Christmas charades
Christmas charades is the parlour game of acting out Christmas titles and phrases without speaking. It is a party, not a liturgy, and it does not move 25 December.
How it works
One person draws a prompt and acts it. The others guess. No talking from the actor, or only the house’s agreed signals: a nod for “yes,” fingers for a word count, a tug at the ear for “sounds like.” The prompts are Christmas-shaped: carols, films, objects, food, and stock characters. A correct guess scores a point if you are keeping score. A wrong guess is just a wrong guess. The game ends when the prompts run out or when the room would rather eat.
Christmas Day is 25 December. In 2026 that is a Friday. You can play on the Eve, on the Day, or on a weekend in December. The game does not care. It only needs a room, a timer if you want one, and a list that will not embarrass the youngest or the oldest person present. A prompt that requires a private joke from two adults is a different game. Write the list before the first glass if the house is pouring.
Charades is older than any one December playlist. This page is the Christmas dressing of that acting game, not a history of parlour amusements. You do not need costumes. You do not need a stage. You need enough floor that nobody backs into the tree.
Prompts that stay in the room
Keep titles the room can be expected to know. A household that watches the same films every year can use those titles. A household that does not should not be asked to mime a film they have never seen. Carols work if people know the first line. Objects work for children: a stocking, a wreath, a candle, a sleigh. Abstract words such as “peace” are hard to mime and easy to argue about. Skip them unless the room likes arguments.
Films and specials the family already names in December. Carols and songs whose titles are short enough to act. Objects: tree, star, stocking, pudding, cracker, candle. Stock figures: a shepherd, a king with a gift, a person wrapping a box.
Food: a roast, a biscuit, a drink from a mug — if that will not look like rudeness. Write each prompt on its own slip. Fold the slips. Let the next actor draw without rummaging for an easy one. If children are playing, make a second bowl of easier slips. A five-year-old mime of “a star” is a complete turn. Do not “help” by shouting the answer from the sofa unless that is the house rule for the youngest.
Hosting without a stage
Clear a patch of floor away from the tree, the candles, and the dog. Agree the signals before the first prompt, including whether humming is cheating. Set a short timer if competitive adults will otherwise mime a novel.
Rotate actors so the same person does not hold the slips all night. Stop while people are still willing. A forced last round is a meeting. If you have to say the title, you have already lost. If you have to build scenery, you are in the wrong game.
Teams are optional. A family of four can play as one guessing pool. A larger room can split by household. Scoring on paper is optional. Mocking a bad mime is optional and usually a mistake. The point of Christmas charades is that the room is together and slightly ridiculous. 25 December will still be 25 December if nobody guesses “silent night” until the actor gives up and sits down.
Questions and answers
- Do you speak during Christmas charades?
- The actor does not say the prompt. Guessers speak. House rules may allow a few silent signals for word count.
- What makes a good prompt?
- A title or object the people in the room already know, short enough to act, and kind enough for the youngest player.
- Must it be played on Christmas Day?
- No. Play it any December evening you have a room. The feast date remains 25 December.
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