Christmas Scattergories: How to Play + Free Printable Game Lists

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Christmas Scattergories is a fast, festive word game that’s perfect for December holiday parties, family gatherings, and classroom activities. If you’re looking for an easy Christmas game that gets everyone laughing and thinking creatively, this one is always a hit. In this post, I’ll show you exactly how to play and share a free printable Christmas Scattergories pack.

What Is Christmas Scattergories?

If you’ve ever played the classic Scattergories game, you know how quickly a quiet room can turn into a burst of laughter and friendly competition. Christmas Scattergories works the same way—only with a festive twist. Instead of everyday categories, everything is themed around winter, Christmas traditions, and holiday fun.

It’s one of those rare games that works for any group: kids, teens, adults, mixed ages, classrooms, church groups, or holiday parties. You can play a single 5-minute round or make it a full-game-night activity. No matter the group, the fun comes from trying to think of creative answers before the timer runs out… especially when your mind goes completely blank while staring at the letter S for “Christmas treats.”

How to Play Christmas Scattergories

Setting Up

Print out the game sheets, instructions, assemble the spinner, and choose which set of categories you want to use for the round. Each player gets an answer sheet, and one person spins a letter of the alphabet to determine what every answer must begin with.

Starting the Round

Once you flip the timer, the pressure begins. Players start filling in each category as quickly as they can—holiday foods, winter clothing, decorations, movie titles, nativity characters, and so on. The catch? Their answer only counts if nobody else wrote the same thing.

This is where the hilarity starts. You’ll hear things like “Is Cinnamon Snowballs even a real cookie?” or “Does Sleigh Salad count?” (Short answer: You decide!)

Scoring

When the timer ends, everyone reads their answers aloud. Any original answer earns a point. Duplicates are crossed off. Some people add a “double points” rule for answers where both words start with the chosen letter (think Peppermint Popcorn), which makes the game even more competitive.

The round ends when all answers are scored, and then you simply draw a new letter to start again.

Why Christmas Scattergories Works So Well

This game is quick, low-prep, funny, and surprisingly educational. Kids practice vocabulary, spelling, critical thinking, and memory. Grown-ups get a chance to be clever, creative, and maybe a little competitive.

It’s also incredibly flexible. You can:

Use it as a classroom brain break
Play a single round during your homeschool morning basket
Add it to a Christmas party

The printable version makes it easy to use again and again every year.

Download Here:

Printable Christmas Scattergories Pack

To make this game as easy as possible to play, I put together a complete printable pack you can download and use right away. It includes:

A full instruction sheet
Alphabet spinner
Multiple pre-made category sets
Printable answer sheets for each round

You can print the pages on regular paper or card stock, laminate them to use year after year, or keep them in a holiday game binder.

Tips for Making the Game Even More Fun

Play “lightning rounds.” Give players 30 seconds and choose only five categories.
Let kids draw their answers. Perfect for early learners.
Try partner play. Mix kids and adults for extra laughs.
Use holiday music as your timer. When the song ends, the round ends!
Family tradition idea: Play the same letter every Christmas Eve and see how answers change each year.

FAQ

How many people can play?
Anywhere from 2 to 20. Print extra sheets if you have a large group.

What age works best?
Ages 8+ or anyone who can easily read & spell.

Can we mix the category sets?
Absolutely! Use as many or as few as you want. You can even come up with your own!

Do I need an alphabet dice?
No—the printable set includes a letter spinner. If you don’t want to use the spinner, write letters on folded pieces of paper and put them into a bowl.

Christmas Scattergories: How to Play + Free Printable Game Lists

What Is Christmas Scattergories?