Looking for Christmas party games that don’t require a pack of cards or a set of dice? There is no need to resort to boring favorites like Monopoly or Trivial Pursuit when far more fun can be had by playing some memory games to challenge the grey matter after a few glasses of bubbly. Or simply choose a fun drinking game like Ibble Dibble to start the festivities off and put everyone in a good mood.
Memory Games for Christmas Parties
These memory games are a great way to start a party or to keep people awake after too much turkey and red wine:
- What’s on the tray? Place 25 different objects on a tray and cover them with a large cloth. Include everyday objects like a coin, scissors and a comb as well as Christmas related items like a tree decoration or a wine glass charm. Give everyone a piece of paper and a pen, uncover the items for exactly one minute then take the tray away and ask everyone to write down as many items as they can remember. For a sneaky twist, ask everyone to guess how many decorations are on the Christmas tree first, and then start the memory game afterwards; this makes it harder to memorize the items on the tray.
- What color is the pen? An alternative to the above memory game is to ask participants to remember the item and its color, a blue pen or a red tree decoration for instance. Some people may find this mental challenge easier as they can visualize the color of each item rather than trying to simply remember an object.
One of the silliest but most entertaining Christmas drinking games is the British adaptation of a US college party game called Ibble Dibble. All that is required is a wine bottle cork, a lighter and a group of at least 5-6 participants. Light the end of the cork, let it burn until it blackens, then blow the flame out and let the cork cool for a minute.
Players sit in a circle and are assigned a number. They then have to recite the Ibble Dibble mantra as follows “Ibble Dibble X spot, I’ve got no spots, how many spots has Y spot got?” (For X replace the current player’s number and for Y, that player must say another non-adjacent player’s number.)
All players start with “no spots” but within minutes, someone will recite the mantra incorrectly and then receives a black spot on the forehead from the game master; this happens if they get tongue-tied, if they give the incorrect number of spots for a certain player number or if they choose the number of the player sitting on either side.
Each time a black spot is placed on the forehead, the player also has to take two sips of their drink and if they receive 5 spots they are eliminated, although they remain in the circle. Hysterical laughter usually ends the game before a winner is found (the person with the least number of black spots on their forehead).
Christmas Party Songs
Play some Christmas party songs to accompany the party fun, putting Christmas themed compilations onto an iPod or MP3 player so that the game isn’t interrupted each time a CD finishes. Choose classic Christmas tracks like Slade’s "I wish it could be Christmas everyday" to keep all players in a happy party mood.
Holiday Party Game Ideas for Grown Ups
Choose a fun drinking game for grown ups only to get a Christmas party going and use memory games like those above to keep revelers awake and challenge their powers of concentration. No game boards or dice required.
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Helen Smeaton - Helen Smeaton runs a cycling and hiking business and is also a freelance writer and web designer. Read her profile for more information
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