Unless you are hosting a Snowball Fight or Igloo/Snow Figurine building contest, your guests will not be expecting "games" of touch football or physically demanding obstacle courses to run when they attend a Christmas party! Playing a game of Charades or a whimsical relay may be as physical as the games get! That doesn't mean the games can't be great fun…and meaningful. Check out our game and activity ideas, and feel free to add a few of your own favorites. Award lots of this is your chance to treat friends and loved ones to a fantastic Christmas party!

HO, HO, HOLD YOUR TONGUE! - Give each player a bag or stocking with 10 small treasures in it (candy, chocolates, little favors). Have bags labeled with players' names, so they don't get mixed up. Let players know at the start of the game exactly when the game will be ending--this game can be played throughout an entire party if you so choose. The object of the game is to catch fellow players saying one of the following words or phrases:

SANTA, REINDEER, SNOW, CHRISTMAS, ORNAMENT, PRESENTS
To help players, post the words prominently on a board where they can be seen often. If someone is caught saying one of the words on the list, that person has to give up a treasure from their stash. The player with the biggest haul of goodies at the end of the game is the winner! This game is always a big hit. (Ages 7-adult)

CHARADES - Go with a Holiday related theme. Use titles of Christmas songs, Christmas movies (cartoon or real!), or Christmas traditions that everyone would be familiar with. A few ideas to get you started…"Chestnuts roasting on a open fire", "The Grinch who stole Christmas", "Miracle on 34^th Street", "Jack Frost nipping at your nose", "Frosty the Snowman", "Turkey with all the trimmings", etc. A winner every time! (Ages 5-Adult)

JINGLE BELL RELAY - Before the party you will need to purchase at least 12-1" Jingle Bells (available at craft and discount stores). Divide your group into two teams. Players race around a specific course with a heaping pile of jingling bells (at least six), before handing them off to a teammate. Dropped bells must be retrieved before the handoff. The first team to complete the course wins. (Ages 5 to adult--you may want to give players over the age of 12 lots of additional jingle bells to carry to make the game more challenging)

RUDOLPH WITH YOUR NOSE SO BRIGHT - Borrowing from the concept of the tried and true game of Pin the Tail on the Donkey, we suggest a fun game of "Rudolph with your nose so bright"! Draw an outline of a reindeer on a brown piece of poster board. Use a 2" ball of red Play-Doh ™, a construction paper cutout, or a red foam clown nose as Rudolph's nose. Blindfold each participate as his/her turn arrives, spin, point in the right direction, and watch your reindeer light up a wintry night! (Ages 3-10)

SANTA SCRAMBLE - Divide the guests into two equal teams. Create two starting lines with masking tape, and place two wrapped packages about 10-15 yards away. Line the teams up with the "Santa's wardrobe" at the starting line. At the signal to begin, the first player on each team quickly dresses up, runs the course, and then returns the wardrobe to the next player. The first team to complete the course wins. A Santa hat, oversized T-shirt, pillow for stuffing the tummy, big black boots, and a sack full of toys will lead to holly jolly fun. (Ages 4-12)

RING AROUNG THE SNOWMAN - In this version of ring-toss, paint or tape point values on 3 to 4 snowmen of varying sizes. Use stuffed snowmen, or if the weather cooperates, take the game outside and use the real thing! Arrange them with the highest score farthest from the starting line. Players stand on the line and try to toss a hula-hoop around a snowman. Each player is given three to four tries depending on the amount of time available, and the player with the highest score wins. (Ages 4-12)

SANTA'S HELPERS - Cut ten pieces of paper in Christmas or Toy related shapes, such as drums, dolls, bicycles, candy canes, Christmas Trees, cars, snowmen, etc. The shapes need to be about the size of a Ritz™ cracker. Place the shapes in a pile beside a small bowl or "Santa Sack". Have straws available for each player, along with a stopwatch, or a watch with a second hand. Using the straw as a vacuum, each contestant tries to pick up the Christmas goodies and drop them into the sack. The player with the fastest time wins. (Ages 5-10)

FROSTY FUMBLE! - Using a stuffed snowman as your melting Frosty the Snowman, play this Christmas variation on the classic Hot Potato game. Have players sit in a circle, and pass the snowman until the music or jingle bells stop. The player left holding the snowman when the music stops is out. Keep passing Frosty until only one player is left. (Ages 4-9)

LIMBO - The young and the young at heart always enjoy the classic beach game of "limbo". Try using a string of twinkle lights, or a strand of sparkly garland for your limbo stick. For a fun variation on the game, make it a little more challenging by adding a Santa Stomach to guests as they take their turn. Have a couple of oversized shirts, and some fluffy pillows on hand. Get ready for some howling laughter! (All ages)

"HULA" HOOP - Purchase or borrow a couple of hula-hoops. They are available at discount chains for about $3.99 each. Let guests know that at a specified time there will be a "hula" contest, and encourage them to practice if the mood strikes. (All ages)

PINATA FUN - Our piñatas can do double duty--They'll hang as decorations until you are ready to use them. A universal favorite! (Ages 3 to 12)

NAME THAT TUNE - You'll need a CD player and some compact discs with compilations of Christmas songs. Play the first few bars, and see which guest can name that tune the fastest. Keep track of points and award the winner a Christmas music CD. If your group is large, play a variation on this game. Using famous Christmas and holiday songs, list song titles on one side of a page, and the original Artists or songwriters on the other side. Make enough copies for all guests. Challenge guests to match as many as possible. A challenging but fun adventure! (Ages 9-Adult)

BALLOON POPPING CONTEST - Divide the children into two equal groups. About 25 yards away place two bags of inflated red and green balloons. These balloons should be overinflated to make popping easier. At the sound of a ringing bell, the first two relay contestants, one from each team, run to the bag, and remove one balloon. Each must sit on it until it pops. Once the balloon pops, the players run back to the starting line, and tag the next player in line. The first team to complete the course wins. If you have children who are afraid of the sound of popping balloons, offer a grown-up stand-in. Not a quiet game…but a guaranteed favorite! (Ages 4-adult)

LET IT SNOW! - We all dream of a white Christmas…using the same concept as an Easter Egg hunt, play a game of find the snowflakes to create your own winter wonderland. Either make little tiny snowflakes out of white paper, or use purchased snowflake confetti (use larger snowflakes if the children are younger). Hide the snow around the house or classroom before the party starts-and make sure the hiding places are appropriate for the age group you are entertaining. (Ages 2-9)

PUT THE GIFT UNDER THE TREE! - Wrap two boxes to look like beautiful gifts (approximately shoe box size). Divide the children into two teams and have them form two lines. At the signal to "go", the gift is to be passed from child to child. The catch is that they can use any part of their bodies except their hands. If the gift touches the ground at any time, it must go back to the beginning of the line again. Whichever team manages to get the gift to the end of the line first wins the game. You may want to fill each box with little prizes (enough for all the children), so that both teams can open the gift and be rewarded for their efforts. We have several very inexpensive prizes in our Party Favor Store. (Ages 5-adult)