20 Office Christmas Party Games
Office parties can go two ways. Either everyone stands around the snack table checking their phones, or someone starts a game and suddenly the quiet person from accounting is winning everything. I have run office christmas party games at work parties for years, and the difference is always the same: short, inclusive games that nobody needs to be good at to enjoy.
How I picked and tested these: I ran every game below at real office parties, with groups from 10 to 80 coworkers, and I kept only the ones that were HR-friendly, quick to explain, and fun for people who do not normally join in. I dropped anything embarrassing, anything that singled people out, and anything that needed more than 15 minutes of setup.
Key Takeaways
- Keep every game under 15 minutes, because office parties run on tight schedules.
- Team games beat individual spotlights, especially when managers and new hires play together.
- Offer non-alcoholic prizes and opt-out roles, like scorekeeper, so everyone can join comfortably.
- Run games in the middle of the party, not at the very end when people start leaving.
20 Office Christmas Party Games I Actually Ran
1. White Elephant Gift Exchange
Everyone brings a wrapped gift under an agreed limit, usually $15, and players draw numbers, pick a gift, or steal one that is already opened. I cap steals at two per gift, which keeps the game moving and stops one popular gift from circulating all night.
One year a heated blanket got stolen four times before the cap kicked in, and the final owner still talks about it. The honest downside is that someone always brings a joke gift that falls flat, so I set the theme in the invite, like useful gifts only, and I remind everyone twice.
Pro Tip: Number the gifts and draw numbers from a hat, because a random order feels fairer than seniority or seating.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $15 per gift / 10 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 60.
2. Secret Santa Reveal Game
Instead of just handing out Secret Santa gifts, I turn the reveal into a game, where each giver reads three clues about themselves and the recipient guesses who they are before opening. It stretches the gift moment into real entertainment, and the clues, like “I sit near the printer” or “I always bring cake on Fridays,” get the whole room guessing.
One year a clue about terrible karaoke gave away the giver instantly, and the room erupted before the gift was even opened. The watch-out is that clues must never embarrass anyone, so I review them all beforehand and quietly rewrite anything too personal.
Pro Tip: Let the recipient keep guessing until they get it right, but cap it at three guesses so the game keeps moving.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $15 per gift / 15 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 40.
3. Ugly Sweater Contest
Everyone wears their loudest holiday sweater, and the room votes in categories like ugliest, funniest, and most creative, with a short runway walk for finalists. I add categories so more people win, because a single winner leaves everyone else feeling like they dressed up for nothing.
Our facilities manager won one year with a sweater covered in battery-powered lights, and he wore it like a trophy for the rest of the party. The downside is that not everyone owns a sweater, so I keep a box of cheap accessories, like Santa hats and tinsel scarves, at the door for anyone who arrives plain.
Pro Tip: Use paper ballots for voting, because a show of hands favors the most popular person, not the best sweater.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free to $10 for accessories / 10 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 80.
4. Office Christmas Bingo
I print bingo cards with office holiday squares, like “someone mentions the year-end report,” “a manager wears a Santa hat,” or “someone brings cookies.” Guests mark squares as they happen during the party, and the first line wins a small prize. It is brilliant for office parties, because it rewards paying attention to the party itself, and shy guests can play without performing.
The square about someone saying “let’s circle back” got marked within four minutes at our last party, which tells you everything about our office. The honest downside is that generic cards feel stale, so I customize at least half the squares to our actual office jokes and people, with permission.
Pro Tip: Play blackout bingo for the final prize, because a single line ends too fast at a big party.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free to $3 for printing / 15 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 80.
5. Desk Decorating Contest
Teams or individuals decorate their desks in the week before the party, and judges tour the office with a scorecard during the party. I set clear categories, like most festive, most creative, and best use of office supplies, so the contest feels fair and not just about who spent the most.
One team built a fireplace from cardboard boxes and a looped fire video on a spare monitor, and it won by a landslide. The downside is that desk contests can favor people with bigger desks, so I judge on creativity, not size, and I offer a team category for shared spaces.
Pro Tip: Announce judging day in advance, but keep the exact judging time secret, so desks look good all day.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Up to $10 per desk / 10 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 80.
