Christmas Party Games for Adults - 15 Ideas for the Office Party and White Elephant (2026)
Author: Drinkify·
December is the busiest party month of the year. There's the office Christmas party, drinks with friends before everyone heads home for the holidays, and the house party where you swap presents. They all share the same weak spot: after dinner, the speeches and the first toast, the room goes quiet and people start checking the time. That's when a few good games come in handy.
We've put together 15 Christmas party games for adults: easy icebreakers, gift games for Secret Santa and White Elephant, and party games that get the night going. At the end you'll find a plan for the evening and tips on what works at the office party and what's better saved for friends.
Contents
Icebreakers to start the night
At the office party, people from different teams end up at one table. At a house party it's friends of friends. The first games just need to get everyone talking.
1. Who am I? - Christmas edition. Everyone gets a sticky note on their forehead with a Christmas character: the Grinch, Kevin McCallister, Rudolph, Santa, Buddy the Elf, Mariah Carey, Ebenezer Scrooge. Asking only yes/no questions, you work out who you are. It mixes the room on its own, because to ask questions you have to walk up to people.
2. Two truths and a lie about Christmas. Everyone says three things about their Christmases: the strangest present they ever got, a family tradition, a disaster at Christmas dinner. One is made up, and the others guess which. A great start, because everyone has a Christmas story.
3. Christmas movie quiz. A few questions about films everyone knows: which hotel Kevin stays at in "Home Alone 2", what Buddy puts on his spaghetti in "Elf", who sings "Last Christmas", how many reindeer pull Santa's sleigh. Play in teams by table, and at work, mix the departments.
Gift games for Secret Santa and White Elephant
Swapping presents is the centre of most December parties, and a plain "here, this is for you" takes five minutes. These games turn it into half an hour of fun.
4. Secret Santa with a riddle. Draw names in advance to decide who buys for whom (a name-drawing app makes sure nobody draws themselves). When the presents are handed out, each person first tries to guess who their Secret Santa was. The giver can offer one clue, like "I sit to your left" or "we've shared a lift this week". Whoever guesses right on the first try picks who goes next.
5. Christmas dice game. All the presents go in the middle of the table. Players take turns rolling a die: roll a six and you take one present from the middle. When the middle is empty, set a timer for 5-10 minutes and round two begins: now a six lets you take a present from anyone. When the timer rings, everyone keeps what they're holding. Use two or three dice at once to speed it up.
6. White Elephant. Everyone brings one wrapped present within a set budget. Draw numbers for the order. The first person opens a present from the pile, and everyone after can either open a new one or steal one that's already been opened. Whoever gets robbed picks again. A present can be stolen twice at most, then it's "frozen". It works best when some presents are deliberately silly or useless. In some places it's called a Yankee Swap or Dirty Santa, but the rules are the same.
7. Pass the parcel for grown-ups. Wrap a small present in many layers of paper and put a note with a task under each layer: sing the chorus of a carol, give the person on your right a compliment, describe the worst present you ever got. The parcel goes round while the music plays, and when it stops, whoever holds it removes one layer and does the task. Whoever removes the last layer keeps the present.
Games that get the Christmas party going
After dinner and presents comes the time for games that really get people going. Tried-and-tested classics with a festive twist work best.
8. Never Have I Ever - Christmas edition. Someone reads a line starting with "Never have I ever...", and everyone who has done it owns up and tells the story. A few for December:
- Never have I ever regifted a present I was given.
- Never have I ever bought a present at a petrol station on the way to Christmas dinner.
- Never have I ever pretended to love a present.
- Never have I ever fallen asleep at the Christmas table.
- Never have I ever eaten my advent calendar chocolates days ahead.
- Never have I ever watched "Love Actually" more than once in one week.
When you run out of festive lines, keep playing with the classic deck Never Have I Ever Classic on your phone. Rules and more examples are in our post Never Have I Ever questions.
9. Truth or Dare with Christmas dares. Truths can be about family Christmases and the worst presents, and the dares suit December: sing a carol like a rock star, make a tree decoration out of a napkin in 30 seconds, give a Christmas toast in a newsreader's voice. Mix your own festive ideas with Truth or Dare Classic, and find more in Truth or Dare questions and dares.
