Christmas Charades And Pictionary Word Lists: 200 Free Ideas
Charades and Pictionary both fail the same way: nobody can think of anything, so the first three goes are Elf, Elf and Elf again.
Here are ready-made lists split by difficulty. Print the page, cut the lines into strips, fold them into a bowl.
Christmas cards, drawn and printed by us
Funny, rude and warm Christmas cards, blank inside, printed in the UK with kraft envelopes. Order on a working day and it usually goes out the same day.
'tis the season to drink Guinness Christmas Card
£3.87
Let's drink (Guinness) and be Merry Christmas Card With Tree
£3.87
Let's drink (Guinness) and be merry Christmas Card
£3.87
Wishing you an Electrifying Christmas Greeting Card
£3.87
Merry Christmas Nanny (Christmas Card For Nan)
£3.87
Lying Down Black Santa Christmas Card
£3.99
Christmas films (charades)
- Easy: Elf, The Grinch, Home Alone, Frozen, The Snowman, A Christmas Carol, The Polar Express, Nativity!
- Medium: Love Actually, Die Hard, The Muppet Christmas Carol, Miracle on 34th Street, The Holiday, Arthur Christmas, Gremlins, Jingle All The Way.
- Hard: It's a Wonderful Life, White Christmas, Bad Santa, The Nightmare Before Christmas, Scrooged, Trading Places, Klaus, The Santa Clause. Shop this card
Christmas songs (charades)
- Easy: Jingle Bells, Silent Night, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Away in a Manger. Shop this card
- Medium: Last Christmas, Fairytale of New York, Do They Know It's Christmas?, Merry Christmas Everyone, Stop the Cavalry. Shop this card
- Hard: I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday, Walking in the Air, Mistletoe and Wine, Step Into Christmas, Lonely This Christmas, Driving Home for Christmas.
Christmas objects and actions (Pictionary)
- Easy to draw: cracker, sprout, star, bauble, stocking, snowman, sleigh, candle, reindeer, chimney, present, elf, robin, holly, carrot.
- Medium: mistletoe, nativity, advent calendar, tinsel, wreath, turkey, sherry, pigs in blankets, wrapping paper, angel, nutcracker, ice skates.
- Hard: the King's speech, Boxing Day sales, Secret Santa, the Christmas number one, a power cut, the loft ladder, the office party, the queue at the Post Office. Shop this card
Christmas traditions and phrases
- Putting the tree up, hanging the stockings, writing to Santa, midnight mass, carol singing, pantomime. Shop this card
- Pulling a cracker, wearing a paper hat, the Christmas walk, feeding the birds, watching the King's speech.
- Leaving out a mince pie, tracking Santa, sending the last card, the Boxing Day leftovers sandwich. Shop this card
- Arguing about the thermostat, finding a bauble in July, untangling the lights, the tin of chocolates by the 27th.
Easy words for children (4-8)
- Santa, snow, tree, star, bell, gift, reindeer, snowman, elf, sleigh, carrot, cake, robin, candle, sock.
- Actions: building a snowman, opening a present, eating too much, going to sleep, throwing a snowball, pulling a cracker.
How to run it
- Two teams, one minute per turn, one point for a correct guess.
- No talking or mouthing in charades, no letters, numbers or words in Pictionary.
- Agree the film/song/book/action signals before you start so nobody argues at round three.
- Pair a child with an adult and let the child draw - it's funnier and it's fairer.
How to write it so it lands
- Keep easy and hard words in separate bowls.
- Agree the hand signals before round one.
- One minute per turn, no exceptions, or the game runs all night.
Where to shop next
- Christmas gift ideas hub
- Christmas Day games for after dinner
- Christmas games for the whole family
- Christmas Eve games and traditions
- Christmas party games for adults
- Christmas games for two people
- Secret Santa and gift swap games
- The left right Christmas story game
- Christmas Day quiz
- Christmas morning games for kids
- Twelve games of Christmas
- New Year's Eve party games
- Boxing Day walk and outdoor games
- Christmas board games
- Boxing Day games
- Board games hub
- Secret Santa gift ideas
- Free feel good tools
- Shop Christmas cards
- Planning the party? Birthday party ideas
- How to make a balloon arch
- Photo booth prop ideas
- Birthday cards for kids
- Pin badges
- All guides
Frequently asked questions
What are good Christmas charades words?
Christmas films and songs work best because everyone knows them: Elf, Home Alone, Love Actually, Fairytale of New York and Last Christmas for a mixed room, with Santa, snowman and reindeer for younger children.
What are easy Christmas Pictionary words?
Objects with a clear outline: cracker, sprout, star, stocking, snowman, sleigh, candle, reindeer, chimney and present. Save abstract ones like Secret Santa or the King's speech for adults.
How do you play Christmas charades?
Split into two teams. One player takes a word and acts it out with no talking or mouthing while their team guesses against a one-minute timer. A point per correct guess, and the turn passes to the other team.
Can I print these Christmas word lists?
Yes - use your browser's print option on this page, then cut the lines into strips and fold them into a bowl. Keeping the easy, medium and hard piles separate makes it fairer for mixed ages.
Do you sell games or party supplies?
No - we make greeting cards, art prints and pin badges in the UK. The games here need little or nothing to run, and the only products on this page are our own cards.