Christmas Eve Games for Families: 11 Cozy Games That Wind Down to Bedtime

November 2026  ·  16 questions

The best Christmas Eve games are calm, quick and need no supplies, because the night is really about getting everyone to bed happy. Start with a round of Christmas Eve would you rather (“open one gift tonight or wait for all of them in the morning?”), play guess the gift and a Christmas Eve story chain after dinner, then wind down with a flashlight I spy and a gratitude circle. Below are 11 of them, in the order that works best, from lively to sleepy.

Game #1 is ready to play right here. Tap a choice, hit next and pass the phone around the room.

When is Christmas Eve 2026?

Christmas Eve is Thursday, December 24, 2026, and Christmas Day is Friday, December 25. Many families have the whole evening at home, which is great, and also a long time for excited kids to wait. A plan of short games turns those hours into something fun instead of something to get through.

Game 1: The Christmas Eve would you rather deck

There’s nothing to explain. Read a question, everyone picks, and anyone who wants to says why. It works at the dinner table, in pajamas by the tree or in the car on the way home from a Christmas Eve service. Play it from the card above, or read these out loud.

• Would you rather open one gift tonight or wait for all of them in the morning?
• Would you rather leave Santa sugar cookies or gingerbread cookies?
• Would you rather hear sleigh bells on the roof or spot a red nose in the sky?
• Would you rather wear new pajamas tonight or your coziest old pajamas?
• Would you rather read a Christmas story before bed or hear a story from Grandma or Grandpa?
• Would you rather leave carrots for the reindeer or a bowl of oats for the reindeer?
• Would you rather drive around to see the lights or watch the lights on your own tree?
• Would you rather fall asleep right away or lie awake listening for Santa?
• Would you rather track Santa on a map or write him one last note?
• Would you rather have hot cocoa with candy canes or warm cider with a cinnamon stick?
• Would you rather sing one carol at the door or hum carols by the tree?
• Would you rather wake up at 5 a.m. on Christmas or sleep in until the sun is up?
• Would you rather help Santa pack the sleigh or help the reindeer get ready?
• Would you rather have a snowy Christmas Eve or a clear, starry one?
• Would you rather leave Santa a drawing or a thank-you letter?
• Would you rather sleep under the Christmas tree or in a blanket fort with your siblings?

Need a bigger list? The Christmas would you rather edition has plenty more, and the Christmas would you rather for kids deck is perfect for little ones.

10 more Christmas Eve games for family (no supplies)

These go roughly from “just finished dinner” to “time for bed.” Play two or three, not all ten. Each one takes a minute to explain.

After dinner: a little energy

Game 2: Guess the gift

Pick one wrapped gift from under the tree (one that isn’t being opened tonight). Everyone gets three yes-or-no questions: “Is it soft?” “Can you wear it?” “Does it make noise?” Then everyone writes or says a guess. Tomorrow morning, see who was closest. Kids love that the answer waits until Christmas.

Game 3: Reindeer roll call

Go around the room and name one of Santa’s reindeer each. Whoever gets stuck acts out a reindeer instead: prancing, pawing the floor or “flying” across the room. Little kids think the acting part is the prize.

Game 4: Santa’s route

Someone names a place Santa might stop tonight: “the North Pole,” “Grandma’s house,” “a lighthouse.” The next person names a place that starts with the last letter of that one. “Lighthouse” leads to “Egypt,” which leads to “Texas.” It’s quiet enough for the couch and gets surprisingly silly.

Game 5: Hum that carol

One person hums a Christmas song with no words. Whoever names it first hums the next one. Save “Silent Night” for the very last round. It’s a gentle way to start bringing the volume down.

Cozy in pajamas: a story game and table games

Game 6: The Christmas Eve story chain

Start the story: “On Christmas Eve, one small reindeer got lost on the way to the sleigh…” Each person adds one sentence. Grown-ups, add a twist only when the story starts to fade. End it with the reindeer getting home in time, so it’s a happy story to fall asleep to.

Game 7: Christmas twenty questions

One person thinks of something you’d see on Christmas Eve: a stocking, a candle, the star on the tree, a plate of cookies. Everyone else asks yes-or-no questions until someone guesses. It’s calm, and it works sitting in a circle on the floor.

Game 8: Two true memories and a tall tale

Grandparents and parents share three Christmas Eve memories, two true and one made up. Kids guess which one is the tall tale. You’ll hear stories about Christmases long ago that nobody has told in years.

Winding down to bedtime

Game 9: Flashlight I spy

Turn off the big lights and leave the tree on. Pass a small flashlight and play I spy with only ornaments and decorations: “I spy something round and silver.” Whoever finds it points the flashlight at it. The dim room does half the work of calming everyone down.

Game 10: Listen for the sleigh

Everyone lies down on the floor or the couch and stays perfectly still and quiet for one minute, “listening for sleigh bells.” Whoever hears the quietest sound (a clock ticking, the heater, the dog sighing) says it at the end. This is the trick that saves many parents on Christmas Eve.

Game 11: The gratitude circle

Go around once and finish the sentence “This year, I’m thankful for…” Then send everyone to brush their teeth. It’s a sweet last game and an easy family tradition to repeat every Christmas Eve.

Which Christmas Eve game fits your evening?

Christmas Eve games for kids who can’t sleep

Kids get wound up on Christmas Eve. That’s half the magic. The trick is to save the loud games for early in the evening and keep the last half hour quiet. Dim the lights, pick a seated game and stop while they still want one more turn. Promise one last would you rather question in bed, and make it a sleepy one: “Would you rather fall asleep right away or lie awake listening for Santa?” Most kids pick “right away” once they realize Santa only comes when they’re asleep.

Christmas Eve box games

Many families open a Christmas Eve box after dinner, with new pajamas, cocoa packets and a book. A game fits right in. Print the would you rather questions from this page, cut them into strips and fold them into a small jar for the box. Or write “Guess the gift” on a card with one wrapped gift’s name hidden in an envelope, to be opened Christmas morning. Keep it simple: one game per box is plenty.

Christmas Eve games for a mixed-age family

When toddlers, teens and grandparents are all in one room, pick games where everyone can be good at something. The would you rather deck lets everyone answer at their own level. Two true memories puts the grandparents in charge. Reindeer roll call and the flashlight I spy are made for the little ones. For older relatives who prefer to stay seated, our Christmas party games for seniors has more gentle ideas.

What most people get wrong about Christmas Eve games

Ending with the loudest game. A wild round of charades at 8:30 p.m. is fun until it’s time for bed and nobody can settle. Flip it: play the high-energy games first and the quiet games last. And keep it short. Two or three games is plenty on a night that already has a lot going on. If you need games for any other day of the season, the Christmas games for families hub has 16 more, and the holiday would you rather questions work right through New Year’s. When you’re ready for more questions, play the full Would You Rather game.

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