Christmas gatherings are traditionally a time when friends and family join together to celebrate the holiday. However, if all the guests aren’t on familiar terms, it may help to plan some icebreaker activities as a way to encourage people to make new friends and mix and mingle.
By beginning your gathering with these activities designed to help people get acquainted, you can ensure that your party guests feel comfortable while kicking off some merriment and fun! Here are few ways to get the party started:
If I Were a Reindeer…
Most people know the names of Santa’s reindeer as these Christmas figures have long been part of the holiday tradition (and thanks to the catchy song). Ask your guests to consider what their names might be if they were asked to join on Santa’s sleigh team.
Purchase an assortment of antlers to present to guests. As guests arrive at your party, present them each with a pair of antlers and a “My Name Is” tag. Ask guests to write on their tags what their names would be if they were reindeer. As guests socialize at your event, encourage them to inquire as to each individual’s name selection to get to know more about the other guests.
Christmas Bowl of Questions
Give the classic Bowl of Questions game a Christmas-themed spin. Set out a pile of index cards, pens and a Christmas-themed bowl at the entrance to your party. As guests arrive, ask them to write down one Christmas-themed question on an index card, fold it in half and place it in the bowl. Guests could ask, for example, “What is your favorite present?” or “What happened on your most memorable Christmas?”
Once guests have had some time to get settle in and hit up the punch bowl, gather them in a circle and start to draw questions out of the bowl, asking the guest to the left of the question drawer to answer the posed question.
Get-to-Know-Me Gift
Ask guests to come to your event armed with a gift that imparts information about them as a generous way of sharing information about what they value. Ask each guest to select something that they could give to another party guest that reflects their personality or interests. Instruct guests to wrap their selected presents and leave them unlabeled. As guests arrive, pile the packages under the tree. When time for this activity arrives, allow each guest to select one present from under the tree, setting only one rule–that they cannot select their own. Allow each guest to open his selected present. Upon opening, ask the guest to share the present contents and guess which other guest may have brought the gift. Pair up the gifts, asking the givers why they selected the items they did and learning a bit about each party guest at the same time.
