Christmas charades

Christmas Charades: 180+ Festive Ideas to Act Out

Santa, carols, Christmas movies and snowy scenes for the family party. Hold the card to peek, act it out and let the timer keep score.

  1. 1Hold the card to peek at your prompt
  2. 2Act it out. No words, no humming
  3. 3Tap Got it or Pass before time runs out

Keyboard: hold Space to peek, → got it, ← or S to pass

ScoreboardRound 1
Team Tomato0
Team Sunflower0

Up next: Team Tomato. Hand them the phone.

Quick answer

What are some good Christmas charades ideas?

Good Christmas charades ideas are festive things anyone can mime in under a minute, such as "Waking up on Christmas morning", "Santa carrying a heavy sack", "Elf", "Silent Night" and "A snowman at the beach". Easy actions suit young kids, while movies, carols and funny scenes challenge adults. This page has 181 Christmas charades ideas sorted by difficulty, with a round timer, team scores and printable cards.

Updated · By Playroomy Games Team How to playListsQuestions

How to play

How to play Christmas charades

  1. 1

    Split into two teams

    Mix ages so every team has a confident actor and a fast guesser. The random team generator does it in one tap.

  2. 2

    Pick a deck

    Mixed for the whole family, Kids for young children, or one category like Christmas movies or carols.

  3. 3

    Set the timer

    60 seconds suits most groups. Give kids 90 seconds, and try 30 seconds for a fast final round.

  4. 4

    Hold to peek

    The actor holds the card to see the prompt. Let go and it hides from everyone else.

  5. 5

    Act it out

    No talking, humming or pointing at the tree. Show the film signal for movies and the singing signal for carols.

  6. 6

    Score and swap

    Tap Got it for each correct guess. At the bell, hand the phone to the other team.

Christmas charades ideas

181 Christmas charades ideas by category

Tap any idea to deal it into the game above. Every count comes straight from the deck. Every item is checked for clarity, the right age group and family safety before it joins the deck, and weak ones are rewritten or cut.

Christmas scenes68 ideas

Christmas actions31 ideas

Traditions20 ideas

Christmas characters19 ideas

Winter fun19 ideas

Christmas movies13 ideas

Christmas songs and carols11 ideas

Easy Christmas charades for kids

Easy Christmas charades for kids use one clear action or character, like wrapping a present, building a snowman or a reindeer flying through the sky. Pair younger children with an older helper, whisper the prompt to non-readers, and give them 90 seconds per turn.

  • Waking up on Christmas morning
  • Puppy chasing wrapping paper
  • Kitten batting at an ornament
  • Reindeer stomping on the roof
  • Peeking through the keyhole at Santa
  • Dog wearing reindeer antlers
  • Hugging a giant teddy bear
  • Tearing open wrapping paper
  • Falling asleep after Christmas dinner
  • Riding a new bike for the first time
  • Pretending to be asleep when Santa comes
  • Eating a giant candy cane
  • Riding a rocking horse
  • Playing a new drum set
  • Flying a new toy airplane
  • Reindeer flying through the sky
  • Elf making toys
  • Toy soldier marching
  • A jack-in-the-box popping up
  • Rudolph leading the sleigh

Charades the whole family can play

Family charades at Christmas work best when every prompt is something grandparents and kids both know, like carols, Santa and Christmas morning. Put one adult and one child on each team, let the youngest act first, and keep the score close by giving kids a longer timer.

  • Kids sleeping on Christmas Eve
  • Waiting in line to see Santa
  • Santa doing yoga
  • Santa riding a surfboard
  • Hosting the whole family for dinner
  • Santa trying to use a smartphone
  • Sneaking downstairs on Christmas morning
  • Taking a selfie with Santa
  • Sugar plum fairy dancing
  • Kissing under the mistletoe
  • Three wise men following the star
  • Lighting a candle in the window
  • Getting a snowball down your back
  • Let It Snow
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas

Funny holiday charades for adults

Funny holiday charades for adults are scenes with a twist that take a clever mime, which is why they get the biggest laughs at office parties and grown-up game nights. Allow syllable signals and a 90-second timer, and play them after dinner when the room is warm.

  • A snowman at the beach
  • A snowman in a sauna
  • Santa's sleigh getting a flat tire
  • Santa going through airport security
  • An elf on strike
  • An elf at a job interview
  • Decorating the tree with a toddler
  • Santa delivering presents on a motorbike
  • A reindeer who is scared of flying
  • An elf wrapping a wiggly puppy
  • A snowman sneezing his carrot nose off
  • Santa ordering at a drive-thru in his sleigh
  • Carolers being chased by a dog
  • Santa learning to snowboard
  • A reindeer at a hair salon

How do you act out Christmas movies and carols?

Act out Christmas movies and carols by starting with a hand signal: crank an old movie camera for a film, or mime singing into a microphone for a song or carol. Then hold up fingers for the number of words and act the easiest word first.

  • Elf
  • How the Grinch Stole Christmas
  • A Christmas Carol
  • Home Alone
  • The Polar Express
  • Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
  • The Santa Clause
  • Miracle on 34th Street
  • Jingle All the Way
  • A Charlie Brown Christmas
  • It's a Wonderful Life
  • The Muppet Christmas Carol
  • Frozen
  • Silent Night
  • All I Want for Christmas Is You
  • Deck the Halls
  • Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
  • Let It Snow
  • Winter Wonderland
  • White Christmas
  • Up on the Housetop
  • O Christmas Tree
  • The Little Drummer Boy
  • Joy to the World

What are some good Christmas words for a guessing game?

