Christmas Charades Generator
Act out Christmas movies, songs, characters and holiday moments with a random prompt, a timer and team scores. Play straight from a phone or print a set of Christmas charades cards.
- 300+ Christmas prompts
- Movies, songs and characters
- Kids to adults
- Free printable cards
wrap a present
Every word comes up once before any repeats.
What is Christmas charades?
Christmas charades is the classic acting game with a holiday twist: instead of any word, you act out things like decorating the tree, the Grinch, Home Alone or Jingle Bells. This generator holds more than 300 Christmas prompts in seven categories: Christmas things, characters, activities, food, winter fun, movies and songs. Each category has easy, medium and hard prompts, so young children can act "build a snowman" while adults tackle "untangle Christmas lights" or "It's a Wonderful Life". Prompts do not repeat until the deck runs out, and the timer and scores keep the game moving at a family party, an office party or a classroom.
How to play Christmas charades
- Charades and the Christmas theme are already selected, with all seven Christmas categories on.
- Choose Easy for young kids, Medium for families, Hard for adults, or Mixed.
- Set the timer and number of teams, and turn on Hide each word until tapped.
- Pass the phone: the actor taps to see the prompt, starts the timer and acts it out without talking.
- Press Got it for each correct guess and Next team when the beep sounds. Or print the cards and draw them from a Santa hat.
Charades rules and hand signals
The actor may not speak, mouth words or point at things in the room. Before acting, many groups use these classic signals so the team knows what kind of prompt it is.
| Signal | What it means |
|---|---|
| Crank an old film camera | It is a movie |
| Open your hands like a book | It is a book |
| Pretend to sing | It is a song |
| Draw a box in the air | It is a TV show |
| Hold up fingers | Number of words in the title |
| Fingers on your forearm | Number of syllables in a word |
| Tug your ear | Sounds like |
| Hands apart or together | Make it longer, or shorter |
| Touch your nose and point | That guess is right |
Why use this Christmas charades generator
- Seven holiday categoriesThings, characters, activities, food, winter fun, movies and songs, each in easy, medium and hard.
- Timer and scores in one placeStart the countdown, add a point and pass the turn on the same screen. No second app, no sand timer, no score sheet.
- Fair for every ageSeparate easy, medium and hard decks let children and adults play the same game. Change the level between turns in one tap.
- Works like a real deckEvery word comes up once before anything repeats, and you can see how many are left.
- Pass the phone safelyHide each word until tapped, so only the player whose turn it is sees it.
- Print when you want paperSave a PDF of 12 cards per page with cut lines, on Letter or A4, from the categories you chose.
Where to play Christmas charades
- Family Christmas. A game for after dinner that works for every age at the table.
- Office party. Hard prompts and team scores make a quick ice breaker.
- Classroom party. Easy prompts for the last day of term before the holidays.
- Video call with relatives. Act on camera while family far away guesses.
- Christmas Eve. Print the cards and draw them from a stocking.
- Church and youth groups. Turn on Christmas things and characters for nativity and carol prompts.
Christmas charades ideas by category
Here are some of the Christmas prompts, easy ones first. The full deck has more than 300.
Christmas things
stocking, ornament, fireplace, holly, tinsel, wrapping paper, tree topper, white Christmas, frosted window
Christmas characters
elf, angel, Rudolph, penguin, Jack Frost, Mary and Joseph, Olaf, Kevin McCallister, the Nutcracker Prince
Christmas activities
decorate the tree, hang a stocking, go sledding, ring a bell, make a gingerbread house, pull a Christmas cracker, ride in a sleigh, regift a present, fight over the last cookie
Christmas food
milk and cookies, pumpkin pie, mashed potatoes, gingerbread cookie, mince pie, roasted chestnuts, gravy, pigs in blankets, peppermint mocha
Winter fun
sled, icicle, snowsuit, snowplow, frozen pond, ski lift, cozy blanket, polar plunge, cabin fever
Christmas movies
Elf, Frosty the Snowman, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Jingle All the Way, A Christmas Story, Home Alone 2, Fred Claus, Surviving Christmas, Mickey's Christmas Carol
Christmas songs
Silent Night, Joy to the World, Let It Snow, Frosty the Snowman song, Feliz Navidad, O Christmas Tree, Do You Hear What I Hear, Good King Wenceslas, Carol of the Bells
Charades generator, printable list or app?
| This generator | Printable word lists | Party game apps | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Free or a few dollars | Free with ads, or paid word packs |
| Random order, no repeats | Yes, shuffled deck | You shuffle the cards | Usually |
| Easy, medium and hard | Yes, switch any time | Sometimes | Often in paid packs |
| Timer and team scores | Built in | No | Usually |
| Print cards | Yes, Letter or A4 | Yes | Rarely |
| Install or account | None | None | App install, sometimes an account |
Example: Christmas Eve charades for all ages
Split the family into two teams, each with kids and adults. Set Difficulty to Mixed and the timer to 90 seconds. When it is a young child's turn, switch Difficulty to Easy before tapping Next word, then back to Mixed for the adults. Keep score with the team counters and give the winners first pick of the cookies.
What to expect from the result
Movie and song titles are well-known ones, mostly from the US and UK. Some older titles may be new to children, so switch off Christmas movies and Christmas songs for very young players. The tool does not judge guesses or police the no-talking rule. Printed cards are plain black and white so they print well on any printer.
Christmas charades FAQ
What are good Christmas charades ideas?
Mix easy actions (wrap a present, build a snowman), characters (Santa Claus, the Grinch, Rudolph), movies (Elf, Home Alone, The Polar Express) and songs (Jingle Bells, Let It Snow). The generator has all four, sorted by difficulty.
Is there a Christmas charades list for kids?
Choose Easy and switch off Christmas movies and Christmas songs. That leaves simple things to act, like a reindeer, a snowball fight, sledding and opening presents.
Are there Christmas charades for adults?
Choose Hard. You get prompts like "assemble a toy on Christmas Eve" and "pretend to like a present", and movie titles such as Holiday Inn and Love Actually.
How do you act out a Christmas song or movie in charades?
Start with the signal for a song (pretend to sing) or a movie (crank an old film camera), hold up fingers for the number of words, then act out one word at a time or the whole idea. Tug your ear for "sounds like".
Can I print Christmas charades cards?
Yes. Choose how many cards and Letter or A4 under Printable cards, then press Save PDF or Print. You get 12 cards per page, ready to cut out and put in a hat or a stocking.
Do words repeat?
Not until every word in the categories you picked has come up once. Then the deck is shuffled again and a new round starts. The counter under the card shows how many words are left.
Do I need an app or an account?
No. It runs in any browser on a phone, tablet, laptop or smart TV. There is no account, no download and no ads between turns, and the words, timer and scores all stay on your device.
More random tools and party games
Draw a single random letter for a categories game, split players into random teams or spin a wheel of names to choose who goes first. For the holidays, print Christmas bingo cards, draw names for Secret Santa or run a White Elephant gift swap.