12 Christmas Games for Large Groups: Easy Ideas for 20–50 People

With 30 people in the room, a game that gives everyone a long solo turn can take over the whole party. These Christmas games for large groups use teams, short rounds and shared challenges so guests spend more time playing and less time waiting.

Choose three or four games that suit your space. You can run most of these in a living room with seated teams or around several tables; save the relay games for a room with a clear activity area.

Set Up Your Teams Before You Start

For 20 guests, try four teams of five. For 30, use five teams of six. For 40–50, make eight to ten teams of five, with several tables or stations working at once. Mix ages if families are playing together.

Give every team a name and one scorekeeper. Read the instructions to everyone, demonstrate one turn and confirm how points work before starting the timer. Keep a spare set of paper, pens and cups with the host.

For a smaller gathering, our Christmas games for adults include more games that work well around one table.

Games Everyone Can Play at the Same Time

1. Christmas Team Trivia

Best for: 20–50 players in teams of four to six. Allow: 10–15 minutes.

Give each team one answer sheet and a pen. Read ten questions, allowing about 30 seconds for discussion and an answer. Keep phones away and have teams exchange sheets for scoring at the end. Award one point per correct answer; if teams tie, use one extra question with a numerical answer and let the closest guess win.

Use our Christmas trivia questions and answers to build a round that mixes movies, food and traditions.

2. Name That Christmas Tune

Best for: Seated teams. Allow: 10 minutes.

Prepare ten songs that suit the ages in your group. Play about five seconds of each introduction, then give teams 20 seconds to write the title. Award one point for the correct title; agree beforehand whether you are also awarding an artist point. Written answers let every team play each round without the loudest table taking over.

3. Christmas A-to-Z Race

Best for: Teams of four to six. Allow: Five minutes.

Each team writes the alphabet down a sheet of paper. Give them three minutes to find one Christmas-related word for each letter. Agree that names, foods, decorations and movie titles count. Award one point for each accepted answer and skip disputed answers rather than spending the next ten minutes debating whether something is festive enough.

4. Christmas Memory Tray

Best for: Seated or mixed-age teams. Allow: Five minutes.

Arrange 12 everyday festive objects on a tray: a ribbon, gift tag, ornament, stocking, pinecone and small gift box are good starting points. Show each table the same tray for 30 seconds, then cover it. Give teams two minutes to list what they remember, with one point per correct item. With a very large room, use identical trays shown at the same time.

5. Holiday Category Challenge

Best for: Groups with minimal equipment. Allow: Five minutes.

Announce a category such as Christmas foods, things in Santa's workshop or holiday movie characters. Teams have one minute to list answers. Each different valid answer earns a point. Run three categories, using a fresh list each time. Give younger players a job suggesting answers while someone else writes.

Team Challenges and Stations

6. Gift Box Stack

Best for: Teams of four to six. Allow: Five minutes including setup.

Give every team the same six empty boxes in matching sizes. In 60 seconds, teams build the tallest freestanding tower. It must stand for five seconds after the timer ends. Measure from the table to the top; award three points to the tallest tower, two to second place and one to every other standing tower. Keep towers on tables or the floor where they cannot fall onto other guests.

7. Jingle Bell Cup Toss

Best for: Stations with two teams at a time. Allow: Three minutes per match.

Set six paper cups on a table and mark a throwing line. Use large soft craft pom-poms as the “jingle bells.” Each team member gets three throws, with one point per pom-pom that stays in a cup. Keep the distance and cup arrangement identical at each station. For equal scoring, use the same number of throwers from every team.

8. Christmas Cup Stack Relay

Best for: Teams of five. Allow: Five minutes.

Each team needs six paper cups and a table. The first player builds a three-two-one pyramid, then returns the cups to one stack. The next teammate repeats. Everyone stays at the table rather than running across the room. First team to complete five turns wins three points, second gets two and all other finishing teams get one. Use the same number of turns for every team.

9. Holiday Drawing Relay

Use the easy and family categories from our Christmas Pictionary prompt lists to choose drawing-relay clues. Give every team the same prompt for each round.

Best for: Teams of five or six. Allow: Eight minutes.

Give each team the same prompt, a sheet of paper and a marker. The first player draws for ten seconds, then passes the marker to the next player without speaking. After everyone has drawn, show the pictures. For a scored version, let a host who has not seen the prompts guess each drawing; one correctly identified picture earns one point. Use three prompts such as a gingerbread house, a snowman and Santa's sleigh.

10. Snowball Target Toss

Best for: An activity corner with a clear throwing area. Allow: Five minutes.

Use rolled white socks and three baskets marked one, two and three points. Each team gets ten throws in total, shared between players. Add up the basket scores. Put a seated throwing line closer to the targets for anyone who needs it, and demonstrate the agreed distances before play. Guests collect the socks only when the round has stopped.

For more short challenges, see our Christmas Minute to Win It games for families and the adult and office-party version.

Games for a Shared Finale

11. Table-versus-Table Charades

Best for: Four to eight teams. Allow: Ten minutes.

Have each table nominate an actor. Give the actor 45 seconds to act out a Christmas activity for their own team: wrapping a present, carrying a tree or making a snow angel. One correct guess earns one point. Rotate the actor for the next round. For more than eight teams, run two smaller groups at once so the wait between turns stays short.

12. Christmas Team Predictions

Best for: A relaxed final round. Allow: Five minutes.

One nominated guest privately chooses between two options, such as hot chocolate or cider, holiday movie or board game, and gift bag or wrapping paper. Every team writes down what they think that person chose. Reveal the answers together and award one point per match. Repeat with a different guest if you have time; nobody needs to reveal anything personal.

A Sample 45-Minute Plan for 30 Guests

• First five minutes: Make five teams of six, explain scoring and demonstrate the first game.
• Next ten minutes: Play Christmas Team Trivia.
• Next fifteen minutes: Rotate through Gift Box Stack, Cup Toss and the Category Challenge. Set up five stations in total by duplicating two games, so every team has somewhere to play.
• Next ten minutes: Bring everyone back for Name That Christmas Tune.
• Last five minutes: Add scores, settle any tie and hand out a small shared prize.

This is a suggested schedule, so allow extra time if the group likes to chat between rounds. If you only have one host, skip the stations and run three simultaneous table games instead.

Hosting a crowd for Christmas Eve too? These Christmas Eve food ideas for a crowd on Mums Make Lists include a grazing buffet guests can enjoy as they arrive.

Keep the Scoring Fair

Use the same player count or number of attempts for each team in physical challenges. For station rotations, record the raw result rather than points based on who finished first at a different time. Compare all teams' results after the rotation: three points for first, two for second and one for taking part. Teams tied at a position receive the same points.

Choose prizes guests can share, such as a small snack basket, or let the winners choose the final song. The games work just as well without a prize.

Still choosing the overall party style? Our Christmas party themes cover the decor, food and atmosphere to go with your games.

Want a ready-to-use option to add to the schedule? The Ultimate Christmas Party Games Bundle includes 22 printable games for all ages, with quizzes, icebreakers and party classics.