Christmas drinks party games: 10 ideas to liven up Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve there's always that lull between the nibbles and the main course: the turkey isn't ready, the children are circling the tree and the table is starting to doze off. That's the moment for a Christmas drinks party game. Here are 10 ideas for Christmas Eve with friends or family: games that need no kit at all, games using what's already on the table, and skill games where bottle caps finally get a part to play. No "the loser drinks" rules here: you lose a forfeit, not your evening.

In short: for a successful Christmas Eve, pick games with short rules that guests can join halfway through, and have an alcohol-free version of everything. For the grand finale, a showpiece like the Beer Mortar or the Capgun turns opening a bottle into a little act.

Which drinks party game suits Christmas?

The right Christmas Eve game depends on three things: the number of guests, the age range around the table and the space available. A Christmas game has to bring together a great-aunt and a 15-year-old, which rules out anything too long or too "student party". Our article 10 aperitif games with friends covers the year-round classics; these are made for the tree, the tinsel and the Yule log.

• Fewer than 6 people: conversation and guessing games.
• 6 to 12 people: team games, charades, bingo.
• More than 12 people: skill games and gift swaps that can be explained in one sentence.

Christmas party games with no kit at all

1. Hum that carol

One player hums a Christmas carol with their mouth closed; everyone else guesses. It sounds easy until "Jingle Bells" and "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" start sounding oddly alike. Expert variant: hum it in slow motion.

2. Christmas film charades

Two teams, one minute per mime, one Christmas film or cartoon title to get across without a word. Write the titles in advance on folded slips in a Santa hat: the draw is part of the show.

3. Who am I, Christmas Eve edition

Everyone sticks a sticky note with a Christmas character on their neighbour's forehead: Santa, a reindeer, an elf, the snowman… or the Yule log, for the cheekier players. You ask yes-or-no questions to work out who you are. Almost no kit, and it works for every age.

Christmas games with next to nothing

4. Christmas Eve bingo

Give everyone a small 9-square grid filled with classic Christmas Eve scenes: "someone asks if the turkey is cooked", "a guest talks about the weather", "someone gets the carol lyrics wrong", "the cat attacks the tree". You tick them off discreetly as the evening goes on, and the first to complete a line shouts "Bingo". The game runs by itself for hours, and it makes everyone listen to each other.

5. The toilet-roll snowman

In teams of three, one volunteer acts as the model while teammates wrap them in toilet paper to make a snowman, three minutes on the clock. Add a hat and scarf for the finishing touch. The jury's vote (ideally the grandparents) is final.

6. The steal-it gift swap

Each guest brings a small wrapped gift, within a budget agreed in advance. Draw numbers: no. 1 opens a gift, no. 2 can either open a new one or steal no. 1's, who then opens another, and so on. Set an anti-drama rule: the same gift can't be stolen more than twice. It's the perfect game for passing a funny object, like an unusual bottle opener, from one end of the table to the other. If the swap is between colleagues, our Secret Santa gift ideas for men will help you find the parcel everyone wants to steal.

7. The family memories quiz

Instead of a general knowledge quiz, prepare 10 questions about your group's own history: "What year did the tree fall over?", "Who gave the jumper with the flashing reindeer?". Each right answer scores a point, each anecdote dug up scores a fit of laughter. Nobody gets an edge from their degree, which is the whole point.

Christmas skill games, where bottle caps take the stage

8. Bottle-cap flip

A table game played with bottle caps: everyone puts a cap on the table and, taking turns, tries to flick their cap so it lands on top of an opponent's. Whoever manages it wins that cap. A good way to recycle the evening's caps. For what comes next, we have a few ideas for reusing beer caps.

9. Cap in Santa's sack

Dress up a bucket or a box as Santa's sack and put it in a clear area a few metres away. When you open the bottles already planned for the meal (beer, alcohol-free beer, capped lemonade), the Beer Mortar sends the cap skywards: whichever lands closest to the sack wins. With the Capgun, the pistol bottle opener, you aim straight at the sack. The game follows the bottles you'd open anyway: nobody opens an extra one to play again.

The safety rule isn't negotiable: always aim at the sky or a clear area, never at a person, an animal or the tree. A launched cap has sharp edges. Afterwards, the openers go back out of children's reach. To understand how the launcher works, see how the beer mortar works.

10. The 19th Hole tournament

For families with a golfer, Le 19e Trou makes quite an impression: with each bottle opened, an articulated golfer putts the cap into the hole. Keep a scoreboard of who sinks their "hole in one" first time over the evening, and award the winner a ridiculous trophy (a bauble, an elf hat). Same principle as Santa's sack: the tournament follows the pace of the meal, not the other way round.

How do you run the games on Christmas Eve?

• One game per key moment: a calm game with the aperitif, a team game between the main course and the cheese, a skill game with dessert. Three games back to back wears everyone out.
• Rules in under 30 seconds: if the explanation drags on, half the table drifts off.
• Everyone can play: have alcohol-free drinks as festive as the rest, and make "I'll pass" an answer that's always accepted.
• Forfeits, not sips: sing a verse, wear the elf hat until dessert, wash the champagne flutes.
• Water on the table at all times, just like everything else.

If you're planning a beer-themed Christmas Eve, our guide to hosting a beer tasting at home gives you a calm, instructive activity to start with, and our list of essential beer aperitif accessories saves you hunting for the opener at the crucial moment. Alcohol abuse is dangerous for your health; please drink responsibly.

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