Playing a game or two on Christmas Eve can be a lot of fun, although it is something most people don't often think about doing on Christmas Eve.
If you want to add some fun for gift giving, there is one fun game that is ideally suited for anxious children, as well as adults. For those anxious children, this Christmas Eve game is a way to make that "open one gift on Christmas Eve" rule last a little longer, as well as making it little more exciting.
Christmas Eve Game #1
For this first Christmas Eve game you will create a hunt with clues, so the children have to follow the clues to find their hidden Christmas gifts. For example, instead of putting their Christmas presents under the tree, you want to hide them somewhere else. Now make clues that will lead the children to where their Christmas presents are hidden. For this Christmas Eve game, you can use anything to write your clues on. You could use some unused Christmas cards in their envelopes that you had extras of, or you might try cutting out Christmas tree shapes for this, or you might want to use ornaments, but for safety reasons, avoid using the delicate glass ones because of they can break easily.
Once you select your method of delivery, write a clue on each of your items and leave those around the house for the seekers to find. You start this Christmas Eve game by handing each child the first clue. For example, the clue might say, "you sleep here every night" and hopefully the children will run to their beds. Under their pillow you have placed another clue that might say, "mom pours this on your cereal" and the children head to the refrigerator, where they find another clue on the milk carton. The last clue will lead them to their Christmas gift or gifts, depending on whether or not your clues lead to each individual gift or all of them. You can make it extra fun by stashing the Christmas gift under the tree. Your children won't expect that at all! This Christmas Eve game is great for adults too.
Christmas Eve Game #2
If you plan on having a large gathering of friends and family on Christmas Eve, you might try playing a circle Christmas Eve game. Have all participants form a circle. The first person in the circle (you choose who goes first) will start with, "in my Christmas stocking there is an apple" and the next person in the circle will add, "in my Christmas stocking there is an apple and a book". Each person will continue on, remembering the previous items and the adding one of their own items to the list, making sure they are all in alphabetical order. If you miss an item, you're out of the game. The winner of the circle game is the last person who successfully remembers all the stocking items over and over again each time they have to recite the items and add to the list. This Christmas Eve game can get rather comical.
Christmas Eve Game #3
If you are looking for a little physical activity, then this Christmas Eve game is for you. How about a exciting game of musical chairs using your favorite Christmas music? This Christmas Eve game can be particularly funny if you use upbeat and well-known classical Christmas music. It's best to use Christmas songs that everyone knows and require they sing along and dance while they scurry around the chairs. This can get rather hilarious because inevitably there is at least one person who gets so caught up in the music and dancing they don't realize the music has stopped. This game is played like any traditional game of musical chairs with the loser being the one who doesn't get a chair when the music stops. If you don't know what I'm talking about then just watch "Barney", you know, the purple dinosaur? :-)
Christmas Eve Game #4
Since Santa's big arrival is always on Christmas Eve, why not play the Christmas Eve game of "Where's Santa"? In this game, have everyone sit in a circle and chose one person to be Rudolph, the red nosed reindeer. Next, have Rudolf leave the room for a few minutes. Now, choose a Santa from among those left in the room. Let Rudolph return and have him start searching for Santa. You should have Rudolph standing in the center of the circle while he tries to figure out which person is Santa Claus. While Rudolf is searching, Santa, needs to winking at other people in the circle. Anyone that Santa winks at has to yell, "ho ho ho". This Christmas Eve game ends when Rudolph figures out who Santa is.
Christmas Eve Game #5
This Christmas Eve game is for basketball enthusiasts. By Christmas Eve, your Christmas cards have been on display for a few weeks, so maybe it's time to play a game with them. Set up a laundry basket, or a gift box a few feet away, the older the players the further away you should place the basket. Have the participants attempt to toss the cards into the basket or box. This sounds easy than it actually is, but different cards of different weights and styles will react differently and can be harder than expected to get into the basket or box. That's the last of my list of Christmas Eve games. If you know of any different games for Christmas Eve, it would be great if you added them to this list and passed it along for others to enjoy on Christmas Eve. Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
