Mind-teaser games.
They are excellent when party guests are just gathering and everyone is waiting for others to arrive.
Christmas Movie Trivia
Copy the Holiday Movie Trivia (make sure not to leave the answer in) and hand out one to every guest as they arrive. Whoever gets the most questions right wins! Another variation on this game: Divide all guests into 2 or 3 or 4 groups, each group can collaborate on answers, the group which gets most questions right, wins!
1. In the 1988 film Scrooged, the character played by Bill Murray is:
a) a cold-hearted banker
b) a cold-hearted TV executive
c) a cold-hearted police officer
d) a cold-hearted politician
2. Whats the name of George Baileys guardian angel in Its a Wonderful Life?
a) Ariel
b) Henry
c) Clarence
d) Frank
3. In Its a Wonderful Life, George Bailey as a boy suffers an injury to:
a) his foot
b) his arm
c) his eyes
d) his ear
4. The Nightmare Before Christmas is written by:
a) Tim Burton
b) Martin Scorsese
c) Jimmy Stewart
d) Danny DeVito
5. White Christmas is set in
a) Colorado
b) Montana
c) New Hampshire
d) Vermont
6. Who plays Bing Crosbys Army buddy in White Christmas?
a) Jimmy Stewart
b) Dean Martin
c) Danny Kaye
d) Bob Hope
7. The little girl who’s skeptical about Santa Clause in Miracle on 34th Street is played by:
a) Natalie Wood
b) Audrey Hepburn
c) Anne Bancroft
d) Sharon Stone
8. Miracle on 34th Street revolves around which department store?
a) Bloomingdales
b) Macys
c) Parisian
d) Neiman Marcus
9. In Home Alone, a young boy is abandoned when his parents rush to a holiday vacation in:
a) Vermont
b) London
c) Paris
d) New York
10. The 1982 Barry Levinson film Diner is set in which city?
a) New York
b) Cleveland
c) Baltimore
d) Boston
11. Which of the following actors was NOT in Diner?
a) Kevin Bacon
b) Ellen Barkin
c) Matt Dillon
d) Mickey Rourke
12.What happens to the character played by Tim Allen in The Santa Clause?
a) he gains weight
b) grows a beard
c) he gets fired
d) all of the above
ANSWERS:
- – Answer – (b)
- – Answer – (c)
- – Answer – (d)
- – Answer – (a)
- – Answer – (d)
- – Answer – (c)
- – Answer – (a)
- – Answer – (b)
- – Answer – (c)
- – Answer – (c)
- – Answer – (c)
- – Answer – (d)
The Bacon Factor
Take a list of 10 movie stars any movie stars at all. Link that person to Kevin Bacon through movies in the least amount of steps possible.Example:Dustin Hoffman was in Hook with Julia Roberts. Julia Roberts was in Flat-Liners with…Kevin Bacon!!Bacon factor is 1. Don’t count the direct connection.You should be able to do this with just about any actor or actress from any time. The challenge is knowing all of the right movies and who was in them.
Name those Logos
Go through several magazines and cut out advertisement symbols (ie. the 7up dot, but not the word 7up). Paste each on the white side of a 3×5 card and have everyone go around the room with an answer sheet and try to identify as many of the symbols as possible.
Who am I?
Pick a category such as cartoon characters, movie stars, vegetables, etc. Pin the name of one of these items on the back of each guest as they arrive. Tell them that they need to find out who they are by asking other people for help.The rules are:
- ask yes or no questions only
- answer yes or no questions
- no removing your own name tag to find out. If you ask, anyone will help you find out your identity.
If you need people seated or grouped up this may be a good way to do it. Have place cards at the seat of each item. Or have a few different categories of item to guess. Then when it comes time to group up have the cartoon characters go here, vegetables there, etc.
Name that Christmas Song
Have a stereo and Christmas tapes or cds available. Play a few lines of a song and the person that guesses the Christmas tune first, wins a gift, or for a harder version of the game, you can make them also guess the artist that is singing the song as well. It is ideal to try and find old songs that are rarely played so that guests have to put their thinking caps on.
