xmas party games

This is a great icebreaker.Before your party, gather up stacks of old Christmas cards and cut each illustrated cover in half until you have as many halves as guests. Throw all the halves into a basket, mix them up, and keep the basket at the front door (or near the drinks).As guests arrive, ask each to select one card half from the basket and find their other half during the party. Guests will have a good icebreaker to walk up to various groups and compare Christmas card scenes.After everyone has arrived, announce that the first three completed cards will get a small prize. You can even take it one step further and ask that each half find out the others favorite carol, or best (or worst!) Christmas gift as a child.

You can start this game as guests enter the party.As each person enters the room, hand them a Santa hat and instruct them to keep it on until they see you take yours off.Once everyone is wearing a hat, mingle and engage in conversation until everyone starts to forget about the game. Once your guests are distracted, quietly remove your hat and wait to see who catches on and does the same.The last guest to have his hat on is the loser, and can be the one to start the next round.

A perfect ice breaker for all ages, Two by Two is a loud game that will get everyone laughing.The rules are simple enough for even the youngest guest to understand.Everyone stands in two parallel lines facing each other. Each person in one line is given a piece of paper with a North Pole animal on it. Matching pieces of paper are given to each person in the opposite line.

After being given a few minutes to think, at the word go, everyone acts like their assigned animal

This is a similar game, where one member of the team volunteers to be the tree.Each team is given scissors, construction paper, aluminum foil, and tape. They are given five or 10 minutes to decorate their tree, and the team who creates the most beautiful tree wins. Its a good idea to have one impartial guest act as judge for this game.

This is a game for teams of two, regardless of age.Each team stands side by side, and has their inside hands tied together.The person on the left has his right hand tied to the left hand of the person next to him. Each team is given a box, wrapping paper, ribbon, scissors and tape. With only one hand each, they have to completely wrap the package and tie it with a bow. The team that wraps the package correctly and quickest wins.

This game requires some preparation, but can be really funny to play.The host has to write a story that is a few minutes long and contains the words left and right many times. Here is an example:Mr. Right said that his left hand was hurting.Your right hand? said Mrs. Right.No, my left hand, said Mr. Right. All of the party participants stand in a circle, holding a small wrapped gift. These can either be small gifts that each person has brought, or wrapped party favors.As the host reads the story, each time the words right and left are read, the players pass the gift they are holding in that direction.

Divide the group into two teams.One team has a red balloon tied to their ankles and the other team gets a green balloon tied to their ankles.At the word go, the players scramble to try to pop the other teams balloons.When a players balloon is popped, he is out, and has to sit on the sidelines until the game is over.The last team with an unpopped balloon wins

This game sounds easy, but the cards never go where you want them.Place a laundry basket about five feet from a particular spot on the floor.Have each player try to toss five cards into the basket.The player with the most cards in the basket wins. You can vary the difficulty by placing the basket closer or farther from the players.

The adult version of the Secret Santa game has a twist at the end.After number one has chosen a gift and unwrapped it, number two chooses and unwraps a gift.Number two can then choose to swap gifts with number one.Each guest then chooses a gift and decides to swap until all of the guests have a gift and a chance to swap.At the end of the game, number one can choose to swap with any of the other guests.

For this game, the host writes up a series of questions that involve popular Christmas movies and invites the guests to try to answer them.A sample question might be:
The title role in Elf is played by:
a Owen Wilson
b. Will Farrell
c. Robin Williams
The guest with the most correct answers wins.
This can also be a good game for teams to play.