The Highlands Camp Christmas Party Games 2011 I. 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! 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: 1. ask yes or no questions only 2. answer yes or no questions 3. 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. 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 persons 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 dont 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 dont 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. Noahs Ark The group divides in two parallel lines facing each other across the room (perhaps boys/girls but doesnt 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 wouldnt 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.

II.

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 doesnt 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.

III.

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 (whos 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. 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 dice 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!