Association Game
Put the following on a table:
- A calendar
- The letter K
- A match in a bottle of water
- Jar of 16 candies
- Toothbrush
- Pitcher
- Candle
- Salt
- Fork
- Tacks
- Buttercup (Reeses?)
- the letter N
- Stamp
- 2 dice on a dish of dirt
- An Iron
When the guests come have the previous articles on a table. As they come, give them the following list. Match the statements on the list with the items on the table.
- End of pork (k)
- A bunch of dates (Calendar)
- A swimming match (match in the bottle)
- Sweet sixteen (Candies)
- Never borrowed, never lent (toothbrush)
- Seen at a ball game (pitcher)
- Out for the night (candle)
- The ending of a Biblical Character (Salt)
- Branching of a river (Fork)
- On of the causes of the American Revolution (Tacks)
- A spring flower (buttercup)
- The end of ambition (N)
- Ready to be licked (Stamp)
- A paradise on earth (dice)
- Birthplace of Burns (Iron)
Employee Trivia Game
Email everyone in the company (or post on a company bulletin board) a short request to send you one or two trivia details about themselves. Tell them this is in preparation for the upcoming Christmas party – give an example of what you are looking for: I have played Santa 3 times in past 10 years, or I traveled to South Pole, I go caroling every year ask them to keep their info related to winter, Christmas holidays, winter travel etc. Then type up a sheet of paper with two columns: One column will have the trivia statements and the other will have employee names paired with letter or a number. Make copies of the trivia sheet and distribute it during the party. The one who got the most answers right wins.
Party Starters
have two purposes. First, to get things officially started with a bang. Second, some divide up a large group into smaller groups. Group games go much smoother and people are more willing to participate if they are split up from people they know and put into a random group. Grouping games are perfect for this.
The Grouping Game
This is a good game to play as a mixer. It is a fun, fast moving game. It starts out as everyone collects in one big group. The leader initially calls out a number, usually a number between two and fifteen. The number shouldn't be more than half of the number of total participants. When the number is called out everyone must try to collect in a group that contains that number of people. The group members should be latching arms or have their arms wrapped around each other so that the leader can see who is in the group. If someone cannot enter a group because the number of required members has been reached, he is out of the game. As different numbers are successively called out the number of participants gets smaller and smaller. Eventually, there are less than ten people. The last group, or winning group, should have anywhere from two to five people.
Mystery Stocking Game
Divide the group in to teams of 3-5 people per team. Give each team a Christmas stocking full of holiday items that has been tied shut with ribbon. (Get the Christmas stockings ready ahead of time by filling them loosely with small non-fragile objects- candy canes, plastic holly/mistletoe, plastic non-breakable tree ornaments, etc.) Set a timer and give each team 3 minutes to feel the stocking and write down all the objects that they can identify by feeling them through the stocking. The team with the most correct items wins.
What is it Game
Fill a large bowl with oddly shaped and strange items. Cover the bowl with an old towel taped firmly to the bowl, and cut a hole in the middle of the towel that is big enough for a hand to fit through. Have each guest sit in a chair, blind folded, then have them dig into the bowl and pull out an item. They must correctly guess what the item is too win a prize. This one is a blast as you get to watch each person’s facial expression as they are feeling strange objects.
Celebrities
Everyone writes the name of a celebrity, famous person or character on a piece of paper which they stick to the forehead of the player on their left (use tape or office Post-It notes). Make sure they don’t see the name.Everyone else can see your forehead. The objective is to work out who you are.Going around the table, each payer takes a turn to ask the party questions about who they are – answers can be YES or NO only. If you get a YES you may continue asking, if you get a NO play moves on to the left.Last person to guess their name is the loser. Simple, but very absorbing.Everyone writes the name of a celebrity, famous person or character on a piece of paper which they stick to the forehead of the player on their left (use tape or office Post-It notes). Make sure they don’t see the name.Everyone else can see your forehead. The objective is to work out who you are.Going around the table, each payer takes a turn to ask the party questions about who they are – answers can be YES or NO only. If you get a YES you may continue asking, if you get a NO play moves on to the left.Last person to guess their name is the loser. Simple, but very absorbing.
