12 Christmas Minute to Win It games for a family party

Start with three games

You’ve got people to feed, different ages to include and enough to organize already. For the games, you need to know what to choose, what to put on the table and how to get people taking turns.

Minute to Win It games are short challenges with a clear finish: build something, land a ball or complete a relay. For a family group of about 8 to 12, start with these three. They share a small supply pile: cups, ping-pong balls, two bowls and tape for the throwing line. Add a timer.

After the relay, replay a favorite or choose another game from the list. You can stop there if the group is ready for food or a break.

The Christmas shopping list

Check the cupboard before you shop. You only need the supplies for the games you choose; the lists below cover all twelve. Tick off what you have, then buy the extras your starting set needs.

Safety first

Take a minute before the first round to check the props, food and anything toddlers could pick up.

• Shatterproof ornaments only

  Never glass, in any game.

• Check for food allergies

  Before the cookie game, and have a non-food backup ready.

• Keep jingle bells away from toddlers

  They're small enough to swallow.

The 12 games

Use this as your menu. Each game has the supplies, the finish to aim for and an easier option. The one-on-one games put two players in the spotlight; the team rounds bring everyone back in.

Head-to-heads (one player from each team)

• 1. Cup Christmas Tree

  

  1 v 1 · 60 sec

  Grab: 10 cups per player, a bow (optional).

  Build a 4-3-2-1 cup pyramid (your tree), put the bow on top, then collapse it into one stack. First done wins.

  Easier: a 6-cup tree.

• 2. Gingerbread Face

  

  1 v 1 · 60 sec

  Grab: gingerbread cookies.

  Put a cookie on your forehead and move it into your mouth using only your face. If it falls, put it back and go again. First to eat it wins.

  Easier: start the cookie on the cheek. Check allergies first and have a non-cookie backup.

• 3. Snowball Sink-It

  

  1 v 1 · 45 sec

  Grab: ping-pong balls (the same number each), 2 identical bowls, a tape line.

  Toss your “snowballs” into your bowl from behind the line. Only balls that stay in count. Most in wins.

  Easier: a closer line or a bigger bowl.

• 4. Santa’s Sleigh

  

  1 v 1 · 60 sec to fold, then throws

  Grab: paper, tape to mark three floor “rooftops” worth 1, 2 and 3.

  Fold one paper plane, then take three throws into the rooftops. Score where the nose stops. Highest total wins.

  Easier: show a simple dart fold first.

• 5. Wrong Answers Only: Christmas Edition

  

  1 v 1 · 60 sec

  Grab: a list of about 20 easy Christmas questions.

  The host asks, and the players take turns. Each answer has to be clearly wrong, within five seconds. Most wrong answers wins. Try: “What color is Santa’s suit?” “What do reindeer pull?” “What goes on top of the tree?” “What do you leave out for Santa?”

  Easier: give younger players an extra beat to answer.

• 6. Jingle Bell Shake

  

  1 v 1 · 60 sec

  Grab: an empty tissue box per player, 5 jingle bells each, a belt or ribbon.

  Fasten the box to the player’s back at the waist, opening facing out, with the bells inside. Wiggle and jump until every bell is out. No hands. First empty wins.

  Easier: 3 bells. Ping-pong balls work too.

• 7. Candy Cane Hook

  

  1 v 1 · 60 sec

  Grab: wrapped candy canes, a bowl per player.

  Hold one candy cane by its straight end, with your other hand behind your back. Use its hook to lift candy canes off the table, one at a time, and hang them on the rim of your bowl. Most hung wins.

  Easier: a smaller pile to start from. Keep the canes wrapped and out of mouths.

Team rounds (everyone on the team takes a turn)

• 8. Ornament Spoon Relay

  

  Team relay · 90 sec

  Grab: 1 spoon per team, plus 1 shatterproof ornament or ping-pong ball per team, and markers for two equal courses.

  Carry the ornament on the spoon around the marker and back, then hand off. If you drop it, stop and put it back. Most laps wins.