10. Taboo with Christmas words. Describe a word without saying the forbidden ones. Try explaining "Christmas tree" without "tree", "baubles" and "green", or "Santa" without "presents", "beard" and "reindeer". Write your own festive cards before the party, and when they run out, switch to Taboo in the app. The rules are in Taboo game rules.
11. Jinx with Christmas categories. Two people get a category and on "three" each say one word. If they match, they win; if not, they try again, starting from the words they just said. December categories: a Christmas dish, a Christmas song, something under the tree, the worst present. Ready-made categories are in Jinx It.
12. Christmas charades. December prompts only: "building a snowman", "Kevin setting traps", "the supermarket queue on 23 December", "untangling the fairy lights". Two teams and a timer are enough to loosen up even the stiffest office party.
For a calmer end to the night
Towards the end, when energy drops, games you can play sitting down and chatting work best.
13. Christmas awards. Before the party, everyone votes anonymously in silly categories: best Christmas jumper, the person most likely to say "just one more", the office coffee king or queen. Announce the winners at the end of the night, with certificates printed at the office.
14. Who wrote it? Everyone writes one wish for the new year, or their best memory of the year, on a slip of paper. The slips go into a Santa hat and someone reads them out. The others guess who wrote each one. A warm way to close the night.
15. Carols and Christmas karaoke. Finish with a sing-along: from "Silent Night" to "All I Want for Christmas Is You". Anyone shy sings as a duet or with the whole table.
Office Christmas party: what works and what to avoid
The office party isn't a house party with friends, so pick your games for the room:
- Mix teams across departments. Quizzes, charades and Taboo work best when people who rarely see each other end up on the same team.
- One budget for presents. For Secret Santa and White Elephant, agree on an amount (say £15-25 or $20-30) so nobody feels awkward.
- Skip the very personal questions. Never Have I Ever and Truth or Dare are great, but with your manager at the table, choose lighter lines. Save the 18+ versions for friends.
- Nobody has to drink. Instead of a sip, a team point or a small forfeit is enough, so designated drivers and non-drinkers can join in too.
How to plan the night
- Start (guests arriving): Who am I?, two truths and a lie, Christmas movie quiz.
- After dinner: Secret Santa with a riddle, the dice game or White Elephant. Pick one gift game, not all of them.
- Peak of the night: Never Have I Ever, Truth or Dare, Taboo, charades.
- To finish: Christmas awards, "Who wrote it?" and carols.
A week later it's New Year's Eve, and you'll find ideas for it in our post New Year's Eve party games.
Party games on your phone for Christmas
Nobody has time in December to write hundreds of questions and print cards. That's why it's easiest to have your party games on your phone. Drinkify doesn't have a separate Christmas edition, but the classic decks Never Have I Ever, Truth or Dare, Taboo and Jinx It are the perfect follow-up to the festive games above once your own ideas run out. Every game comes with free demo cards, so you can try it before buying.
Prefer the browser? Every deck works without installing anything - see all the games.
Christmas party games FAQ
What are good games for an office Christmas party? Games that bring people from different teams together and don't need confessions: Who am I?, a Christmas movie quiz, Taboo, charades and Secret Santa with a riddle. A light round of Never Have I Ever works too, if you choose lines that suit the room.
How does a White Elephant gift exchange work? Everyone brings one wrapped present within a budget and draws a number. In turn, each person opens a new present or steals an opened one. A present can be stolen twice, then it stays with its owner. The fun is in the stealing, so bring a few funny presents.
When are office Christmas parties in 2026? Christmas Eve falls on a Thursday in 2026, so most office parties will be on Friday 11 or Friday 18 December.
Do these games work without alcohol? Yes, all of them. Instead of a sip, a team point, a small forfeit or an honest confession is enough.
Where can I get party games at the last minute? The fastest option is a deck on your phone that starts in seconds in the browser or the Drinkify app, with nothing to print. See every deck in the Drinkify shop.
Ready for the Christmas party? Grab Drinkify on Google Play or the App Store and have the whole party's games in your pocket.
Play responsibly. Drinking games are for adults of legal drinking age only. Keep water and snacks around, plan a safe way home, and anyone who doesn't feel like drinking should be able to play on their own terms.
