Easy Christmas Party Games for Adults

Read jokes from Christmas crackers, or have guests bring short holiday jokes on paper. Take turns reading with your straightest face while a partner tries to keep from laughing. Switch roles after each joke. A few two-person rounds fit between courses and late arrivals can jump in.

Make a three-by-three grid on cardboard and set out two different colors of shatterproof ornaments as markers. Take turns claiming squares. Three of one color in a row wins. Leave it on a side table for quick games as people arrive.

Fill a soft stocking with several everyday objects and tie it shut. Leave it with slips of paper so guests can feel each shape through the fabric and write their guesses. Read out the contents together and give a point per correct item. This works well while people are still arriving.

Count the ornaments before guests arrive and keep the answer hidden. Set paper and pencils beside the tree so people can guess whenever they like. The closest guess wins at a set time. Skip lights and garland when counting and say so on the sign.

Invite guests to wear a sweater or pin festive decorations to a plain one. Set out slips for awards such as best homemade detail and funniest sweater. Guests can mingle and vote as people arrive. Take a few minutes to read out the winners before anyone heads home.

Sit in a circle with one wrapped gift per person. Have someone read a story with the words left and right, and pass each gift one place in the matching direction every time. Open whatever you hold at the end. Start once all gifts are in and leave five to ten minutes for the story and opening.

Sit in a circle with one wrapped gift each. On a 1 or 2, swap with the person on your right or left, respectively. On a 3 or 4, swap with anyone and open what you get if it’s still wrapped. On a 5 or 6, open your gift if it’s still wrapped. Keep what you’re holding once all gifts are open.

Fill a sack with small wrapped prizes and pass it around to music. When the music stops, whoever has it draws a prize and tries a short challenge, such as naming three Christmas movies. If they succeed, they keep it. If they miss, put it back. Allow ten minutes for several turns.

Wrap little prizes into a ball of plastic wrap. One player unwraps while the next rolls two dice, then passes the ball as soon as doubles appear. Keep prizes as they come loose. Use a small ball to aim for about 15 minutes, and let arrivals join the circle between turns.

Wrap one small gift in several layers and put it in the middle with oven mitts. One guest tries to unwrap it while the next rolls two dice. Pass the mitts and the gift when doubles come up. The person who reaches the gift keeps it. Use lightly taped layers if you want the game to finish before dessert.