Christmas is right around the corner and it is never too early to start planning out the fun activities for your holiday gathering!
We love to play board and card games every year but this year we are switching it up a bit. I decided it would be fun to try out some homemade games! The games below are competitive yet fun, some are minute it-to-win-it style, some individual, and others are head-to-head.
Most of all, these are easy to set up and are inexpensive as you can use what you already have around the house or pick up your supplies at Dollar Tree!
Whether you select just a few to play or go with all 21, your guests are sure to have fun with these! So on to the games, shall we?!
Here are 21 easy, fun Christmas games using Dollar Tree supplies.
1. Five Golden Rings
Supplies:
- 10 Gold Sparkle Pipe Cleaners (there is a multi-pack with gold, green, red, and silver, which are good for the Candy Cane Toss too)
- 3 Different Christmas Tin Decor or Nutcrackers
Setup:
Place the holiday tin decor or nutcrackers in a line – one 2 feet, one 3 feet, and one 4 feet away from where players will toss the rings.
To assemble the rings, twist 2 gold pipe cleaners together to make them a bit thicker. Then join the ends to make a ring. Repeat with the other 8 pipe cleaners making a total of 5 golden rings.
Gameplay:
Give the first player all 5 golden rings. Have them throw each ring one at a time at the targets. If they get it around the closest at 2 feet away, score 1 point. The middle one is worth 2 points and the farthest away is worth 3 points.
Once everyone has had a turn, the person with the most points wins. In the event of a tie, have another round with those who tied in order to determine one winner.
The nice thing about this game is that the holiday tin figures or nutcrackers can double as decor before and after your gaming session!
2. Candy Cane Toss
Supplies:
- Mini Christmas Tree (they have 2 options – white and green – at Dollar Tree)
- 10 Red Sparkle Pipe Cleaners
- 10 Silver Sparkle Pipe Cleaners
Setup:
Twist one red and one silver pipe cleaner together to make it thicker. Next, fold that pipe cleaner in half and twist again, making it 4 times as thick. Then bend a curve in the top, shaping it to look like a candy cane. Repeat with the other 18 pipe cleaners to make 10 candy canes total.
Take out the mini Christmas tree and assemble the feet. Then fluff up the pine needles. The tree has thin branches, which makes it perfect for this game.
Gameplay:
Have the first player take the 10 candy canes and stand 3 feet from the tree. Then they will throw the candy canes trying to get them to stick on the tree. They do not need to hang on the branches perfectly; as long as they stick to the tree it counts. Finally, count up all of the candy canes that made it on the tree and score 1 point for each.
After everyone has had a turn, the player with the most points wins. If there is a tie, you can do a face-off with the tied players to see who scores the most in round two.
3. Jingle Jamboree
Supplies:
- 2 packs small jingle bells, 50 ct.
- 5 gift boxes
- Wrapping paper
- Tape
- Tags
- Sharpie
- Scissors
- Timer (Optional)
Setup:
Put this number of jingle bells in each of the boxes:
#1 – 30 bells
#2 – 2 bells
#3 – 17 bells
#4 – 45 bells
#5 – 6 bells
Then wrap each box and label using the tags with the appropriate number 1 through 5.
Gameplay:
The first person will shake the gifts filled with jingle bells trying to determine which box holds the least number (2 bells). Once they think they have figured it out, they secretly write down the number of the box. Then they try to figure out which box has the next least jingle bells and write down that number.
They will continue sorting the boxes from least jingle bells (2 bells) to most (45 bells). Once they have the order written down, the next player can take their turn. After everyone has had a chance to examine the boxes, reveal the correct sequence from least to greatest.
If you filled the boxes according to the directions above, the answer is Box 2, 5, 3, 1, 4.
The person who gets the correct sequence is the winner! If you want to avoid a tie, time each person to see how long it takes them to get the sequence. That way if more than one person gets the answer correct, whoever has the fastest time is the winner.