6. Holiday Charades
Teams act out holiday words and phrases, from “wrapping presents” to “untangling lights,” while their team guesses in 60 seconds. Charades works at office parties because it needs no supplies beyond a stack of prompt cards, and it gets people moving after sitting through speeches.
Our quietest analyst acted out “building a snowman” so dramatically that her team guessed it in eight seconds, and she got a round of applause. The watch-out is that some guests dread acting, so I let teams choose their actor each round instead of forcing a rotation.
Pro Tip: Use a visible timer, because charades without a timer turns into one long guessing session.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free / 10 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 40.
7. Holiday Lip Sync Battle
Teams pick a holiday song, mime the performance for 60 seconds, and the room votes on the best act, with bonus points for costumes and props. Lip sync battles are loud, joyful, and far less scary than real singing, because nobody has to hit a note.
One year the IT team performed a synchronized routine with Santa hats and inflatable guitars, and people still talk about it. The honest downside is that it needs a speaker and a little stage space, so I set it up near the food tables where the crowd naturally gathers.
Pro Tip: Recruit one confident team to perform first, because a strong opener gives shy teams permission to be silly.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free / 15 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 60.
For a calm tradition to share with coworkers’ families after the party, Related article on Christmas Eve boxes is a lovely follow-up idea.
8. Gingerbread House Team Build
Teams of four get a gingerbread kit, icing, and candy, and 30 minutes to build the most creative house, judged on design, not perfection. I buy simple kits in bulk, because baking gingerbread from scratch at the office is a disaster waiting to happen.
One team built a gingerbread office, complete with a candy desk and a gumdrop boss, and it won the creativity prize easily. The downside is the mess, so I cover tables with plastic cloths and keep wet wipes handy.
Pro Tip: Judge houses by photo, with the whole room voting on printed photos, so judging feels fair and fast.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $10 per kit / 15 minutes setup / Medium. Group size: 10 to 40.
9. Office Holiday Scavenger Hunt
Teams race to find or photograph items around the office, like a red stapler, a Santa hat on a manager’s door, or a candy cane in the break room. I write 20 clues and give teams 20 minutes, with points for each find and bonus points for team photos.
One team photographed our CEO’s door wreath, which he had not noticed was there, and he joined their team for the rest of the hunt. The honest downside is that hunts can disrupt people still working, so I run it after hours or in party-only zones, and I warn the whole office in advance.
Pro Tip: Use photo proof instead of collecting items, because nobody wants to return twenty borrowed objects afterward.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free / 20 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 60.
10. Holiday Baby Photo Match
Volunteers submit a childhood holiday photo, I display them numbered on a board, and guests guess who is who. It is wholesome, funny, and it gives everyone something to talk about, because childhood photos are instant conversation starters.
Our director’s photo, in a hand-knitted reindeer sweater, was guessed by only two people, and the reveal got the biggest cheer of the night. The watch-out is privacy, so I collect photos privately, display them without names, and delete the board photos after the party.
Pro Tip: Mix in one or two baby photos of famous holiday characters as decoys, because they make guessing harder and funnier.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free / 20 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 60.
11. Speed Gift Wrapping Challenge
Each player gets a box, wrapping paper, tape, and scissors, and 90 seconds to wrap it as neatly as possible, judged on speed and tidiness. It sounds simple, but under a timer, even confident wrappers produce lopsided parcels with tape everywhere.
One year our fastest wrapper finished in 47 seconds, but the paper was upside down, and the judges docked him for it, which the crowd loved. The downside is the waste, so I use recycled paper and reuse the boxes for the next heat.
Pro Tip: Pre-cut the paper to size, because measuring under pressure is what slows everyone down most.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $10 for supplies / 10 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 40.
12. Ornament Guessing Jar
I fill a large jar with mini ornaments, and guests write down their guess for how many are inside, with the closest guess winning the jar. It runs all party long in the background, which makes it perfect as a passive game alongside louder ones.
The year the jar held 87 ornaments, the winning guess was 86, and the winner was so close that everyone checked the jar themselves. The honest downside is that it is a quiet game, so I pair it with an announcement halfway through the party to remind guests to enter.
Pro Tip: Let guests submit one guess per person, and display the running guesses on a board to build suspense.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $12 for ornaments / 10 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 80.
