adults and choose a short round of easy questions. Read each question to every team before revealing the answer.
Give one point per correct answer and alternate who speaks for the team. Use a harder question as a tiebreaker, or let tied teams share the win.
Holiday charades
Four or more players · About 10 minutes · No supplies
A player acts out a Christmas activity without speaking: wrapping a gift, carrying a tree, making a snowman or hanging stockings. Their team has about one minute to guess.
Let children choose familiar actions and offer a second attempt if they want one. Keep it seated if space is tight; nobody needs to run around the room.
Guess the wrapped object
Three or more players · About 10 minutes · A bag and safe everyday objects
Hide one object in a bag, such as a spoon, soft scarf or pinecone. Guests take turns feeling the outside of the bag and describing its shape before making a guess.
Avoid sharp, fragile or tiny objects when children join. Swap the object between rounds and let the previous guesser become the host.
The Christmas alphabet
Two or more players · About 5–10 minutes · No supplies
Go around the group naming a festive word for each letter, starting with A. A player might say “angel”, followed by “bell” and “candle”.
For tricky letters, the group can help or skip the letter. Make it a shared challenge rather than eliminating anyone who gets stuck.
Stocking memory tray
Three or more players · About 10 minutes · A tray, cloth and household items
Show six to ten objects for thirty seconds, then cover them. Players name what they remember, either aloud or on a sheet of paper.
Use fewer objects for younger children. In a second round, remove one item and ask what changed; no one has to write to participate.
Build a Christmas story
Three or more players · About 5–10 minutes · No supplies
Start with “The sleigh stopped outside our house because…” and invite each person to add one sentence. Agree that every addition should follow the sentence before it.
After one or two turns each, let the last player finish the story. Nobody loses, and a quiet guest can pass or suggest a character instead.
The wrapping relay
Small teams · About 10 minutes · Empty boxes, reusable paper and tape
Give each team the same simple box. One person folds the paper, the next tapes it and the next ties a ribbon, passing the task along.
Choose a playful award such as neatest folds or funniest finish. Keep scissors with an adult and use a table instead of a running relay.
A simple plan for a mixed-age Christmas party
Start with five minutes of guessing games while people arrive. Move to a 15-minute bingo or trivia round once everyone is seated, then finish with a story or memory game. These are suggested timings, not time limits: shorten a round when children lose interest and allow players to pass.