4. Snowball Fight
Supplies:
- Bag of White Pom Poms, 80 ct. or Bag of Cottonballs, 100 ct.
- 2 Santa Tin Buckets
- Timer
Setup:
This game requires 2 people at a time to play. First, put one Santa bucket on each end of a table. Then have the players stand behind one of each of the buckets. Give about half the bag of pom-poms or cotton balls to one player and the other half to the second player. Set a timer for 1 minute.
Gameplay:
Start the timer. Then both players will toss their “snowballs” trying to get them inside the other player’s Santa bucket. Note, there is no covering of the bucket allowed, otherwise, no one will get any snowballs in.
Once the timer is up, count the number of pom-poms or cotton balls in each of the buckets. The person who made more go into their target bucket is the winner and advances to the next round.
Pair off 2 more people and repeat. Once everyone has played, all of those people that advanced play again. Pair off two people and have another round of snowball fights. Keep playing rounds until you have one winner.
5. Ornament Toss
Supplies:
- Container of small plastic ornaments, 12 count (non-glitter if possible, also used in a number of other games)
- 3 different sizes of cardboard mailboxes or other containers
- Timer
Setup:
Open the 3 different sizes of mailboxes and set them against a wall or door next to each other. Have the first player stand 6 feet from the mailboxes. Give them the 12 ornaments and set the timer for 1 minute.
Gameplay:
On your go, the player will toss the ornaments and try to get one inside each of the mailboxes within a minute. Once they have all 3 mailboxes filled with an ornament, stop the timer and note the time it took. The person who gets all 3 boxes filled in the fastest time is the winner.
6. Plastic Wrap Game
Supplies:
- 2 Boxes of Glad Cling Wrap, 45 sq. ft. rolls
- Small gifts, trinkets, toys, candy, money (all used to wrap inside the ball and to be given away)
Setup:
Take one of your gifts (I usually start with the nicest gift to put in the center of the ball) and lay it on the start of the cling wrap. Begin wrapping the gift in the cling wrap until it is about 2 or 3 layers covered. Then tuck the second gift in the wrap and roll it. Take the third item and put it in the wrap, and roll. Repeat this until you go through both boxes of cling wrap or get all of the gifts wrapped. Also, make sure you are rolling everything into the shape of one big ball.
Gameplay:
The first player gently unwraps the giant cling wrap ball until they get to the first gift. They keep that gift and then pass the ball to the next player. The next player unwraps until they get a gift. Keep passing the ball around until the very last gift is unwrapped (and given to a lucky player if it is the nicest gift!).
It’s a lot of fun to add goofy items to this game as well, so as to get a few laughs out of the gifts! You could even add something like Palmer’s chocolate pieces of coal as a “naughty” gift (Dollar Tree sells these as well).
7. Naughty or Nice Christmas Lights
Supplies:
- Colorful Balloons, 25 count
- Pack of Green Plastic Cups, 16 count
- Green crepe paper
- Glue dots
- Tape
- Post It Notes
- Sharpie
Setup:
Determine how many players you will have beforehand. If you have more than 16 you will need to buy more green cups. These instructions will assume 16 players.
Write the word “Nice” on one of the Post It Notes. Then write the word “Naughty” on 15 separate Post It Notes (or however many balloons you are using less one).
Fold the Post It Notes in 4 to make a very thin strip. Stick the thin strip into a balloon, being careful not to poke holes in the latex.
Once you have all of your balloons filled with a Post It Note, blow them up and tie them off. Do not blow up the balloons too big as they need to fit partially inside the plastic cups.
Put a couple of glue dots on the rim of a green plastic cup and then attach a balloon. Repeat with all of the other balloons.
Next tape up the green streamer, then attach a lightbulb to the streamer. Repeat with the other balloons, making it look like a strand of Christmas lights.
This game makes cute decor for your party up until it is time to play!
Gameplay:
Have all players pick a “light bulb” and pop it using a safety pin. They will then unfold their Post It note and whoever has the “Nice” Post It is the winner.