13. Snowball Toss
I set out three buckets at different distances and give each player five cotton-ball snowballs to toss, with points for each bucket. It is simple, safe for an office, and surprisingly competitive, because the far bucket tempts everyone into overthrowing.
Our quietest intern won by landing all five snowballs, and the room treated her like a champion for the rest of the night. The downside is that it needs floor space, so I set it up in a hallway or an empty meeting room, away from food tables.
Pro Tip: Give bonus points for the far bucket only in the final round, so the leaderboard can change at the end.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $5 for buckets and cotton balls / 10 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 60.
14. Holiday Price Is Right
I show popular holiday gifts, like a board game, a candle set, or a kitchen gadget, and players guess the price without going over. It is easy to run, everyone can play from their seat, and the guesses reveal hilarious assumptions about how much things cost.
When I showed a fancy candle set, guesses ranged from $12 to $90, and the actual $35 price shocked half the room. The watch-out is that prices vary by store, so I announce the store name before the game starts and stick to it.
Pro Tip: Include one item everyone knows the price of, like a popular board game, so new players score early.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free / 20 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 80.
If kids will be at the family side of the celebrations, Also read for games that keep younger guests happy while adults play.
15. Secret Snowflake Kindness Notes
Each guest draws a colleague’s name and writes an anonymous kind note, like thanking them for help on a project, and I read the notes aloud at the end of the party. It is the warmest game on this list, and it regularly makes people tear up in the best way.
One note thanked our receptionist for remembering everyone’s coffee order, and she kept it on her desk for a year. The honest downside is that anonymous notes can go wrong if someone writes something sarcastic, so I read every note before the reveal and quietly set aside anything unkind.
Pro Tip: Read the notes last, after the loud games, because the room is calmer and people actually listen.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free / 10 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 60.
16. Holiday Karaoke Roulette
I put holiday song titles in a bowl, a volunteer draws one, and their team has 30 seconds to sing the chorus, with points for accuracy and enthusiasm. It is karaoke without the pressure of a full song, and the random draw means even tone-deaf teams can win on enthusiasm.
When a team drew a song none of them knew, they invented a chorus on the spot, and the room voted them bonus points for creativity. The downside is noise, so I run it in a separate room or at a time when nearby teams are not working.
Pro Tip: Let teams pass once per game and draw again, because one impossible song should not sink a team.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free / 10 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 40.
17. Reindeer Ring Toss
One volunteer wears reindeer antlers, and players toss rings from a few feet away, trying to land them on the antlers. It is delightfully silly, and the antler-wearer becomes the star of the game, ducking and laughing as rings fly past.
Our office manager volunteered and took it so seriously that she started dodging strategically, which made the game ten times funnier. The watch-out is safety, so I keep the throwing line short and the rings light, and I never let anyone throw hard objects.
Pro Tip: Give three rings per turn and award double points for landing two in a row, which keeps the tension high.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $12 for antlers and rings / 5 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 60.
18. Cookie Decorating Race
Teams get plain sugar cookies, icing, and sprinkles, and ten minutes to decorate a set that matches a theme, like ugliest sweater or best snowman. Judging is by applause, with categories for funniest and prettiest, so both serious decorators and jokers can win.
One team decorated a cookie to look exactly like our boss, glasses and all, and he laughed harder than anyone. The downside is allergies, so I label every icing and sprinkle ingredient, and I keep a nut-free table separate.
Pro Tip: Provide small squeeze bottles for icing instead of knives, because they give cleaner lines and less mess.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: About $15 for cookies and supplies / 15 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 40.
19. Office Holiday Superlatives
Guests vote on lighthearted superlatives, like most likely to save the office party, best holiday playlist, or most festive desk, and I announce winners with printed certificates. It is the gentlest game on this list, because everyone gets recognized for something positive, and the certificates become desk decorations.
The “most likely to bring snacks” winner was so proud that she framed her certificate, which tells you how much small recognition matters. The honest downside is that superlatives can feel like a popularity contest, so I add categories that many people can win and let teams nominate, not just vote.
Pro Tip: Announce winners between other games, not all at once, so the recognition spreads through the party.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free to $5 for printing / 15 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 80.
