Christmas family game night: 15 printable games

Print tonight, play in five minutes. Games for everyone from the kids to the grandparents.

It's the holidays and you have zero time to prep. Totally fine.

These printable Christmas games for family nights need a printer, some pens, and a spot to sit. Nobody needs to read a long rulebook. Pick three or four, print them, and you're set.

They also double as last minute Christmas party games when the neighbors drop by.

Before you start

• Print a few extra copies. Someone always spills cocoa.
• Grab pens, scrap paper, and a timer (your phone is fine).
• Pair little kids with a grown-up or a grandparent. Mixed teams keep things fair.

The 15 games

1. Christmas Bingo. Call out holiday words or pictures; first to get a line shouts "Bingo!" You need: printed bingo cards, markers or candy pieces.

2. Christmas Trivia. Teams answer holiday questions read by the host; most points wins. You need: printed question sheet, paper, pens. Get the 20-game Christmas bundle (trivia, bingo, charades + more) →

3. Christmas Movie Trivia. Same idea, but every question is about holiday movies. You need: printed questions, paper, pens. Get the Christmas Movie Trivia printable →

4. Finish the Carol Lyric. Read the start of a carol line; players fill in the rest. You need: printed lyric cards. Get the Finish the Carol Lyric printable →

5. Christmas Charades. Act out a holiday word without talking; your team guesses. You need: printed prompt cards, a bowl, a timer.

6. Christmas Pictionary. Draw a holiday word while your team guesses before time runs out. You need: printed word cards, paper or a whiteboard, a timer.

7. Christmas Word Scramble. Unscramble holiday words; first to finish wins. You need: printed scramble sheets, pens.

8. Christmas Word Search. Find the hidden holiday words in the grid. Great for younger kids and quiet grandparents. You need: printed puzzles, pencils.

9. Would You Rather: Christmas Edition. Read a choice aloud; everyone picks a side and says why. You need: printed question cards.

10. Christmas Scavenger Hunt. Kids search the house for items on a list; first to find them all wins. You need: printed checklist, pencils. Get the Kids Christmas Scavenger Hunt printable →

11. Who Am I? (Christmas Characters). Tape a character name on each person's back; they ask yes-or-no questions to guess it. You need: printed name cards, tape.

12. Christmas Emoji Pictionary. Decode emoji strings into holiday songs or movies. You need: printed emoji sheets, pens.

13. The Left Right Christmas Game. Read a story aloud; pass a gift left or right every time you hear those words. Whoever holds it at the end keeps it. You need: printed story, one small wrapped gift. Get the White Elephant & gift-passing games →

14. Christmas Mad Libs-Style Story. Fill in blanks with silly words, then read the story out loud. You need: printed fill-in-the-blank stories, pens.

15. Christmas Family Feud-Style Survey. Teams guess the most popular answers to holiday survey questions. You need: printed question and answer sheet, paper for scoring.

A quick game night plan

1. 0:00 Warm-up: Christmas Bingo, so everyone can play right away.
2. 0:20 Teams: Christmas Trivia or Movie Trivia.
3. 0:45 Get moving: Charades or Pictionary.
4. 1:10 Wind down: The Left Right Christmas Game, and someone goes home with a prize.

Tips for mixed ages

• Read every prompt aloud so early readers and grandparents can join in.
• Skip the timer for the little ones.
• Let anyone pass. The point is to play together, not to win.

That's it. Print, pour the cocoa, and have fun.