8. Mommy Kissing Santa Match
Supplies:
- Bag of Hershey’s Kisses, need 16 pieces
- PDF Printout here or you can use round circle dot labels and just write on them
- Glue Dots
Setup:
Print out and cut the PDF printable to create labels for the kisses. Affix glue dots to the circles and put one on the bottom of each kiss candy. Use 2 of the Mommy, 2 of the Santa, and the rest mistletoe pictures. Line the Hershey Kisses in a 4 by 4 square.
Gameplay:
Have the first player pick one kiss at a time trying to get one Mommy and one Santa. Once they have that pair matched up, count how many Mistletoe kisses they uncovered before they made the match. That is their score. Then mix up the kisses and line them back up again for the next player.
Once everyone has played, whoever received the lowest score is the winner since they found the pair without uncovering too many Mistletoe pieces!
9. Ornament Knock
Supplies:
- Container of small plastic ornaments, 12 count (non-glitter if possible, also used in multiple other games)
- Bag of Medium-sized jingle bells, 32 count
- Timer
Setup:
This game is a favorite of ours! Line 12 plastic ornaments across the edge of a table. Set the timer for 1 minute. Give the first player a bunch of jingle bells.
Gameplay:
On your go, the first player will race to slide the jingle bells one at a time across the table aiming to knock the ornaments off. After the time is up, keep track of how many they knocked off the table.
Next, pick up the ornaments, line them back up, and give the jingle bells to the next player. Once everyone has had a chance to play, the person with the most ornaments knocked off the table in one minute wins! If there is a tie, have a second round with those that are tied to determine one winner.
10. Santa’s Hat Stack
Supplies:
22 Mini plastic cups
22 Cotton Balls or White Pom Poms
Glue Dots
Setup:
Attach a white cotton ball or pom-pom to the bottom of each mini drinking cup to make a “Santa hat”. Divide the cups into 2 sets of 11 each. Then label the cups 1 through 11 for both stacks.
Gameplay:
This game requires 2 people to match up against one another. Give both players a stack of 11 cups with #1 being on the top and #11 being on the bottom.
On your go, both players will take cup #1 and stack it under cup #11, then take cup #2 and stack it under cup #1, etc. The object of the game is to see who gets the cups back in order #1 through #11 the fastest by restacking the cups one at a time.
Whoever is the fastest wins that round. Keep playing until everyone has had a turn. If you want one winner, have a second round with all of the winners from the first round, repeating until you have one final winner.
11. Ornament Shake
Supplies:
- Container of small plastic ornaments, 12 count (non-glitter if possible, also used in multiple other games)
- Empty tissue box
- Pair of Pantyhose
- Timer
Setup:
Place a rectangular tissue box inside the top part of a pair of pantyhose as shown in the photo. Then put 8 of the plastic ornaments inside the front of the tissue box (where the opening is).
Gameplay:
Have the first player tie the pantyhose around their waist with the box of ornaments resting on their lower back. Once the timer is started, see how quickly they can empty the tissue box by jumping and shaking all around. The first couple of ornaments are easy to get out but the last one can be the trickiest! When all of the ornaments have come out of the box, stop the timer and take note of the time. It’s the next player’s turn.
Once everyone has had a chance to play, the person with the fastest time emptying the tissue box is the winner!
12. Snowman Bowling
Supplies:
- 3 packs of Scott Comfort Plus Toilet Paper, 4 count in each
- Black construction paper
- Glue dots
- Medium-sized ball
Setup:
Cut out 20 circles measuring 1.5 inches wide from the black construction paper. Put a glue dot on the backs and place 2 circles on each roll of toilet paper. Note we are only using 10 rolls for this game, not the full 12.
Next line up the toilet paper rolls in a pyramid shape as shown in the photo.
Gameplay:
The first player stands 6 feet from the toilet paper pyramid and rolls the medium-size ball trying to knock down as many toilet paper rolls as they can. Score 1 point for every roll that has been knocked on its side. If it is still standing up, it doesn’t count!