20. Holiday Freeze Dance-Off
I play holiday music, everyone dances, and when the music stops, everyone freezes, with the last person moving eliminated each round. It is high-energy, it needs no skill, and it gets even the most reserved colleagues dancing, because freezing is funny.
Our finance director froze mid-spin with one arm in the air, and the photo of it still circulates every December. The downside is space and safety, so I clear a dance area, warn guests about slippery floors, and keep the music at a reasonable volume.
Pro Tip: Use a playlist of upbeat holiday songs only, because a slow song kills the energy instantly.
Cost / Time / Difficulty: Free / 5 minutes setup / Easy. Group size: 10 to 60.
Office Christmas Party Games: Comparison Table
| Game | Best For | Group Size | Setup Time | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| White Elephant | The main event | 10 to 60 | 10 min | About $15 per gift |
| Secret Santa Reveal | Gift moment | 10 to 40 | 15 min | About $15 per gift |
| Ugly Sweater Contest | All-day fun | 10 to 80 | 10 min | Free to $10 |
| Office Christmas Bingo | Shy guests | 10 to 80 | 15 min | Free to $3 |
| Desk Decorating Contest | Pre-party buzz | 10 to 80 | 10 min | Up to $10 per desk |
| Holiday Charades | Active teams | 10 to 40 | 10 min | Free |
| Holiday Lip Sync Battle | Bold teams | 10 to 60 | 15 min | Free |
| Gingerbread Team Build | Quiet teamwork | 10 to 40 | 15 min | About $10 per kit |
| Office Scavenger Hunt | Big offices | 10 to 60 | 20 min | Free |
| Holiday Baby Photo Match | Conversation | 10 to 60 | 20 min | Free |
| Speed Gift Wrapping | Quick laughs | 10 to 40 | 10 min | About $10 |
| Ornament Guessing Jar | Background game | 10 to 80 | 10 min | About $12 |
| Snowball Toss | Active break | 10 to 60 | 10 min | About $5 |
| Holiday Price Is Right | Seated play | 10 to 80 | 20 min | Free |
| Kindness Notes | Warm finish | 10 to 60 | 10 min | Free |
| Holiday Karaoke Roulette | Music lovers | 10 to 40 | 10 min | Free |
| Reindeer Ring Toss | Silly fun | 10 to 60 | 5 min | About $12 |
| Cookie Decorating Race | Creative teams | 10 to 40 | 15 min | About $15 |
| Office Superlatives | Recognition | 10 to 80 | 15 min | Free to $5 |
| Freeze Dance-Off | High energy | 10 to 60 | 5 min | Free |
Mistakes I Made / What I Learned the Hard Way
Making games mandatory. At my first office party, I required everyone to play, and two colleagues spent the evening uncomfortable. Now every game has an opt-out role, like scorekeeper or judge, and participation is always a choice.
Running games that embarrassed people. I once used a game that asked personal questions, and it fell flat fast. Now I review every prompt for HR-friendliness, and I cut anything that could single someone out or touch on sensitive topics.
Forgetting remote colleagues. At one hybrid party, remote staff watched a game they could not join, which felt exclusionary. Now I include at least one game remote staff can play, like bingo or a quiz, and I test the setup before the party.
Starting games too late. I used to save games for the end, when half the office had already left. Now the first game starts 30 minutes in, while the room is still full, and energy stays high.
Frequently Asked Questions
How many office christmas party games should I run at one party? Four to five games fit a two-hour party comfortably, with breaks for food and conversation. Plan a few extras, but let the group choose favorites.
How long did your office party games actually take? Our best parties spend about 60 to 75 minutes on games spread across two hours, with food and awards between rounds. Games should be the highlight, not the whole party.
What would you do differently next time? I would print the rules for every game on a card at each table and appoint a host who is not also playing. Explaining rules mid-game is what slows everything down.
Final Thoughts
The office parties I remember best were not the ones with the biggest budgets. They were the ones where a quiet intern won the snowball toss, a whole department lip-synced in Santa hats, and a kindness note made someone’s week. These office christmas party games work because they are short, inclusive, and built for real workplaces, not perfect ones.
Pick four games from this list, print the rules tonight, and start with bingo while guests are still arriving. For sweet ideas to serve at the party table, Read this next for dessert bar ideas that translate beautifully to any office celebration.
