Christmas Games for Couples: 15 to Play at Home, Online or After Dark
Christmas games for couples: cosy games at home, minute to win it for two, online games for long distance and a few adult ones for after the tree lights go off.
The best Christmas games for couples are short, a bit silly and need nothing you don't already have in December: a film, the tree, wrapping paper, a phone. Play two or three cosy ones early in the evening, add a minute-to-win-it round when the mulled wine kicks in, and save a dice game like Dirty Dice for after the tree lights go off. Below are 15 Christmas games for two, grouped by the kind of night you want: cosy at home, competitive, online for long distance, and adults only.
Christmas games for couples at home
These work on the sofa with no shopping and no printing. They are good for Christmas Eve, or any night in December when you'd rather stay in.
1. Christmas movie bingo for two
Each of you writes a 4x4 grid of things that happen in every Christmas film: it starts snowing at the perfect moment, someone runs through an airport, a big-city job loses to a small town, a dog wears antlers. Watch one film and tick squares. First full line picks the next film, or the next forfeit.
2. Ornament stories
While you decorate, every ornament has to come with a story: where it came from, or a made-up one if neither of you remembers. The other person decides whether it was true. It turns a chore into the best conversation of the week, and new couples learn a lot about each other's family Christmases.
3. Christmas this or that
Rapid fire, one-word answers: real tree or fake, presents on the 24th or the 25th, mince pies or cookies, Home Alone or Elf, matching pyjamas or absolutely not. Disagree on more than five and you each owe the other a small extra gift.
4. The holiday edition of "how well do you know me"
Write five questions about yourself and swap: your worst Christmas present ever, the first thing you ate on Christmas morning as a kid, the carol you secretly like. Score a point per right answer. For a ready-made list, our couples quiz questions has 60 more.
5. Two-minute carol
Pick a carol. One of you hums the tune with your mouth closed, the other guesses it. Swap. Once that's too easy, hum it backwards in your head and hum only the last line. It is harder than it sounds and nobody sounds good.
Competitive Christmas games for two
For couples who need a winner. Agree on the prize before you start: the loser makes breakfast on the 25th, or does the washing up for the whole day.
6. Gift-wrap race
Same size box, same paper, a five-minute timer. To make it fair for the one who is good at wrapping, they wrap with oven gloves on. Judge each other's present on corners, tape count and bow.
7. Gingerbread build-off
Buy two small kits, or one kit split in half, and set a 20-minute timer. Then judge in three categories: best roof, most structurally sound, and the one you'd actually eat. Photograph both before anyone takes a bite.
8. Christmas minute to win it for couples
Three one-minute rounds, scored like a match:
- Candy cane hook: one candy cane in your mouth, use it to pick up as many others as you can from the table.
- Jingle bell shake: tie a tissue box with a few bells inside to your waist and shake every bell out without using your hands.
- Ornament stack: stack unbreakable baubles into a tower that stands for three seconds. Highest tower wins.
9. Stocking-stuffer challenge
A tight budget (say $10 each), thirty minutes, one shop or one online basket. Each of you fills a stocking for the other. The winner is whoever got the bigger laugh, not the better gift.
Christmas games for couples online, or long distance
If you are spending the holiday in different cities, play on a video call with games that show the same thing on both screens. More ideas in our list of long distance couple games.
10. Dice on two phones
In Dirty Dice, one of you opens the Apart tab and creates a room, then sends the six-character code. The other joins on their own phone and every roll lands on both screens at once. Rooms are free, and the free Long Distance deck has 40 dares written for video calls, from sweet to flirty, which is about right for a Christmas Eve call after the family has gone to bed.
11. Cookie bake-off on video
Agree on one recipe, prop the phone on the counter and bake at the same time. Show the trays to the camera at the end and each of you scores the other's cookies on looks only, since nobody can taste through a screen.
12. Twelve days of questions
From the 14th to the 25th, send one question a day: a favourite memory of the year, something you want to do together next year, a small confession. Closerly does this for you: one daily question, and you only see each other's answer once you've both replied.
Christmas games for adult couples
After the guests leave and the tree is the only light in the room. Keep it consensual and keep it fun: anyone can skip any card, no questions asked.
13. Naughty or nice truth or dare
Write "naughty" and "nice" on two scraps of paper and put them in a stocking. Pull one each turn: nice is a sweet truth or a gentle dare, naughty is anything you've agreed in advance is fair game. For ready-made cards, see our truth or dare questions for couples.
14. Dirty Dice under the tree
Dirty Dice is a couples dice game: one die picks an action, the other picks where. Three of its 16 decks are free, including Soft & Romantic (50 pairs, good for a slow start) and Foreplay Fun (55). Unlocking the full app opens the rest, from Massage Night (warm oil, slow hands) to the hotter decks, and lets you make your own dice with up to 20 faces each, so you can write a Christmas set: "under the mistletoe", "by the fire", "unwrap one layer". Want to try before installing? Roll Dirty Dice online in the browser.
15. Unwrap the present
One partner wraps a small gift in many layers of paper, each with a note inside: a compliment, a dare, a question. The other unwraps one layer per round of whatever game you were already playing. The last layer is the actual present.
How to plan a Christmas game night for two
Pick three games, not ten: one cosy, one competitive, one for later. Agree the prize before the first round, because "the loser plans the New Year's date" is more motivating than points. Put the phones away except for the games that need them. If you are hosting friends instead, our Christmas games for adults to play at home are built for groups.
Common questions
What games can couples play at Christmas?
Christmas movie bingo, ornament stories, a gift-wrap race, a gingerbread build-off, minute-to-win-it rounds with candy canes and baubles, and a dice game such as Dirty Dice for later in the evening.
What are good Christmas Eve games for couples?
Slow, quiet ones: ornament stories, Christmas this or that, a holiday "how well do you know me" quiz, and naughty or nice truth or dare once the house is quiet.
Are there free Christmas games for couples online?
Yes. Dirty Dice rooms are free on two phones, with three free decks including Long Distance, and a cookie bake-off or movie bingo on a video call costs nothing.
What are Christmas minute to win it games for couples?
Candy cane hook (pick up canes with a cane in your mouth), jingle bell shake (shake bells out of a box tied to your waist) and ornament stack (build the tallest bauble tower). One minute each, best of three.