Then reset the toilet paper and have that player go a second turn. Count how many were knocked on their side and add that to the score in the first round. This is their total score for the game.
Reset the “pins” and play goes to the next person. Once everyone has had a chance to roll the ball twice the person with the highest total score wins!
13. Scrambled Presents
Supplies:
- 72 Tumbling Tower Game Mini Wood Blocks
- Red or Green Acrylic Paint
- Paintbrush
- Sharpie
- 10 Mini zipper bags (to store blocks in)
Setup:
Paint the blocks red or green. After the paint has dried, draw pretend bows with a Sharpie to make them look like presents.
Then on the back of each block, use a Sharpie to write these words, one letter per tile. Keep each of the words together as a set of blocks.
#1 – CHRISTMAS
#2 – ELVES
#3 – PRESENTS
#4 – MISTLETOE
#5 – COOKIES
#6 – RUDOLPH
#7 – STOCKING
#8 – SANTA
#9 – DECEMBER
#10 – LIGHTS
Next, label the baggies #1 through #10. Then fill the bag labeled #1 with the blocks that spell out “Christmas”. Put the blocks that spell out “Elves” in the bag labeled #2. Repeat until all words are in their own numbered bag. This makes for a different way to play unscrambled words!
Gameplay:
Set a timer for 5 minutes. Then on your go, the first player will open the bags one at a time and unscramble the words, being careful not to say anything out loud. Once they have figured out the word, they write it down on a separate piece of paper. You can use this free printable as a place where players can write down their answers.
Once the time is up, set the timer for the next player and give them all of the bags. After everyone has had a chance to play, reveal the unscrambled answers. The person with the most correct wins!
14. Do You Want To Build A Snowman
Supplies:
- White Crepe Paper, one roll for every 2 players
- Black construction paper
- Tape
Setup:
This game requires 2 people per team. For each team, cut out 3 black circles from the construction paper. Also, make sure you have one roll of white crepe paper to use per team.
Gameplay:
Separate into groups of 2. Give each team a roll of crepe paper and 3 black circles. Teams have to decide on one player to be wrapped and one player to do the wrapping.
On your go, the one being wrapped will hold the end of the roll of crepe paper. Then the person wrapping will quickly wrap up their teammate from waist to about the shoulder area. If the crepe paper breaks, have players just tie it back together and keep wrapping!
Once the players have used up all of the crepe paper, they need to attach 3 buttons to their snowman using tape or glue dots. The person that gets their teammate all wrapped up and 3 buttons attached first is the winner!
15. Peppermint Divide
Supplies:
- Bag of Red Peppermints
- Bag of Green Spearmints
- 2 Styrofoam Bowls
- Timer
Setup:
Mix the green and red mints together, then place two bowls filled in front of the first player.
Gameplay:
Start the timer. The first player will go as fast as they can separating the red and green mints. The red mints go in one of the bowls and the green in the other. Once complete, stop the timer and note the time it took. Then it is the next player’s turn. Continue until everyone has had a chance to play. The person with the fastest time wins!
16. Snowman Bounce
Supplies:
- 12 Ping Pong Balls
- Sharpie
- 2 Santa Buckets (used in another game)
Setup:
Using a Sharpie, decorate each ping pong with a snowman face or for an easier option just put three buttons on as a snowman’s belly. Put 2 Santa buckets against a wall.
Gameplay:
The first player stands back 6 feet from the buckets. They then take the 12 ping pong balls and one at a time bounce them across the floor, trying to get a ball in one of the two Santa buckets. The balls are very bouncy so this is a more challenging game!
Score 1 point for each ball that gets into one of the buckets. When everyone has had a turn, the person with the most points wins. In the event of a tie, have players repeat another round to see who can get more in the second time around.
17. Trim the Tree
Supplies:
- Vaseline
- Sparkly Pom Poms (only the large and medium sizes are needed from the multipack)
- Foam Trees
- Scotch Tape
- Timer (optional)
Setup:
For each player, have a tree taped up on a wall or door. Give each player 10 pom-poms and a spoon of vaseline.
