Christmas party games make any holiday celebration fun. Party games get the party going and keep it going. Like most Christmas traditions, Christmas games were enjoyed throughout the centuries as an important part of holiday celebrations.

As early as the 16th century it was customary to play games at Christmas. Late medieval English law allowed servants and commoners to play games at Christmas that were forbidden the rest of the year. These games included tennis, dice, cards, billiard and others.

Christmas games enjoyed in the modern period were blindman’s bluff, feed the dove and hot cockles. In Hot Cockles each player in turn is blindfolded. The blindfolded player puts his hands behind his back, palms up. One of the other players hits the hands of the blindfolded player. The blindfolded player must guess which of the other players has hit him. If he does so correctly, he may penalize the player whom he “caught.” Those who preferred a greater mental test might retire to a game of chess, while the physically agile might challenge each other to tennis or skittles.

The English also enjoyed playing cards and gambling at Christmas time, especially with dice. During the reign of the Tudor kings, working people may have found greater pleasure in these games than the well-to-do, since they were prohibited by law from playing games except at Christmas time. In the sixteenth and 17th centuries the Puritans condemned those who celebrated Christmas by playing games and gambling.

In Victorian England parlor games remained popular Christmas entertainments throughout the 19th century. Victorians favored such games as Snapdragon, Forfeits, Hoop and Hide (Hide and Seek), charades, Blind Man’s Bluff, Queen of Sheba (a variation on Blind Man’s Bluff), and Hunt the Slipper. In Snapdragon players gathered around a bowl of currants covered with spirits. A lighted match was dropped into the bowl, setting fire to the alcohol. Players challenged one another to grab a flaming currant out of the bowl and pop it into their mouths, thus extinguishing the flames. A bit of light verse describes the fearful delights of this game:
Here he comes with flaming bowl,
Don’t he mean to take his toll,
Snip! Snap! Dragon!
Take care you don’t take too much,
Be not greedy in your clutch,
Snip! Snap! Dragon!
With his blue and lapping tongue
Many of you will be stung,
Snip! Snap! Dragon!
For he snaps at all that comes
Snatching at his feast of plums,
Snip! Snap! Dragon!
But Old Christmas makes him come,
Though he looks so fee! fa! fum!
Snip! Snap! Dragon!
Don’t ‘ee fear him, be but bold-
Out he goes, his flames are cold,
Snip! Snap! Dragon!

Players heightened the effect of the glowing, blue flames by extinguishing all other lights in the room except that cast by the burning bowl.

In Hunt the Slipper players formed a circle around one person. They held their hands behind their backs and passed a slipper around the outside of the circle. The person in the center of the circle had to guess who was in possession of the slipper at any given moment.

A number of other English Christmas games have now disappeared so completely that only their picturesque names remain behind. Folklorists cannot now say how they were played. These forgotten games include Shoeing the Wild Mare, Steal the White Loaf, Post and Pair, Feed the Dove, Puss-in-the-Corner, and The Parson Has Lost His Cloak. Before a Christmas party broke up for the evening, the sleepy guests might play one last, quaintly named game called Yawning for a Cheshire Cheese. The players sat in a circle and yawned at one another. Whoever produced the longest, most open-mouthed, and loudest yawn won a Cheshire cheese.

Christmas Games are also played in other Countries. Some traditional Christmas games are for children. In many nations Advent calendars amuse children with a kind of counting game in the weeks before Christmas. Children in Mexico often play games with pinitas at holiday season parties. In Iran youngsters play egg-tapping games at Christmas time. Most Christmas games, however, involve adults and younger people. In a number of different countries sporting matches, games of chance, or fortune-telling games are associated with one or more days of the Christmas season.

In past times Swedes used to play games with Christmas gifts, which they call Julklapp, on December 24. On St. Stephen’s Day both Swedes and Norwegians used to race horses (see Norway, Christmas in). Ethiopians celebrate Christmas Day by playing ganna, a sport that resembles hockey (see Ethiopia, Christmas in). In the United States, many people enjoy watching football bowl games on New Year’s Day. In Lithuania people entertain themselves on Christmas Eve with fortune-telling games.

Some popular Christmas games we enjoy today are Yankee Swap, Elephant Gift Exchange, cookie exchanges, caroling and others. There’s no doubt that Christmas party games still play a big part in making the season special and memorable.

Terri Hunziker founded GamesAndLetters.com. Games and Letters provides hundreds of print-and-play games — Christmas party games, bridal shower games, baby shower games, and more! For immediate access to hundreds of fun games and ideas for your next party, visit, gamesandletters.com.

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Christmas party games and Christmas party ideas are key to every grand Christmas celebration. Christmas party games provide fun activities for young and old alike to enjoy the holidays and the special time with family. Original Christmas party ideas guarantee lasting impressions on family and guests. But, this year, as Christmas party ideas are considered and Christmas party games are constructed, Christians might want to keep in mind who we celebrate and the reality of many of our Christmas traditions. Too often we accept tradition as truth and we find ourselves caught up in activities that have more to do with frantic goals and less to do with a Holy God. Click the link below to take a Christmas Quiz.

When putting Christmas party ideas into action and pulling together the Christmas party games, families could use the opportunity to teach of Christ, his birth, life and death on the cross. Planning a celebration with Christmas party ideas while working with children and other family members might be an opportune time to visit the truth about why we celebrate. There can be activities and Christmas party ideas that will bring glory to Christ, and there are creative ideas listed throughout the Internet and through church resources. But, a simple investigation of where many of the current Christmas traditions come from will reveal that many of the Christmas party games we play and Christmas party ideas we use have their origins in ancient pagan practices.

An eye-opening example is the tradition of decorating a tree. The Christmas tree, the very center of many Christmas party ideas, was actually a symbol of the resurrection of a pagan god. The Pagan sun worshippers would place a Yule log on their home fire to symbolize that their pagan god, Nimrod had died. This event took place when the days were shorter due to the winter sunlight. But, the very next day, the pagans would cut down an evergreen tree and erect it in their homes to symbolize the resurrection of Nimrod through his son, Tammuz. The green tree was a sign of life and it was decorated in red berries with small balls that represented the sun, all as a worshipful ceremony to a god that does not exist. “For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, the work of the hands of the workman, with the axe. They deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers that it move not.” (Jeremiah 10:3-4) To explore more about the Lord’s desire for your life, please take the Christmas Quiz.

There are many other Christmas traditions and Christmas party games and activities that come from origins that are older than Christ. If Christmas party ideas and Christmas party games are to be the center of celebrating Christ, then we must evaluate what we can do to keep Christ as the center of celebration. Understanding where the symbolism for much of our Christmas party ideas comes from will help us maintain the uniqueness of our Savior reigning King, Christ. To discover more about the truth behind the story of Christ and our Christmas celebrations, visit the links below. “For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men…” (Mark 7:8)

For more information about Christmas party ideas and our Christmas Quiz, visit: http://www.christianet.com/bible/ http://www.christianet.com/

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