Christmas Alphabet
Give each guest a piece of paper that has the letters vertically written from A to Z. Your guests must then come up with a word for each letter that relates to Christmas. The first one that completes the list with legible words wins a gift.
Noah’s Ark
The group divides in two parallel lines facing each other across the room (perhaps boys/girls but doesn’t matter). Each person is assigned an animal whose match is across the room somewhere. After being given a moment of thought, everyone in the room acts like the assigned animal and walks (crawls, flaps, waddles, etc) across the room in search of their mate. No human language is allowed. When people think they have discovered their mate, the go to the referee. The pandemonium proceeds until everyone has been mated.To help with the assignment of animals perhaps you could make two sets of animal cards to pass out to people. In this case, the people wouldn't need to be in parallel lines across from each other. They could just be in a big circle or anywhere in the room.
Pass the Orange
Arrange for teams of about 8 to stand in a line, one behind the other (arranged boy, girl, boy,…). Give each team an orange which the first person should tuck under his chin. This should be passed to the person behind. When the orange gets to the last person, they come to the front of the line and start again. The winning team is the first one which gets their starting person to the front again.
Creepers and Slammers
Good for large groups too! Sitting at a table, having people on either side of you and across from you. Divide your group into two teams. One team at a time takes a turn passing a quarter under the table carefully so that the people across from you on the other team cant see where the quarter is. Then at any time the other team that doesn’t have the quarter tells you to stop! They either yell CREEPERS, All the people on the team that has the quarter must bring both hands up on the table and slowly try to open their hands with their palms down trying not to allow the quarter to drop loudly. The opposite team tries to guess where the quarter is. If the opposite team calls SLAMMERS then everyone on your team brings their hands up quickly slamming them down with palms down and open. The other team tries to guess who has the quarter. Just take turns until you are tired of playing. It is a lot of fun and everyone can join in. The winner is the team with least number of guesses to find the quarter.
Active games.
These are good to work off some of those holiday calories!
Pass It ON
Sit close together in two lines facing the same direction. The person in the front of each line rolls a die. When one of them gets a six, both of them pass a small object (a jack, a ball, a bracelet) to the person behind them who passes it on until it reaches the end. When it gets to the last person, that person must get up and race to the front of the line with the object and sit down. The person who sits down first, gets to sit in the front of the line. The person who was second to sit down, goes back to his or her spot. Whichever line rotates from back to front first, wins.
Dragon Tail Tag
Make small chains of about four people. Either have team members hold on to each others waists or link elbows. The end person has a flag or tail (bandana) hanging behind them or in their back pocket. Teams must stay linked to participate.The object of the game is to steal other teams tails while avoiding other teams who are trying to steal your tail. The last team to have a tail wins.
Musical Chairs
The old favorite. With one fewer chairs than people, a short snippet of music is played while the people move around the room. When the music stops everyone tries to sit on a vacant chair. (Only ONE person per chair) The person who doesn’t find a chair is out. One chair is taken away and the game continues until only one person (The Winner) is left.
Balloon Stomping Game
Each participant blows up a balloon and ties it with a bit of string or wool to his/her ankle. On the given command, the guests (only using their feet) try to be the last person to have their balloon bursted ie, you stamp on your opponents. Again great fun, caution is eered on anyone getting carried away with the stamping. As survivors get fewer, reduce the playing area.
