7 Holiday Drinking Games You Need To Try
The Christmas season has snuck upon us once again, and that means annual holiday parties are once again in full swing. Between family, friends, and coworkers, the month of December is brimming with social events. You may have even broken out the best of your ugly Christmas sweaters already, but fear not; The Edge has compiled a list of the jolliest drinking games that will help you kick the holiday spirit into high gear.
1. How The Grinch Stole Christmas
Not only is the Grinch a fantastic movie for people of all ages, but there are also three different versions you can choose from. Many of these versions are available on various streaming services, which makes this particular game incredibly convenient. To begin this drinking game, which is derived from the beloved Christmas classic, gather everyone around the living room and split the party into two teams; the Whos and the Grinch. Every time the name of your team is mentioned, whether it be by the narrator or in the theme song, you must drink. We suggest grabbing a few brews for this one, as both team names are mentioned a buttload throughout the movie.
2. Wreath of Fire (a.k.a. Santa’s Cup)
The rules for this game are pretty much identical to those used in Ring of Fire, however, there are of course a few festive tweaks. All players sit in a circle around a tall glass full of a festive beverage of your choice, which can be anything from Ugly Sweater Bud Light Seltzers to homemade eggnog. The glass is surrounded by a circle of playing cards that are face-down. Players take turns picking a card, and everyone has to act out or follow the rule of said card, which can be decided at the start of the game. The more festive the rules are, the more fun the game is.
3. Santa’s Hat
This somewhat lazy drinking game is perfect to play after a large holiday feast. All it requires is a Santa hat, which you must place on the corner of your television. You drink every time someone on the screen “wears” the hat. The fun with this is that you don’t even have to be watching a Christmas show. You can also adapt the Santa Hat game to other drinking games associated with the show or movie you are watching.
4. Santa’s Reindeer
Before playing, all participants will decide on an action that corresponds with one of Santa’s nine reindeer; Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, and Rudolph. For example, Dancer’s action can be dancing, or players could touch their finger to the tip of their nose for Rudolph. Once the actions for each reindeer are agreed upon all players are gathered in a circle. The first player must make eye contact with another player and shout out the name of a reindeer. The second player must do the action that corresponds with the reindeer name that was said before making eye contact with a third player and shouting out a new reindeer name. If a player forgets the action associated with the name they are given, they must drink.
5. What’s Stuffed in the Stocking?
This game is reminiscent of the infamous Halloween feel box, however, it uses a stocking instead of a grotesquely decorated box. You grab pretty much anything, the more mundane the better, and stuff it in a Christmas stocking. You then ask players to stick their hands into the stocking and guess the object. You can make this game a little extra festive by including holiday-related objects such as ornaments or other decorations.
6. Here We Come Drinking and Caroling
The magic of this game is that it gets more and more enjoyable as it goes. Players sit in a circle, and the first player sings the first lyric of a classic Christmas tune. The person to their left sings the next phrase, and so on. If you mess up or forget the phrase you must drink. Once you complete the song, everyone must finish their drink.
7. Feliz Navidad
In keeping with the ‘best for last’ structure, we have listed the most iconic of Christmas games at the end of our list. Feliz Navidad is perhaps the most festive and enjoyable of all Christmas-related drinking games, and you honestly could play it without the booze and have just as much fun as you would have hammered. One player sits in the center of the room on a chair as José Feliciano’s Feliz Navidad begins to play. All other players take turns lip-syncing the song in the most over-the-top fashion imaginable. If the player in the center of the room laughs, they must chug the rest of their drink. If the players on the outside fail to make the player in the middle laugh, they must chug the rest of their drink.
If Feliz Navidad gets a little repetitive after a few rounds, feel free to substitute it with a Christmas tune of your choice. Have fun, let loose, and don’t be afraid to get weird with it.