Every Christmas party reaches a moment when the food has been eaten, the music has settled into a hum and everyone is looking at each other wondering what happens next. That is where a good game comes in. And if the game involves sweets, you have already won half the battle.
Here are twelve simple games that work for family get-togethers, school parties, friends’ gatherings and the office do. Most cost very little and need only things you can find in a supermarket.
Before you start
A few quick bits of planning save a lot of faff.
• Decide how many games you need. Three or four is plenty for a two-hour party. Have one or two spares in your back pocket.
• Gather supplies in a single box the day before.
• Write rules on cards so you do not have to remember them in front of a crowd.
• Always check allergies and dietary needs before the party, and read every label.
Now, on to the fun.
1. Guess the sweets in the jar
The old favourite. Fill a large clear jar with sweets, count them carefully beforehand and note the number on a card tucked away somewhere safe. Guests write their guess on a slip with their name, and the closest wins the jar.
For a fairer game, give a hint: tell people the jar’s volume, or how many of one type are inside. Use chunky, similarly sized sweets so counting is possible rather than impossible.
2. Sweet bingo
Make bingo cards with a three-by-three grid, each square holding a picture or the name of a sweet. The caller pulls sweets from a bag one by one, and players cover the matching square with a wrapped sweet. First to a line shouts “bingo” and wins.
Players get to eat their markers at the end, which makes this brilliant for children. For adults, add a Christmas twist by using festive categories such as “something red” or “something with a hole”.
3. The chocolate game with dice and gloves
This is the one that gets everyone shrieking. Sit players in a circle with a bar of chocolate, wrapped in a few layers of paper, in the middle, along with a hat, scarf, gloves and a knife and fork. Players take turns rolling a die, and whoever throws a six has to put on the hat, scarf and gloves and try to unwrap and eat the chocolate with the knife and fork until the next person rolls a six.
It is silly, noisy and works across all ages. Use a plain bar and be mindful of nuts, and make sure anyone with a dairy allergy has an alternative.
4. Candy cane hook
Give each player a candy cane and a pile of small ring-shaped sweets or paper rings. Players hang as many rings on the cane as they can in thirty seconds, using only the hook, with the cane held in their teeth or hand depending on how adventurous you are.
For a team version, pairs race to transfer rings from one cane to another without using hands. Keep wrapped candy canes for this one, and set them aside afterwards for hygiene reasons.
5. Sweet-wrapper pass the parcel
Pass the parcel gets a delicious upgrade. Wrap a small prize in layers of wrapping paper, placing a wrapped sweet between each layer. When the music stops, the player holding the parcel unwraps one layer and keeps the sweet inside. The last layer reveals the main prize.
For fairness, make sure there is a sweet for every player to get at least once, which means making one layer per guest. Wrap loosely, and keep the music on a pause button for the grown-up in charge.
6. Blind taste test
Blindfold players one at a time and ask them to identify a series of sweets by taste alone. Include a mix of obvious flavours, such as strawberry or cola, and trickier ones like blackcurrant, liquorice or rhubarb and custard. Give a point for each correct answer.
It is worth having a pick n mix jar on hand for this one, because you can choose a spread of textures and flavours that will really test people’s palates. Offer water between rounds, and keep any sweets with nuts out of the mix unless you have checked with everyone.
7. Secret Santa sweet swap
Everybody brings a wrapped bag of sweets worth the same small amount, say a few pounds, and places it in the middle. Players take turns picking a bag and unwrapping it, with the option to swap with someone who has already opened theirs. It is a good-humoured, slightly chaotic way to give gifts without everyone having to choose for a specific person.
Set a limit of three swaps per bag to stop the game going on forever. Label the contents with a short list so guests with allergies can decline politely.
8. Sweet relay
Split guests into teams. Each team lines up behind a start line, with a bowl of sweets at one end and an empty bowl at the other. Players carry one sweet at a time on a teaspoon, holding it in their mouth if they are adults, or in the hand if they are younger, and drop it into the empty bowl. The first team to move all their sweets wins.
For little ones, use larger, wrapped sweets and skip the spoon. Keep the route clear of furniture and wet floors, and avoid running with sweets in the mouth.
9. Christmas cracker sweets
Make your own crackers, or buy plain ones and fill them. Each cracker contains a few wrapped sweets, a joke and a small paper hat. Pull them at the table before the meal, or use them as a prize for winning other games.
Home-made crackers are cheaper and let you control what goes inside. Wrapped Christmas sweets are the easiest filling, being festive, light and cheap by the bag. For children, avoid anything small enough to be a choking hazard, and remember to label contents.
10. Marshmallow stacking
Give each player or team a bag of marshmallows and a pack of cocktail sticks or dry spaghetti. The challenge is to build the tallest tower in two minutes. Marshmallows act as the joints and sticks as the supports, much like an architect’s model.
This is a calm game, ideal for after dinner when people are full and less energetic. Spaghetti is safer for younger children than cocktail sticks, which are sharp and should only be used with older players under supervision.
11. Pass the sweet
A quiet game for large groups. Players sit in a circle holding a plastic spoon between their teeth, passing a wrapped sweet from one spoon to the next without using their hands. If it drops, the player who dropped it starts again. The team or circle that gets it all the way round the fastest wins.
Use a lightly wrapped, flat sweet so it sits properly on the spoon, and play on a clear floor.
12. Name that Christmas tune with sweets
Play a few seconds of a Christmas song, and the first player to shout the title gets to dip into a bowl of sweets. It does not need props, only a speaker and a playlist. Add a bonus round: sing the first line to earn a second sweet.
It is a perfect filler between bigger games, and works with all ages.
Prizes that do not break the bank
Prizes do not have to be extravagant. A few ideas:
• A small bag of sweets for the winners.
• A mini jar of something sweet.
• A festive mug filled with hot chocolate sachets.
• A silly trophy, such as a gold-painted satsuma.
• Bragging rights, which are often enough.
For a larger event, create a prize table and let winners choose rather than assigning each one. It feels fairer and gives people a chance to pick what they like.
Adapting for kids, adults and the office
For children: Keep games short, simple and physical. Offer a prize for taking part, not only for winning, and have plenty of wrapped sweets in reserve. Remember that anything small or hard is a choking hazard for the under fives.
For adults: Embrace the competitive side. Add mild forfeits, silly voices or a bit of friendly rivalry. Games like the chocolate game and blind taste test tend to be the most popular.
For the office: Keep it inclusive and short. Not everyone enjoys being blindfolded in front of colleagues, so make participation optional. Choose games that work around desks, such as sweet bingo or guess the jar, and make sure the activities fit within working hours and company policy.
Allergen notes
One last reminder, because it matters. Whoever is organising the party should ask guests about allergies and dietary needs beforehand, and check the labels on all the sweets and prizes, as ingredients can change between batches. Keep nuts well labelled and apart from other items. Provide a non-food alternative for anyone who cannot join in with the sweets, such as stickers or a small toy.
A short sign beside each bowl, listing the main allergens, is a polite and sensible touch.
Time to play
You do not need every game on this list. Pick three or four, put the supplies in a box, and trust the room to take care of itself. The best Christmas games are the ones where people laugh until they hurt, and a bowl of sweets is usually a decent start.
Have a lovely party, and save the last chocolate for the host.
