Christmas games for large groups

Twenty people, fifty people, a whole office. Games that scale up without falling apart.

Big groups need games that keep everyone playing at once, or teams that make the room feel smaller. Each game below has a line on how to play and what you need.

Get the office Christmas party games kit (15 games for 20–50) →

Teams and logistics

Make teams of 5 to 8. Small enough that everyone talks, big enough to keep the team count manageable.
Pick teams fast. Count off around the room, or color-code name tags at the door.
Get a microphone if the room is big. Or at least one loud, clear reader.
Use one scoreboard. A whiteboard or big sheet of paper everyone can see.
Pre-print everything. Answer sheets, bingo cards, and slips per team, plus a few spares.
Name a helper per team. They collect sheets and pass out supplies so you don't run laps.
Keep rounds to 10 to 15 minutes. Big groups lose focus faster.

0:00 Arrivals: Name tags, team assignments, icebreaker.
0:15 Round 1: A whole-room game like bingo.
0:30 Round 2: A team game like trivia.
0:50 Break: Food and drinks; tally scores.
1:05 Big finish: White elephant or a final team game, then prizes.

Whole-room games

Christmas bingo. Everyone plays their own card while you call holiday words or pictures. Need: printed cards, markers or chips.
Christmas scavenger hunt. Teams race to find or photograph items from a list. Need: a printed list per team, phones for photos.
Christmas song emoji. Show a song title written in emoji; teams write down their guess. Need: emoji clues on a screen or printouts, answer sheets.
Stand up, sit down. Read "stand up if..." holiday statements ("...you've already finished your shopping"); last person standing on the final question wins. Need: a list of statements.

Team games

Christmas trivia. Teams answer questions on paper; swap and score after each round. Need: question list, answer sheets.
Crowd Picks. Everyone secretly writes an answer to a quick question, and teams predict the crowd's favorite before you tally. Need: slips of paper and 5 minutes of prep. Works for up to about 30; split the room for more.
Who said it? Read a holiday quote and teams guess which movie character (or coworker, with permission) said it. Need: a list of quotes.
Word scramble race. Teams unscramble holiday words; first team done with all correct wins. Need: printed scramble sheets.
Christmas charades relay. One player from each team gets the same clue and acts it out for their team; first team to guess scores. Need: clue slips.

White elephant for a big group

A straight white elephant with 30+ people can take forever. Speed it up:

Cap steals. A gift is frozen after its third steal.
Set a turn limit. About 30 seconds to choose or steal.
Split the room. Run two or three smaller exchanges at once.
Try a dice or Left-Right version. Everyone moves gifts at the same time instead of one turn each.

Get the white elephant game kit (steal rules, dice charts, Left-Right story) →

Host tips

Do a quick microphone check before people arrive.
Put the answers and scoring rules on a single sheet for yourself.
Have small prizes for more than one place so more teams win something.
If attendance is uncertain, print for the top of your guest count.

That's it. Form teams, keep rounds short, and let the room do the rest.