Gameplay:
This game is played with 2 to 4 people at a time, depending on how much room you have. Each player starts off by putting a small amount of vaseline on the tip of their nose. Then without using their hands, they bend down to put a pom-pom on their nose.
Next, they hurry over to the foam tree with the spoon of vaseline in hand. Taking their finger they get a dab of vaseline and put a small amount on the tree. Then they transfer the pom-pom to the vaseline on the tree. The first person to get 5 of their pom-poms to stick to the tree is the winner!
If any pom-poms fall at any time, go back to the table and try to get another pom-pom on your nose. Each team has a few extra. Also, you might have to add more vaseline to your nose throughout the race.
18. Ornament Hunt
Supplies:
- 2 to 5 containers of small plastic ornaments, 12 count (non-glitter if possible, also used in multiple other games) **make sure you have enough for about 5 per player
- Tags
- Sharpie
Setup:
Tie mini tags around each of the ornaments. Label them in sets of five, with each one having a #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5. Then hide all of the ornaments around the house or outside your home depending on where you want to play the game.
Gameplay:
Have all players hunt for 5 ornaments, similar to an Easter Egg hunt. The difference is they have to look for ornaments with each number on it, #1 through #5. Once someone has all 5 ornaments they are the winner!
19. Ornament Push
Supplies:
- Container of mini plastic ornaments, 12 count (non-glitter if possible, also used in multiple other games)
- Masking Tape or Washi Tape
- Timer
Setup:
Put masking tape about 8 to 10 feet apart from each other, one line being the start and the other line being the finish.
Gameplay:
The first player will take a mini ornament and put it on the start line. Start the timer. Then they will bend down on all fours and push the ornament with their nose, trying to get it past the finish line. Once it goes over the finish line, stop the timer and note the time it took. Now the next player goes. After everyone has had a chance to play, the person with the fastest time wins!
20. Antler Ring Toss
Supplies:
- Antler Headband (they come in red or green)
- 2 packs of glow sticks, 8 ct. each
Setup:
Using 2 glow sticks and 2 connectors, make a ring. Repeat with the other 14 glow sticks making 8 rings total.
Gameplay:
Give the first player all 8 rings while another player volunteers to wear the antler headband. On your go, the player is to toss the glow stick rings and try to get them around one of the antlers.
Note the glow sticks are light and do not hurt, although the player wearing the headband may be inclined to flinch a bit. Tell them to be a tough reindeer. 😉
Once all players have had a chance to play, the person that got the most rings around the antlers wins! If there is a tie and you want one winner, have a face-off between those that are tied to determine a sole winner.
21. Balloon Antlers
Supplies:
- Pack of pantyhose for each team of 2
- Pack of 25 count balloons for every 4 players you have
- Measuring Tape
- Timer
Setup:
Give each team a pack of pantyhose and 12 balloons. Set the timer for 3 minutes.
Gameplay:
On your go, teams will quickly blow up the balloons and tie them off. Then they will stuff 6 balloons in each leg of the pantyhose. Once the timer goes off, all players stop and one player from each team is to put the pantyhose on their head. This is how they get their antlers to enter the contest!
Once all teams have one player wearing their antlers, measure how long each antler turned out to be, from the first balloon to the last balloon. Do this on both legs and take the longest measurement as that team’s score. The team that ends up having the longest antler will be the winner! If there is a tie, combine the measurement of both antlers and see who has the highest score.
To see images of how the antlers turn out looking and for a variation of play, check out the blog Cookie-Exchange.com.
And that’s all folks! Here you have 21 different Christmas games using Dollar Tree supplies. I hope you have enjoyed this article and have fun playing whatever games you decide on for your celebration. Merry Christmas!
Want to see even more game ideas for your Christmas party? Check out these 52 Christmas games and activities to play with your friends and family!
This post is priceless. Thank you for the ideas!