Good Christmas words for a guessing game are short and concrete, so they work for charades, Pictionary and heads-up style games alike. These come from the deck and suit every age.

  • Elf making toys
  • Toy soldier marching
  • Gingerbread man dancing
  • Throwing a snowball
  • Silent Night
  • Last-minute Christmas shopping
  • Untangling Christmas lights
  • Making paper snowflakes
  • Snowboarding
  • Building an igloo
  • Let It Snow
  • Winter Wonderland
  • O Christmas Tree
  • Regifting a present
  • Home Alone
  • The Santa Clause
Christmas Pictionary wordsCharades generator

What are the 12 games of Christmas?

The 12 games of Christmas is a party plan where you play twelve short holiday games in one evening, one for each of the twelve days of Christmas. This set needs nothing but a phone, paper and pens, and the first four run on this site.

  1. Christmas charades: act out Santa, carols and movies with no talking.
  2. Christmas Pictionary: draw festive words for your team to guess.
  3. Christmas Scattergories: roll a letter and fill 12 holiday categories.
  4. Christmas would you rather: pick a side and defend it.
  5. Christmas this or that: two quick options, everyone shouts a pick.
  6. Name that carol: hum the first line and let the room guess.
  7. Reverse charades: the whole team acts and one person guesses.
  8. White elephant gift swap: unwrap, steal and swap small gifts.
  9. Pass the parcel: unwrap one layer each time the music stops.
  10. Candy cane hunt: hide candy canes around the room and race to find them.
  11. Christmas trivia: questions about carols, films and traditions.
  12. Pin the nose on the reindeer: blindfolded, with a paper reindeer on the wall.
Christmas PictionaryChristmas ScattergoriesChristmas would you rather

Quick reference

Christmas charades by difficulty

Pick a level in the chips above the card. Counts come from the deck.

LevelIdeasExampleBest for
Easy 44Waking up on Christmas morningKids and first rounds
Medium 106Kids sleeping on Christmas EveMixed-age family teams
Hard 31A snowman at the beachAdults and office parties

Variations

Christmas charades by category

Kids deck

92 ideas worded for young children, all easy to act.

  • Waking up on Christmas morning
  • Riding a new bike for the first time
  • A jack-in-the-box popping up
  • Leaving cookies and milk for Santa
  • Polar bear swimming in icy water
  • Snowman melting in the sun
  • Eating too much Christmas dinner
  • Building a gingerbread house
  • Snowboarding
  • Up on the Housetop

Christmas scenes

68 ideas. Little Christmas stories to act, from the chimney to the kitchen table.

  • Waking up on Christmas morning
  • Puppy chasing wrapping paper
  • Kitten batting at an ornament
  • Reindeer stomping on the roof
  • Peeking through the keyhole at Santa
  • Dog wearing reindeer antlers
  • Kids sleeping on Christmas Eve
  • Dog unwrapping a present
  • Cat climbing the Christmas tree
  • Snowman melting in the sun

Christmas actions

31 ideas. One clear action each, perfect for younger actors.

  • Hugging a giant teddy bear
  • Tearing open wrapping paper
  • Falling asleep after Christmas dinner
  • Riding a new bike for the first time
  • Pretending to be asleep when Santa comes
  • Eating a giant candy cane
  • Riding a rocking horse
  • Playing a new drum set
  • Flying a new toy airplane
  • Shaking a present to guess what is inside

Traditions

20 ideas. Stockings, crackers, carols and the rest of the family rituals.

  • Leaving cookies and milk for Santa
  • Sitting on Santa's lap
  • Wearing an ugly Christmas sweater
  • Ringing a doorbell to sing carols
  • Kissing under the mistletoe
  • Caroling door to door
  • Building a gingerbread house
  • Hanging lights on the house
  • Pulling a Christmas cracker
  • Making a Christmas wish list

Rules and sources

Watch the rules, then check the source

Plays from YouTube only when you tap it.

Today, it is common to require the actors to mime their hints without using any spoken words, which requires some conventional gestures.

Christmas elves are said to make the gifts in Santa's workshop, while flying reindeer pull his sleigh through the air.

Questions

Christmas charades questions

How do you play Christmas charades?

Split into two teams and draw a Christmas prompt. The actor shows the category with a hand signal and mimes it with no words or sounds while their team guesses before the timer ends, usually 60 seconds. Each correct guess scores a point, and the team with the most points after a few rounds wins.

Is there a Christmas charades generator?

Yes, this page is one. It deals a random Christmas prompt from 181 ideas, never repeats one until the deck runs out, and lets you filter by category, difficulty or a kids deck.

What are some hilarious Christmas charade ideas?

Ordinary Christmas moments with a twist get the biggest laughs, such as "A snowman at the beach", "A snowman in a sauna" and "Santa's sleigh getting a flat tire". Set the level to Hard for all of them.

How many people do you need for Christmas charades?

Three is the minimum: one actor and two guessers. It is best with 6 to 16 people in two teams, and the scoreboard handles up to six teams.

Can I print the Christmas charades cards?

Yes. Tap Print the cards above the list to print every idea on a sheet you can cut into slips and draw from a stocking or a hat.

Can we play Christmas charades on a video call?

Yes. The actor keeps the card on their phone and acts on camera. Share Room mode on a second screen so everyone sees the timer and the scores.

Are these Christmas charades OK for kids?

Yes. Every prompt is family friendly. Choose the Kids deck for ones written for young children.

More games

Keep the night going.

Draw the seasonChristmas PictionaryPlay Festive picksChristmas would you ratherPlay Festive listsChristmas ScattergoriesPlay Act it outCharadesPlay Split the roomTeam generatorPlay