Christmas Party Games

by Julie Druck in Pennsylvania, Editor of a free newsletter, "A Heart for Home," shares this tip.  To subscribe, send a blank e-mail to:  aheartforhome-subscribe@welovegod.org  * Memory Game – Place 15 small, Christmas-related games on a tray such as an ornament, candy cane, candle, tree light, etc.  Give players a few minutes to look at the things and then cover or remove the tray.  The players are given a pencil and paper and must try from memory to list as many of the items as they can.  * Christmas Carol Scramble – Scramble the titles of 20 different Christmas songs by mixing up the letters in each individual title; for example, “EW ETREH GSKNI” is “We Three Kings.”  Copy enough for each player and give them a few minutes to try to unscramble as many songs as they can.  The one with the most correct is the winner. * Wrapping Presents – This is a fun game to watch and a frustrating one to play!  Pair each player up with a partner.  Place in front of each pair a box, a large sheet of wrapping paper, a scissors, a roll of tape and a roll of ribbon.  Each partner must keep one hand behind their backs at all times and the pair must work together to wrap the box with the sheet of wrapping paper using the tape and then tie the ribbon around the box into a bow.  The first team to accomplish the feat satisfactorily (according to the judge) is the winner! * Unwrapping Presents I – Have all players sit around a table or in a circle on the floor.  Hand someone a die and each person in turn must try to roll a “5.”  If they do, they get to unwrap ONE layer of paper from a package that has been wrapped in multiple layers ahead of time.  If they roll other than a “5,” the die gets passed to the next person to try.  The die goes round and round the table until someone removes the last layer – that person gets to keep the gift. * Unwrapping Presents II – Wrap several gifts in various amounts of layers of wrapping paper.  Have players sit in a circle.  Handing the gifts to various people around the circle, start some Christmas music playing.  As it plays, guests keeping passing around the gifts.  When the music stops, each person holding a gift should unwrap ONE layer.  The music begins again and the gifts are passed.  Keep stopping and starting music and passing and unwrapping gifts.  When someone gets to the last layer of a gift, they get to keep it.  The music and passing continues until all gifts have been wrapped. * Christmas Scavenger Hunt – My mother researched and prepared this game last year for us to play on Christmas Day.  The hunt involved answering questions that could be found out by asking various guests, by inspecting my sister’s Christmas decorations (where we held our celebration), and by walking around the outside of my sister’s home.  The questions included things like:  How many birds can you find in Jenna’s Christmas decorations?; Find someone who is wearing Christmas jewelry.; Find someone who has played Santa Claus in the past; How many Christmas figurines and wreaths does Jenna have outside?  The possibilities for these fun questions are nearly endless!  My mother gave us a time limit and then we met together in the living room to see who came up with the most correct answers.  Enjoy!