Party On games
are good at any time… everyone or just some party participants can play these fun games
Santa Hat Game
For festive gatherings with Santa hats. You need everyone to be wearing a hat, so either use the ever popular Santa hats, or otherwise give everyone a normal party hat. The game is based on observation. The objective is NOT to be the last person left with a hat on. At the start announce the simple objective, the only rule is that no one can take their hat off until you have. Let another game or conversation take place, and as time goes by, people will take their attention off you, and even forget the game is happening. Eventually remove your hat and watch as people cotton on. Gradually the hats will come off, amidst sniggers and smirks. Some unsuspecting person (who’s probably busy boring everyone with a hopeless story)will be last to notice, and much to every ones mirth, this person is the loser.Serve up an appropriate forfeit, get the hats back on and give the loser the chance to start the next game.
Winking Murder
All except the detective sit in a circle while the detective waits outside. One person from the circle is elected to be the murderer, and then the Detective is called back to stand in the circle. When he is ready, the Murderer winks at people in the circle. Anyone who sees that they have been winked at lets out a blood-curdling scream and dies. The Detective has three attempts to guess the murderer
Birthday Present Game
Materials:1 Pair of Gloves, 1 Hat, 1 Die (perhaps two dice if group is large)A Prize wrapped in several layers of newspaper and boxes.The group stands in a circle. The gloves, hat, and wrapped box are placed in the center. someone begins by rolling the dice. If they roll a 6, they hurry into the middle and put on the gloves and hat. They then start to unwrap the package. They must move fast because the next person to roll a 6 takes the hat off of the person in the center. The person in the center stops immediately and takes off the gloves, gives them to that person, and he/she goes back to the circle. The game continues like this until the package is completely unwrapped and the last person receives their prize. Its really noisy and incredibly fun!
I Have Never
Each person receives several counters (toothpicks, pennies, etc.)Then take turns around the circle. Each person tells of something they have never done (example: I have never broken a bone or I have never traveled out of the country). Anyone who has done this must give the speaker one of their toothpicks or pennies. After going around the circle several times, the person with the most tokens wins.
Whats your Name Sweetie
Materials:About 6 different candies that have given names like M&Ms, Crunch, Wrigleys , etc.1 Dice (or 2 dice if the crowd is very large)Everyone is seated on the floor in a circle. Packaged candy bars or candy are placed in the middle of the circle. Everyone starts by saying their own names. The leader then makes sure that everyone knows what candy is in the middle. someone begins by rolling the dice. If they roll a 6, they can take one of the candies in the middle. The die continues to go quickly around the circle while people keep picking up candy. When all of the candies are taken, people then can get other peoples candy.In order to get their candy, they must state the persons first name and the name of the candy they hold. The person who rolls a 6 and matches the name of the candy and the person takes the others candy. If they forget either name, they miss their turn and the dice goes to the next person and they continue to roll. (One person can get more than one candy and people can hide the candy behind their back). This is a great way of getting to know peoples name and how to get your favorite candies!
Choose your punishment.
In all of our games, there will be winners, in some there will be losers. Here are some suggestions for losers forfeits:
SCULPT ME
Stand on a chair and take the pose of any creature or object the group chooses.
WALK THE PLANK
Walk a straight line while looking the wrong way through a pair of binoculars.
I’M BORED
By acting tired yourself, make at least one member of the group yawn.
THAT’S NOT FUNNY
Make one member of the group laugh or smile.
WHO AM I?
Wearing a blindfold, identify the members of the group by touching their faces.
Ultimately here are the Top Ten Signs You’re at a Bad Office Christmas Party according to CBS – Late Show with David Letterman
- Eggnog smells suspiciously like Liquid Paper.
- Anyone caught under mistletoe gets choked by Latrell Sprewell.
- Because of corporate downsizing, Santa is only 120 pounds.
- Only food available is something called reindeer kebabs.
- Last time you saw this much sucking up was on the Tommy Lee-Pamela Anderson videotape.
- Christmas tree is just a fat intern in a green sweater.
- For the 16th year in a row, the Canadian band leader has passed out in the eggnog.
- Thanks to the alcohol-free punch, not a single butt gets photocopied.
- Boss offers to give you a raise, and hes not talking about money.
- Its held every year on July 23rd.
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