15 Friendsmas Games for a Christmas Night With Friends

Friendsmas games work best when the rules take less time to explain than the round takes to play. Choose one icebreaker, one game for after food, and a backup for a group that wants to keep going.

These fifteen games suit friends gathering at home and need little or no equipment. For a full party plan, see our Friendsmas inspiration guide. For a craft-led evening, try Friendsmas activities instead.

Choose Games for Your Space

At a small table, pick drawing telephone, categories, or the memory tray. For a group that likes moving, try the silent lineup or gift-wrap duo. If guests do not know each other well, start with film and music clues rather than personal trivia.

1. How Well Do You Know Your Friends?

Players: 4–12
What you need: Pens, paper

How to play: Ask five light questions about the group, such as who has travelled farthest or which friend always chooses the playlist. Everyone writes a guess; the person named confirms. Award one point per correct answer, but skip private or embarrassing questions.

2. Friendsmas Most Likely To

Players: 5–15
What you need: Prompt slips

How to play: Read a prompt such as 'most likely to arrive with an extra dessert.' Everyone points on three. The person with the most votes gets a point, or play purely for laughs. Keep prompts kind.

3. Christmas Drawing Telephone

Players: 4–12
What you need: Paper, pens

How to play: Each person writes a short Christmas scene, passes the sheet, and the next person draws it. Fold to hide the original line, pass again, and have the next person describe only the drawing. Continue until the sheets return and reveal the changes.

4. Gift-Wrap Duo

Players: 4–12
What you need: Small boxes, pre-cut paper, tape

How to play: In pairs, each player uses only one hand to wrap a small empty box. Give pairs two minutes and call it complete if the paper is secured on all sides. Avoid judging perfect corners.

5. Guess the Festive Film

Players: 4–16
What you need: Film clues prepared in advance

How to play: One player gives three clues about a holiday film without saying its title or character names. The first correct guess wins a point. Rotate clue-givers and include films the group knows.

6. Holiday Humming

Players: 4–14
What you need: Song list

How to play: A player hums a Christmas song for up to 30 seconds without lyrics. Others guess the title; the first correct answer earns a point. Give each person a turn.

7. Mystery Ornament

Players: 4–12
What you need: A few ornaments, opaque bag

How to play: Put an unbreakable ornament in a bag. A player feels the shape without looking and describes it; the group guesses which ornament it is from the set shown beforehand.

8. Christmas Categories

Players: 4–16
What you need: Paper, pens, timer

How to play: Call a letter and categories such as decoration, food, winter activity and gift. Give one minute to write an answer for each. Unique valid answers score two points; shared answers score one.

9. Festive Memory Tray

Players: 4–12
What you need: Tray and ten safe holiday objects

How to play: Show the tray for 30 seconds, cover it, and give everyone one minute to list what they remember. Score one point per correct object. Use unbreakable things like ribbon and cards.

10. Friendship Predictions

Players: 4–12
What you need: Paper, pens

How to play: Ask everyone to write one playful prediction for the group next year. Read them anonymously and guess who wrote each. One point for a correct author; save the predictions only if everyone wants to.

11. Holiday Movie Emoji Clues

Players: 4–12
What you need: Emoji clues prepared on a phone

How to play: Show one emoji clue at a time for familiar Christmas films. Give 20 seconds for guesses and one point for a correct title. Check the clues with a friend first so they are solvable.

12. One-Minute Paper Tree

Players: 4–12
What you need: Green paper, tape, scissors

How to play: Set a minute to build a standing paper Christmas tree. Count a tree as finished if it stands by itself for five seconds. Use blunt scissors if younger guests join.

13. Guess Who Said It

Players: 4–12
What you need: Anonymous answers collected in advance

How to play: Ask a light question in the group chat, such as 'what was your best small purchase this year?' Read replies at the party and guess the friend behind each. Get permission before using the answers.

14. Silent Gift Lineup

Players: 6–14
What you need: Paper slips, pens

How to play: Each person writes an imaginary gift on a slip and keeps it hidden. Without speaking, line up alphabetically by the gift name using gestures only. Reveal the slips from left to right to see how close the group came.

15. Festive Five-Second List

Players: 4–12
What you need: Prompts and a timer

How to play: Give each person five seconds to name three answers to a prompt, such as red decorations or things served with hot chocolate. A complete list earns one point. Allow ten seconds for a gentler version.

A Three-Game Friendsmas Lineup

1. Arrival: Play Most Likely To for ten minutes while people settle in.
2. After food: Give Christmas Drawing Telephone about twenty minutes including the reveal.
3. Last round: Finish with Festive Five-Second Lists and stop while the energy is still good.

Set out pens, paper, and a timer before guests arrive. If your friends would rather use prepared prompts, BHLS already has a Christmas Party Games Bundle and Christmas Pictionary games. Both are optional: the games above stand on their own. For more party options, browse Christmas games for adults.