10 Christmas Party Games and Unique Gift Ideas For 2023

As the holiday season approaches, it's time to start thinking about how to make your Christmas party truly memorable and delightful for your family and friends. To help you get started, we've put together a list of 10 fantastic Christmas party games that will add a touch of magic to your gathering as well as unique gift ideas that will surely bring joy to your loved ones. 

1. Christmas Scavenger Hunt

A Christmas scavenger hunt is a delightful activity where participants follow clues to find hidden Christmas-themed items or gifts. To make it even more exciting, you can choose a theme or ideas from our curated Christmas scavenger hunt ideas in a previous blog. Choose the one that best suits your holiday spirit.

How To Prepare:

• Plan the route and hiding spots in advance.

• Create clues or riddles that lead from one location to the next, with each clue bringing participants closer to the final destination. For a seamless experience, consider using a digital scavenger hunt app like PlayTours, which supports both physical and digital hunts. The app allows you to design a digital scavenger hunt with clues, interactive maps, and even multimedia elements to enhance the adventure. Participants can use their smartphones to navigate and solve clues, making the experience even more engaging and convenient.

• Decide on a prize for the first person or team to complete the hunt, perhaps a special Christmas-themed gift.

‍

2. Jingle & Snap

Create lasting memories with a Christmas-themed photo booth. Set up a designated area with props and backdrops for guests to take memorable pictures. Not only will they take pictures, but you can also infuse excitement by creating missions, challenges, and plenty of photo opportunities using specially designed photo booths.

How To Prepare:

• Design Christmas-themed props like Santa hats, reindeer antlers, and Christmas signs.

• Create fun missions to take pictures with the prepared things and let participants be creative with the props. With PlayTours photo scavenger hunt app, you can seamlessly design photo and video challenges, integrating multimedia elements, without the need for additional third-party apps. All it takes is a smartphone and the PlayTours app to facilitate this engaging photo booth adventure, allowing participants to express their creativity and make lasting Christmas memories.

3. Christmas Trivia

Challenge your guests' knowledge of Christmas with a fun and competitive game of Christmas trivia. Participants answer questions related to holiday traditions, history, and pop culture.

How To Prepare: 

• Divide participants into teams or let them compete individually.

• Create a list of Christmas trivia questions and their answers. Enhance the experience with interactive challenges and utilize a digital platform like the PlayTours scavenger hunt app to seamlessly integrate digital quiz questions, interactive scorekeeping, and even multiple types of quiz types. This takes the Christmas trivia challenge to the next level, providing an entertaining and immersive experience for all participants.

‍

4. Christmas Carol Name That Tune

Test your guests' knowledge of holiday music with a game of "Name That Tune." Play snippets of Christmas songs and challenge participants to guess the song title.

How To Prepare:

• Create a playlist of short clips from various Christmas songs, ensuring a mix of classics and contemporary hits.

• Create the task with PlayTours and add the music snippets using the customized audio feature to play the music.

• Award points to participants who correctly identify the song title, and consider playing a few notes of the melody if needed to help out. The one who gets the most points will get the reward.

‍

5. Pin the Nose on Rudolph

"Pin the Nose on Rudolph" is a hilarious game that puts a holiday twist on the classic "Pin the Tail on the Donkey." Blindfolded participants attempt to pin Rudolph's red nose in the correct spot.

How To Prepare:

• Create a large poster of Rudolph without his nose, placing a target where the nose should go.

• Cut out red noses to be pinned.

• Blindfold participants and provide them with a scarf or ribbon for pinning accuracy.

6. Secret Santa Gift Exchange

The Secret Santa gift exchange is a beloved holiday tradition where participants draw names and exchange small gifts. The catch is that the gift-giver's identity remains a secret until the gift is opened.

How To Prepare:

• Set a budget for the gifts to ensure everyone's contributions are roughly equal.

• Have participants draw names well in advance of the party to allow time for gift shopping.

• On the day of the party, distribute the gifts anonymously, making sure the recipient doesn't know who the gift is from.

‍

7. Christmas Costume Contest

Get your creative juices flowing by hosting a Christmas costume contest. Participants dress up in festive Christmas costumes and compete for prizes based on creativity and originality.                           

