Banner photo by freestocks on Unsplash
I’m so pleased to welcome Holly Cassidy, author of The Christmas Wager, to the blog today to celebrate A Bookish Little Christmas with me! Holly is here to share some fun holiday-themed party games, and I love a good party game (anything Christmas-themed is a million times more fun). Read more about Holly and her new book below, and don’t forget to enter to win a copy of The Christmas Wager for yourself!
Who doesn’t love a good holiday party? Yummy food, great company, maybe a glass or two of mulled wine… But what if you want to change things up a little for your guests and make it even more of an event to remember?
In The Christmas Wager, Bella and Jesse enter the Maple Falls Holiday Games, an annual tradition of eccentric feats of strength and skills. While you may not have enough snow to play Dead, Dead Snowman (axe-throwing with bonus points for a clean decapitation) or space in your backyard to build an obstacle course like the Ultimate Maple Run, here are few ideas that require little preparation, and which are sure to bring festive cheer.
These team games can also be used for work holiday parties!
1. Munchable Movie Magic
Game preparation:
- Bake (or buy) a rectangular slab of gingerbread for each team (recipe here but omit cutting the dough into stars, and adjust baking time accordingly).
- Prepare equal amounts of edible baking decoration supplies such as ready-made icing, piping bags, jellybeans, chocolate chips, sprinkles, sugar pearls, and so forth for your teams.
How to play:
Task your teams with turning a slab of gingerbread into a scene from their favorite holiday movie. Award points based on how many teams guess the film correctly (the team that gets it right receives a point, as does the team whose movie scene was guessed correctly).
2. Human Singing Christmas Tree
Game preparation:
- Fill a box with holiday decorations (tinsel, garland, baubles, etc.) for each team.
How to play:
Give your teams 20 minutes to transform one of their members into a human Christmas tree and task the teams with performing a Christmas song together once done. Award points based on the most creative tree and the best/funniest/most original song rendition.
3. Holiday Movie Pictionary
Game preparation:
- Write the names of holiday movies (use this list for inspiration) on separate pieces of paper, fold them in half, and put them in a Santa hat.
- Prepare paper and pencils for each team.
How to play:
- Team members take turns pulling a movie from the Santa hat.
- Without talking, making noises or gestures, or writing letters/numbers, the team member has 60 seconds to draw the movie they picked while their team tries to guess what it is.
- If their team gets it right within the allotted time, they receive a point and take another turn pulling a movie from the Santa hat to draw.
- If their team is wrong, the opposing teams take turns trying to name the movie. If a team guesses correctly, one of their members pulls a movie from the Santa hat to draw for their team.
- If nobody guesses correctly, the turn to pick a movie passes to another team.
Note: Instead of drawing, you could play this game as charades where the team members act out / mime the holiday movie.
4. Holiday Scavenger Hunt
Game preparation:
- Decide which areas of your venue are out of bounds.
- Hide holiday ornaments around the approved areas of your venue.
- Prepare a list of the holiday ornaments you’ve hidden.
How to play:
Task your teams with finding the hidden holiday ornaments and assign points based on how many they locate.
5. Pin the Nose On the Snowman
Game preparation:
- Use the free template to print a snowman and make a separate nose using cardboard.
- Hang the snowman on a wall (make sure it’s a wall where you don’t mind pin holes!) and put a pin through the nose.
How to play:
Task each blindfolded team member with pinning the nose on the snowman. Award points based on how close they are to putting the nose in the right spot.
6. Name That Song – Holiday Edition
Game preparation:
- Prepare paper and pens/pencils for each team.
- Access The Christmas Wager’s official playlist on Spotify.
How to play:
Play five seconds of each tune and have your guests write down the name of the song. Assign points based on correct guesses.
There are so many more games you can play, be they indoors or outdoors, especially if you live in a snowy area. With these tips, I hope you enjoy your best holiday party yet, and, most of all—have fun!
Holly Cassidy
The Christmas Wager by Holly Cassidy
Published by G.P. Putnam’s Sons on September 26, 2023
Genres: Contemporary Romance — Christmas
Add to Goodreads
Buy on Amazon
One rivalry. Eight days until Christmas. Let the holiday games begin.
When LA-based real estate developer Bella Ross arrives in the sleepy, mountain town of Maple Falls, she has one mission: to acquire the local failing Christmas shop, Always Noelle, securing the promotion of her dreams. Nothing can get in her way. Except the shop owner’s stubborn grandson, Jesse Harrison.
Both refuse to budge, until an unlikely wager is struck: Bella and Jesse will compete in the Maple Falls Holiday Games, an annual tradition of eccentric feats of strength and skills. Winner decides the selling price. They’ll give each other a run for their money, but as the competition heats up, Bella and Jesse’s icy feelings toward each other begin to thaw. It’ll take a Christmas miracle for them to admit there’s a spark, but what if it’s just another game?
Holly Cassidy is the pen name for internationally bestselling author Hannah Mary McKinnon. Her suspense novels include The Revenge List, The Neighbors, Her Secret Son, Sister Dear, You Will Remember Me, and Never Coming Home. McKinnon was born in England, grew up in Switzerland, and now lives in Ontario, Canada with her husband and three sons. The Christmas Wager was her first novel writing as Holly Cassidy.
Website • Facebook • Twitter • Goodreads • Instagram • Threads • BookBub