10 Christmas Dinner Table Games You Can Play Sitting Down

When everyone is settled around the Christmas dinner table, you do not need to clear the room or find a box of props to play a game. These seated Christmas games use conversation, memory and a little guessing, with paper and pens for a few of the options.

Pick one or two for a gap between courses or after dessert. Pause while food is being served, and keep the games short enough that nobody's dinner goes cold.

If you are hosting Christmas dinner as well, this make-ahead Christmas dinner plan can help you prep more of the meal in advance and leave time to enjoy the table.

Quick Christmas Table Games With No Supplies

1. Christmas This or That

Players: Three or more. Time: Five minutes.

Ask everyone to choose between two Christmas options. Go around the table so each person gets a turn, then invite one or two guests to explain their choice. There are no points and no wrong answers.

• Gift bags or wrapping paper?
• Hot chocolate or hot apple cider?
• A Christmas movie or a board game?
• Colored lights or white lights?
• Open one gift on Christmas Eve or wait until morning?

Younger children can simply point or say their choice. For more conversation starters, try these Christmas Would You Rather questions.

2. The Christmas Alphabet

Players: Four or more. Time: Five to ten minutes.

The first guest names something festive beginning with A. The next takes B, then C, continuing around the table. Allow foods, decorations, movies and traditions. Anyone can ask the table for help, and you can skip a difficult letter after ten seconds. For a competitive version, award a point for each answer someone supplies without help.

3. Two Christmas Truths and a Lie

Players: Four or more. Time: Around one minute per person.

Each guest shares three short statements about their own Christmas experiences: two true and one invented. Everyone guesses the lie before the speaker reveals it. Keep the stories light, such as an unusual gift, a cooking mishap or a place spent celebrating. Let children work with an adult, and let anyone pass if they prefer listening.

4. Guess the Christmas Object

Players: Three or more. Time: Five minutes.

One player thinks of an object related to Christmas, such as a stocking, a gift tag or a cookie cutter. The group has ten yes-or-no questions to work out what it is. Take questions in table order and let the person who solves it choose the next object. For younger kids, limit the answer to something visible in the room.

5. Build a Christmas Story

Players: Four or more. Time: Five minutes.

Start with a sentence such as “On Christmas Eve, a very small reindeer knocked on the door.” Each person adds one sentence, keeping the story connected to what came before. Go around the table twice, with the last guest giving it an ending. This is a shared story rather than a competition, so guests can ask someone beside them for an idea.

6. The Christmas Memory Chain

Players: Four or more. Time: Five minutes.

Begin with “In Santa's sack, I found a scarf.” The next guest repeats that sentence and adds an item. Each person repeats the full list in order before adding something new. If someone forgets, the table gives a hint and carries on. End after two rounds or when the list becomes too long to remember.

Christmas Table Games With Paper and Pens

7. Draw a Christmas Scene

Players: Four or more. Time: Five minutes.

Give each guest a sheet of paper and a pen. Without looking at the paper, everyone draws a tree, three ornaments, a star and two presents while the host reads the instructions one at a time. Reveal the drawings together. Award a point for a star touching the top of the tree and a point for each ornament inside it, or skip scoring and enjoy the results.

8. Christmas Categories

Players: Four or more, individually or in pairs. Time: Five minutes.

Give everyone three categories: Christmas foods, things on a tree and gifts that fit in a stocking. Choose a letter, such as C, and allow one minute to find an answer for each category beginning with it. An accepted answer earns one point; a unique answer earns two. Agree on disputed answers as a table and change the letter for the next round.

9. Who Said That?

Players: Five or more. Time: Ten minutes.

Everyone writes a short answer to the same prompt, such as “My favorite thing about Christmas is…” One host collects and reads the answers without names. Players write down who they think wrote each one. Reveal the writers after every answer has been read, giving one point per correct guess. The host sits out the scoring round because they have seen the slips.

10. The Five-Question Christmas Quiz

Players: Any table size, in pairs or small teams. Time: Five minutes.

Pick five questions from our Christmas trivia questions and answers. Read each question once and give everyone 20–30 seconds to discuss it quietly and write an answer. Reveal the answers at the end, with one point per correct answer. Mixing an adult with a child gives younger guests someone to talk ideas through with.

Choose Games That Fit Your Table

For young children: Start with This or That, Guess the Christmas Object or the shared story. Read prompts aloud and let an adult help with any writing.

For teens and adults: Try Who Said That, Two Truths and a Lie or Christmas Categories. Pick topics everyone can join in with rather than inside jokes known to only a few guests.

For a large table: Play in pairs or teams of three. Written answers let everyone take part without shouting over one another. If guests cannot hear across the table, use two smaller groups.

An Easy After-Dinner Game Plan

Start with five minutes of This or That, then play the drawing game or the short quiz. Finish while people are still enjoying it; you can always bring out another game later.

If guests are ready to get up and move, these Christmas Minute to Win It games make a change of pace. For a whole evening of activities, browse our family Christmas party games.

Want ready-to-use games for the table? The 22-game Christmas Party Games Bundle includes options such as Christmas trivia, This or That and Would You Rather.