How To Prepare:

• Announce the costume contest ahead of time so participants have a chance to prepare their outfits.

• Set up a "judging panel" or allow everyone at the party to vote for their favorite costumes.

• Consider awarding prizes in different categories, such as "Most Creative" or "Best Homemade Costume."

8. Christmas Cookie Swap

Spread the holiday cheer by organizing a Christmas cookie swap. Participants bring batches of their favorite holiday cookies to exchange with others, allowing everyone to take home a variety of delicious treats.

How To Prepare:

• Invite participants to sign up in advance and specify the type of cookies they'll be bringing. This ensures a diverse assortment.

• Provide labels and containers for the cookie exchange to make it easy for everyone to pack their cookies.

• Encourage participants to share their cookie recipes, either by printing recipe cards after the event.

9. Reindeer Antler Ring Toss

Get into the holiday spirit by playing Reindeer Antler Ring Toss. In this game, participants toss rings onto reindeer antlers, with different point values assigned to various antler positions.

How To Prepare:

• Create reindeer antlers and rings. Craft stores often have antler headbands available for this purpose.

• Set up the game with a designated throwing line, and mark the point values for each antler position.

• Appoint someone to keep score and award prizes to the highest scorers, making this game both fun and competitive. 

‍

10. Christmas Tree Decorating Contest

Fostering creativity and collaboration, a Christmas tree decorating contest is a fantastic group activity. Teams are given a bare Christmas tree and a limited supply of decorations, and they compete to decorate the most visually appealing tree.

How To Prepare:

• Provide each team with a bare tree and a set of decorating supplies. These supplies can include ornaments, tinsel, lights, and other festive decor.

• Set a time limit for decorating to keep the competition brisk and lively.

• You can have a judging panel to evaluate the trees based on various categories, such as creativity, elegance, or originality, or let the participants vote for the winning tree.

Unique Gift Ideas for Family and Friends

Personalized Photo Album or Scrapbook: Capture precious memories with a personalized photo album or scrapbook. Fill it with cherished moments to relive time and time again.

‍

Customized Piece of Jewelry: Make them feel truly special with a personalized piece of jewelry, whether it's a necklace, bracelet, or ring.

‍

Spa Gift Voucher or Pampering Skincare Set: Help them relax and rejuvenate with a spa gift voucher or pampering skincare set for an at-home spa day.

‍

Personalized Calendar with Family Photos: Keep track of the year ahead with a personalized calendar featuring family photos and special dates.

‍

Gift Card to Their Favorite Restaurant or Coffee Shop: Let them enjoy a delicious meal or their favorite coffee with a gift card to a restaurant or coffee shop.

‍

Luxurious Bathrobe or Pajama Set: Enhance their relaxation time with a luxurious bathrobe or cozy pajama set for ultimate comfort.

‍

Premium Bottle of Wine or Champagne: Celebrate with a premium bottle of wine or champagne, perfect for toasting to special moments.

‍

Set of Premium Pens or a Leather-Bound Journal: Elevate their writing experience with a set of premium pens or a leather-bound journal.

‍

DIY Crafting Kit or Art Supplies: Fuel their creativity with a DIY crafting kit or a set of art supplies for endless artistic possibilities.

‍

Wine or Cocktail-Making Kit: For those who appreciate a good drink, a wine or cocktail-making kit is a great choice. It's a fun and engaging gift that allows them to experiment with crafting their favorite beverages at home.

‍

Conclusion

This year, make your Christmas party unforgettable with these engaging games and gift ideas that will surely bring joy and warmth to your holiday celebration. As you gather with family and friends to share the spirit of togetherness and gratitude, consider utilizing the PlayTours app to your festivities for an extra dose of fun and enchantment.  With features that allow you to create and design scavenger hunts, and trivia challenges, integrate multimedia elements, and craft location-based tasks, PlayTours brings an added layer of excitement to your celebrations. Embrace the joy and warmth as you create beautiful memories with your loved ones. This holiday season, We wish you a Merry Christmas with love and laughter!