‘Tis the season for some holly, jolly Christmas fun.
Christmas minute to win it games for adults make for easy entertainment for your holiday gatherings. Whether you simply need something to keep guests occupied until the meal is ready, or you want an entire evening dedicated to fun and funny games, you’re sure to find the perfect game for your Christmas party.
So throw on your ugly Christmas sweater, turn up the merry music, and let’s play some minute-to-win-it games!
Welcome to Relaxed Hostess, where the ideas are written by actual human beings: me and, occasionally, my daughter. I’m so excited to share with you my love for party planning and hospitality in general. Glad to have you here!
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1. Ornament Race
What You Need
- plastic ornaments
- straws
- a table
- the ability to exhale really hard
How to Play
Line the ornaments on one end of the table and give a straw to each player.
The goal of this game is to blow all the plastic ornaments off the table in under one minute.
There are a couple ways to play this game:
The first one is where players race against the clock to remove a certain number of ornaments from the table. And within that is yet another variation, which is that each player has an unlimited number of ornaments. The goal is to be the player with the highest score.
The second version has players race each other to blow all their ornaments off the table. In this version, a set amount of ornaments is given to each player. The one-minute timer can be used here, too, but it’s not necessary if the focus is player vs. player.
2. Do You Want to Build a Snowman
What You Need
- marshmallows (could be regular size or mini)
- a flat surface such as a table, chair, or hardwood floor
How to Play
To build a snowman, stack 3 mini marshmallows on top of each other using your non-dominant hand. No need to decorate them unless you’d like to make the game more challenging.
Players race against the clock (and each other) to build the largest team of snowmen. Whoever has the most snowmen when the timer runs out wins.
Alternatively, give a set number of snowmen to be built before the timer runs out. For example, players have one minute to make 10 snowmen. Whoever has the shortest time wins.
3. Wrap a Snowman
What You Need
- toilet paper rolls
- hat
- scarf
How to Play
Another version of building a snowman, only you’re using toilet paper and a person.
Split everyone into pairs and give each team a toilet paper roll, a hat, and a scarf. When the timer starts, players must wrap their partners in toilet paper and don them with a festive hat and fun scarf before one minute is up.
Another way to play this fun game is to have the teams race against each other to build their snowman.
It should make for some hilarious Christmas cards, so be sure to keep your phone camera handy.
4. Christmas Songs
What You Need
- pencils
- paper
How to Play
Write down as many Christmas songs you can think of in one minute.
There are a couple ways to play this game. One is that players race to write down Christmas song titles before one minute is up, and whoever has the most songs on their list is the winner.
The second version is kind of like Boggle, in which the player with the most unique songs (meaning no one else has the song on their list) wins the game.
5. Snowball Toss
What You Need
- cotton balls (or marshmallows, white socks, indoor snowballs, etc.)
- bowl
- wreath
How to Play
Hang up the wreath in the doorway and place a bowl on the other side of the wreath.
Players throw the “snowballs” through the wreath into the bowl. Whoever gets the most snowballs into the bowl wins.
6. Christmas Cliffhanger
What You Need
- Christmas cards
- table
How to Play
Similar to the Ornament Race, the goal of this game is to get the Christmas card to dangle on the edge of the table rather than making it fly off.
Set the card on one end of the table and start the timer. The player has one minute to blow her card to the other side and hopefully get it to hang on the edge.
Too little force and the card might not reach the end; too much, and it might go flying off the table.
7. Candy Cane Drop
What You Need
- candy canes
- clothesline or Christmas garland
- 2 chairs
- a blanket (if you have a hardwood floor)
How to Play
Put the chairs facing back to back and hang the garland or string between them. If you have a hardwood floor, place the blanket underneath the garland so that when the candy canes fall, they won’t break as easily.
Players stand on the chair and try to get their candy canes to land on the garland.
Whoever can successfully drop the most candy canes onto the garland in 1 minute wins.
8. Face the Gingerbread Man
What You Need
- small gingerbread men
How to Play
Players have one minute to move the gingerbread man from their forehead to their mouth. But the catch is that they can only use facial movements to slide the cookie down. No hands allowed!
9. Candy Cane Pile Up
What You Need
- candy canes
- bowl
How to Play
Put a candy cane in your mouth and use it to transfer the rest of the candy canes into the bowl. You’re not allowed to use your hands to accelerate the relocation of the candy.
The player who gets the most candy canes into the bowl in 1 minute wins.
10. Suck It Up: Christmas Tree Edition
What You Need
- green paper Christmas tree
- straws
- small candy
How to Play
Give each player a paper Christmas tree with some candy. Put as many candies (ornaments) as you can onto the Christmas tree in 1 minute. The player with the most decorated tree wins.
Tip: make sure the candy is bigger than the opening of the straw; otherwise, it won’t work as well (and someone might choke).
11. Reindeer Ring Toss
What You Need
- pipe cleaners (make them into rings)
- cardboard box
- sticks for antlers
How to Play
After creating your cardboard box reindeer and turning the pipe cleaners into rings, give each player 5 rings.
Players try to get all their rings onto the antlers before the timer runs out.
12. Snowflake Toss
What You Need
- marshmallows
- bowl or bucket
How to Play
Split players into pairs. Give one of them a bowl and the other a bag of marshmallows. Have them stand a few feet from each other.
