A Fun Holiday Game – Christmas Minute to Win It
On Christmas Eve we had our big family Christmas party with all of our kids and Mr. Wonderful’s Mom and sister Cheryl. I had spent a few days in a row preparing Brisket, Holiday Mashed Potatoes and Christmas Cookies for the crowd and so therefore put Mr. W in charge of organizing a fun game of Christmas Minute to Win It. After we stuffed ourselves silly, we headed out to the living room to play. I thought I’d share our game with you because it was a really fun adult game to play on Christmas! I think you could do it on New Year’s Eve or New Year’s as well! We started by drawing numbers for teams. You’ll have two teams and you’ll need to tear up some pieces of paper and write 1 or 2 on them and make them equal to the number of players you have. All the 1’s will be on Team Elves and all the 2 will be on Team Santas. You’ll also need a large piece of paper to keep score. We have a dry erase board that we used. Here are our Team Elves.
And here is our Team Eves.
I purchased these elf and Santa hats a few years back at the Dollar Tree for our family Christmas pictures.
Anyway, so since Mr. Wonderful was the official Game Master, we had an even number of players so it was perfect.
I’m thinking he’s the Game Master with the hottest biceps ever. SO, the first game was called Blow the Christmas Ball into the Square.
Tape a four by four inch square (or slightly larger than the ornament you’re using) with masking tape onto the rug or floor. Plug in an extension cord and a blow dryer that will allow movement across most of your living room. Each team must pick one player to play. Using a large Christmas ornament ball, players get one minute to see if they can blow the ornament into the square. The blow dryer must be on the highest setting possible for blowing. The ball is weighted goofy because of the top part where the hook goes so it is extremely difficult (and funny to watch!) as players try this.
If the ball is anywhere inside the square, that team gets a point. Each game is played for one minute also so you’ll need a timer or a small hourglass from a board game that goes for one minute. (Most cell phones have timers). For our second game, we played Ruler Balance. This game requires 2 players from each team. Mr. Wonderful had covered a ruler and a cut off piece of a wrapping paper tube (you could also use a toilet paper tube) with wrapping paper. We had 5 small ornaments with hooks each.Each player has to hook all 5 of their ornaments on their respective side of the paper tube and onto the ruler without the ruler falling off the tube. Draw a line or place a piece of masking tape across the ruler at least six inches away from the center of the ruler that is off limits. We figured this out after we played because it’s too easy if you don’t.
‘Again, this game has to be played in one minute. The team who does it fastest gets one point. For our third game, we played Candy Cane Fishing
Tape a large candy cane onto the end of a fishing line. If you don’t have a fishing pole, you can make one by using a ruler with yarn or twine tied around one end, or a chopstick or stick. Place a number of candy canes into a large bowl and also place a vase across the room from the bowl on a table or the floor.
Players have one minute to try to get as many candy canes out of the bowl and hang them over the edge of the vase.
The candy canes should have the hook of the candy cane draped outwards on the vase.
This was SO funny to watch…and our daughter-in-law Laura screamed uncontrollably when she played which was hysterical! The next game was Christmas Card Blow and we used our coffee table for this one. Set up four Christmas card games across the center of the table and allow two players from the same team to play. Using only your breath blowing on the Christmas cards, you must try to blow the cards across the table without them falling down flat. To get a point, the cards must have two corners hanging off the table but not fall off the table. The team who makes the most points in one minute wins.
The next game was called Pulley Ornament Spinner. You’ll need a piece of Christmas ribbon that is cut to be slightly longer than two people when wrapped around them.
Leaving about a foot in space between the players tie the ribbon in a knot around them. The players then have to spin (in the same direction) to create a pulley. Have several Christmas ornaments with hooks in a bowl. Players must hang a Christmas ornament ball on one side of their ribbon and spin around to “pulley” it around a full 360 degrees or back to where it started. They can then hang it on the tree and start again with another ornament. The team who gets the most ornaments on the tree wins. If the ribbon breaks, it’s an automatic loss. And for the last game, we played Nutcracker Stacker. There were no actual Nutcrackers involved but I just made up that name as it sounded Christmas-like. One player from each team uses a Christmas ornament hook to try to stack five metal nuts on top of each other. The nuts must be stacked on their edges (not flat on their sides) like the photo below to count.
Whichever team gets the most nuts stacked in the fastest time wins. For the winning team, we had $5 Starbucks gift cards but you could do anything you want including large candy bars, or even make the losing team serve the winning team dinner and drinks for the remainder of the night.
We loved this game and plan on doing it each year. I’m sure it will get bigger and bolder an funnier each year as well!
I hope you try it!
- large dry erase board or paper and pen for keeping score
- toilet paper tube
- yardstick
- 10 small ornaments with hooks
- coffee table or card table
- fishing pole (or ruler, chopstick and yarn or twine)
- 10 large candy canes
- large bowl
- large sturdy vase
- 4 tent style Christmas cards
- 5 large metal nuts
- one Christmas ornament hanger
- Christmas ribbon
- blowdryer
- 6-10 foot extension cord
- masking tape
- large Christmas ornament
- Each game should be played in one minute time frames. Use an hourglass or a timer.
- Have a marker board or paper with team names on each side to keep score
- Have a Game Master who is fun, loud and will give instructions for each game
- Count players. Divide by 2. Place that number of each - 1's and 2's (or the word Santa or Elf) in a bowl to draw numbers for teams.
- Separate teams.
- tape a four inch square (or slightly larger than ornament) on center of floor
- Plug in extension cord and blowdryer
- Blowdryer must be on highest setting
- Each team gets one minute to blow the ornament into the square
- The team who does it fastest wins
- Cover a yardstick and toilet paper tube with wrapping paper (not necessary but it looks prettier)
- Balance the yardstick on the toilet paper tube.
- pick two players from each team to play
- sitting on opposite sides of the yardstick, players from the same team must place all 5 of their ornaments on the yardstick without it falling off the tube. Fastest time wins
- Tape a large candy cane around the fishing line end of a fishing pole
- If you don't have a fishing pole make one using a ruler, stick, or chopstick and taping fishing line, yarn or twine on the end.
- Place one candy cane on the line, and the other 9 in a large bowl.
- Set a vase at least several feet away from the bowl on a sturdy surface
- Pick one player from each team
- each player must hook a candy cane and drop it in the vase with the crook of the candy cane over the vase and with the crook facing out.
- The team with the most candy canes in the vase in one minute wins
- Set up 4 Christmas cards like tents across a table in a line
- Pick 2 team members from each team to play
- In one minute, players must blow the cards across the table without the cards falling down
- When 2 corners are off the table but the card remains upright and on the table, the team gets a point
- The team with the most points wins
- Pick 2 players from each team
- Place 5-10 small ornaments in a bowl on a high table
- Tie a length of ribbon around the two players leaving a foot in between their stomachs when facing each other.Make knot double and tight so it wont slip easily.
- Players must hang an ornament on one side of the ribbon and turn clockwise to create a pulley to spin the ribbon around them
- When the ornament spins around them a full 360º and back to its starting point, one of the players removes it and places it on a Christmas tree
- They then get another ornament and do the same
- The team who gets the most ornaments on the tree in one minute wins
- Pick one player from each team to play
- Place 5 large metal nuts on a coffee table standing on end (not on their sides)
- Using a Christmas ornament hook, player must hook through the center of the nut and stack it on top of another nut
- The player with the most nuts stacked in the fastest time wins
- This game is allowed one minute