  Easier: a shorter course.

• 9. Christmas Tree Stack Relay

  

  Team relay · 90 sec

  Grab: 6 cups per team, a table.

  Build a 3-2-1 tree, collapse it into one stack, then tag the next teammate. Most trees wins.

  Easier: a 3-cup tree.

• 10. Snowball Blowball

  

  Everyone plays · 90 sec

  Grab: a table, one ping-pong ball.

  Kneel around the table, each team on its own half, and blow the snowball off the other team’s edge. No hands. Most goals wins.

  Easier: give everyone an assigned spot so the bigger kids don’t crowd out the smaller ones.

• 11. Tallest Paper Christmas Tree

  

  Everyone plays · 90 sec

  Grab: 2 sheets of paper per player, a tape measure.

  Everyone builds the tallest freestanding tree from two sheets, with no tape and no scissors. It has to stand for three seconds after time’s up. The top three builders score 3, 2 and 1 for their team.

  Easier: allow folding help from a teammate.

• 12. Mitten Unwrap Relay

  

  Team relay · 90 sec

  Grab: one pair of mittens or oven mitts per team, 2 small boxes each wrapped in the same number of layers (6 to 8) of newspaper or wrapping paper.

  Wearing the mittens, each player tears off one layer, then passes the box and mittens on. First team to the box wins. If time runs out, fewest layers left wins.

  Easier: use fewer layers, or let younger players wear the thinner mitts.

How to run your first three rounds

Keep one adult in charge of explaining the games and judging close calls. Make two mixed-age teams, then use the rhythm from the starting plan: two one-on-one challenges followed by a team round.

1. Choose who's up

   Pick one player from each team for a one-on-one game. Use two different players next time; nobody goes twice until everyone who wants a turn has had one.

2. Show what counts

   Demonstrate the finish before starting the timer. Announce any easier version, such as a closer throwing line, before the round begins.

3. Play, then reset

   Start the timer, call the result and put the supplies back. After two one-on-one games, bring both teams into a relay or everyone-plays round.

A short playing time still needs room for explaining, swapping players and retrieving balls. Put out one game’s supplies at a time, and leave room for a replay instead of trying to fit in all twelve.

Keep scoring optional

You can play without a scoreboard. If your group wants a team competition, give both sides points after each round so a lost round still adds something to the team total.

• A tie pays both sides

  Each team gets the winner's points.

• The team that's behind picks

  It chooses the next game. If it's level, the pick alternates.

• Comeback rule (optional)

  A team 3 or more points behind wins double on its next round.

Keep the score where everyone can see it, and say it out loud after each round. If you’re using the final-three-round bonus, announce those last three rounds before they start.

Making it work for a mixed family group

Agree on the adjustments before the first round. A shorter course or a closer line is easier to explain up front than halfway through a close game. People can also help reset, keep score or watch a round.

• Mix ages on both teams

  Pair an older cousin with a younger one in the relays.

• Use the easier versions

  Give younger kids a closer line, a shorter course or fewer cups. Say which version each player is using before go.

• Put the adults to work

  As host, judge, scorekeeper and the person resetting cups.

• Give teens a job between turns

  Let them ask the Wrong Answers Only questions, announce the next players or keep the scoreboard.

Lets1UP isn’t affiliated with the TV show Minute to Win It.

Christmas games with ping-pong balls

One bag of white ping-pong balls covers Snowball Sink-It, Snowball Blowball and the Ornament Spoon Relay. If you want another game without adding more supplies to the shopping list, try the bounce below.

One extra game: the snowball bounce

Line up five cups at the end of a table and take turns bouncing balls off the table into them. Score one per cup and play best of three rounds. If your crowd wants more, our free guide to ping pong ball party games has ten with full rules.

Finish with a favorite

Call the last round before it starts, then replay the game people asked to try again. If you’re keeping score, announce the result and finish there. You can put the supplies away and get back to Christmas.