The player with the marshmallows tosses them to the player with the bowl. The goal is to catch as many “snowflakes” as possible in 1 minute.
The winner is the team that caught the most snowflakes.
13. Snow Shovel
What You Need
- plastic spoons
- cotton balls
- 2 bowls
How to Play
Players use the spoon to move the “snowballs” from one bowl to another. Whoever can get the most snowballs into the second bowl in under one minute wins the game.
14. Stuff the Stocking
What You Need
- stockings (one for each player)
- small items to fill the stocking (your typical stocking stuffers, or you could use paper balls)
How to Play
Give each player a stocking and give each of them an equal amount of stocking stuffers. When the timer begins, players race to fill their stockings using only their non-dominant hands.
The player with the most items in their stocking wins.
Another fun way to play is to simply have the players race each other without the timer, Whoever can get all their stocking stuffers inside first wins.
Speaking of stocking stuffers, check out these inexpensive gifts ideas for booklovers.
15. Gift Wrap Challenge
What You Need
- small gift boxes
- wrapping paper
- tape
- scissors
- optional: ribbon, bow, etc.
How to Play
It’s time to test your wrapping skills! Each player attempts to wrap as many gift boxes as they can in 1 minute.
Once again, this is the perfect game to have players race against each other instead of the clock.
Make it a tad more challenging by having them wrap the boxes with ribbon or tie a little bow on top.
16. Hershey’s Kiss
What You Need
- Hershey’s kisses
- mittens
How to Play
This one’s for everyone with a sweet tooth!
Unwrap as many Hershey’s kisses as you possibly can in 1 minute while wearing the mittens.
Everyone’s a winner in this game because the players get to eat all the chocolate kisses they successfully unwrapped.
17. Don’t Let The Balloon Touch the Ground
What You Need
- red, white, and green balloons (1 of each color)
How to Play
Blow up the balloons and give all three to a single player. The goal is to keep the balloons in the air for a whole minute.
18. Snowball Relay Race
What You Need
- cotton balls
- spoons (one for each player)
How to Play
Divide the group into two teams and give each player a spoon. Players on each team stand in a row and pass the snowball (cotton ball) down the line using the spoons.
The objective is to get as many snowballs from one end of the line to the other in 1 minute.
If a player drops it, the snowball goes back to the first player.
19. Holiday M&Ms
What You Need
- red and green m&ms
- plastic straw
How to Play
Give each player a straw and equal amounts of m&ms. Players race to sort the m&ms by color.
Whoever can organize their m&ms the fastest wins.
20. Festive Wall
What You Need
- double-sided tape
- pom-poms
How to Play
Set it up so that the tape is on the wall or door. Make sure it won’t remove the paint from whatever surface you choose to put it on.
Decorate the strips of tape by throwing as many pom-poms onto it as you can in 1 minute.
The winner is the player with the most pom-poms attached to the wall.
21. On Dasher, On Dancer
What You Need
- 12 paper/plastic cups
- brown construction paper cut up into mini antlers
- glue/tape to attach said antlers to cups
- googly eyes
- balloons
How to Play
Once you’ve created your 12 reindeer, line them up at one end of the table.
Blow up a balloon and release the air at the cup so that it goes flying off the table. Try to send all 12 reindeer cups into the sky before the timer runs out.
The player with the shortest time wins the game.
22. Up the Chimney He Rose
What You Need
- a stack of small paper cups with one that’s colored red
- optional: black Sharpie or a strip of black construction paper to use as Santa’s belt
How to Play
Decorate the middle of the red cup with a strip of black construction paper, or use a black Sharpie to make the belt.
Begin the game with the red Santa Claus cup on top of the stack. When the timer starts, players rotate the order of the cups by taking the top cup and moving it to the bottom. Keep going until the Santa cup returns to its original spot at the top of the chimney.
Whoever has the shortest time wins.
23. Christmas Tree Cup Stack
What You Need
- 22 green plastic cups
- a table
- optional: tiny ornaments
How to Play
A Christmas-themed version of the cup stacking game!
Players race to stack the cups into a pyramid, starting with 6 cups in the bottom row, then 5 cups, then 4, and so on. Once the “Christmas tree” is built, they must quickly tear it down before the timer runs out.
You can make your cup tree look a little more festive by adding a few tiny ornaments in the gaps.
If you choose to go that route, decide how many ornaments players will have to place on the “tree” before they can tear it down.
24. Christmas Drawing Challenge
This game is sure to bring lots of laughter to the party.
What You Need
- book or clipboard for each player
- colored pens/pencils
- paper
How to Play
Each player is given a clipboard, pens, and paper for this game. In one minute, they must draw a Christmas tree and add all the ornaments.
Here are some ideas for what players need to include in their drawing before the timer runs out:
- Christmas tree adorned with ornaments, a glowing star, presents under the branches
- Snowman complete with black eyes, carrot, hat, scarf, stick arms
- Santa’s sleigh overflowing with presents and 2 reindeer pulling it along
Have a Blast with Your Friends This Christmas
I’m sure you’ll have a fantastic time playing these minute-to-win-it games for adults. But there are many other fun games and activities you can do at your Christmas party.
Pick a gift exchange theme to make shopping easier and play exciting white elephant gift exchange games. Secret Santa fun is waiting for you!
These 25 Christmas party games for adults ensure a festive time whether you’re celebrating at work or home.