Holiday Sketch & Guess: A Festive Christmas Drawing Game

Get ready to sketch, guess, and have some festive fun with this Christmas drawing game!

This fun Christmas party game is a simple and entertaining activity for kids, teens, and adults. Just choose a Christmas drawing prompt, start sketching, and see who can guess the answer first!

These Christmas drawing prompts are perfect for:

• Family game night
• A new Christmas tradition
• Classroom Holiday Parties
• Fun Christmas Work Parties

No artistic skills required. Just grab some paper and pencils, split into teams, and let the sketching begin!

Supplies Needed

You don’t need much to play this Christmas drawing game! Gather a few simple supplies, and you’ll be ready to sketch and guess:

• Christmas drawing prompt cards – Use the Christmas-themed word list below or get creative and add your own festive ideas!
  • Too busy during the holiday season to write out all the prompts? We’ve got you covered! Head to our shop to grab our ready-to-print Christmas holiday cards, available now! Simply print, cut, and you’re ready to start playing!
• Pencils or pens – One for each player or team.
• Paper or drawing boards – Give each artist plenty of space to draw.
• Timer – Use a phone, kitchen timer, or stopwatch to keep each round moving.
• Bowl, bag, or container – Optional, for drawing Christmas prompts at random.
• Score sheet and pencil – Optional, if you want to keep track of points and crown a Christmas drawing champion.

Tip: For a larger Christmas party, have extra paper and pencils on hand so everyone can join in without waiting for supplies.

How To Play Pictionary

Pictionary is a simple drawing and guessing game that’s perfect for Christmas parties, family gatherings, classrooms, or game nights. Here’s how to get started:

You can play the classic Pictionary game, where one person draws while others race to guess the word. Or switch things up with a Telestrations-style version, where drawings and guesses get passed around the group (and often turn into something completely unexpected).

1. Divide into teams. Split players into two or more teams. You can also play individually with smaller groups.

Playing in teams? Be sure to add a festive team name to your holiday crew!

2. Choose a drawing prompt. One player from the first team picks a Christmas prompt without showing the other players.

3. Start drawing. Set a timer (about 60 seconds works well) and have the player draw the prompt without using words, letters, or numbers.

For younger children, you can skip the timer or give them a little extra time. And don’t worry about perfect drawings. The sillier the sketches, the more fun the Christmas drawing game becomes! 

4. Start guessing! Teammates call out guesses while the artist keeps drawing.

5. Score a point. If the team guesses the Christmas word or phrase before time runs out, they earn a point.

6. Switch turns. Choose a new artist and continue until everyone has had a chance to draw.

7. Declare a winner. The team with the most points at the end wins!

Instead of racing to see who can guess the drawing first, players take turns drawing and guessing as the prompts travel around the group. The result is usually a hilarious mix of drawings and guesses!

1. Give each player a pencil and a stack of paper (sticky notes work well!).

2. On the first sheet of your stack, write a secret holiday word or phrase from below (or grab the ready-made printable cards in the digital shop). Keep it hidden from everyone else!

3. Pass your stack to the person on your right. They look at the word, flip to the next sheet, and draw what they think it means.

4. Pass the stack again. This time, the next person looks at the drawing only, flips to the next sheet, and writes a new word or phrase based on the drawing they see.

5. Keep passing the stacks around the circle, alternating between drawing and writing, until everyone gets their original stack back.

6. Take turns flipping through the pages and reading each step aloud. Watch the original word transform into something completely hilarious!

50 Festive Family-Friendly Words & Phrases for Christmas Drawing Guessing Game

Ready to play Christmas Pictionary?! Below is our fun list of Christmas words and festive drawing prompts to make your holiday game easy to play.

Prefer to skip the prep? Grab our printable Christmas Pictionary cards from the shop, and you’ll have everything you need for a fun Christmas party game in no time!

1. Santa Claus

2. Christmas tree

3. Reindeer

4. Snowman

5. Christmas stocking

6. Christmas present

7. Candy cane

8. Gingerbread man

9. Christmas cookies

10. Christmas lights

11. Christmas wreath

12. Christmas ornament

13. Angel

14. Elf

15. Christmas star

16. Mrs. Claus

17. Rudolph

18. Chimney

19. Fireplace

20. Mistletoe

21. Holly

22. Snow globe

23. Christmas bell

24. Baby Jesus

25. Santa’s hat

Ready to Make It a Little Harder? More Christmas Drawing Prompts

Great for teens, adults, and holiday work parties

26. Santa’s sleigh

27. North Pole

28. Fruitcake

29. Christmas sweater (or ugly Christmas sweater)

30. Opening presents

31. Christmas morning

32. Decorating the Christmas tree

33. Sledding

34. Building a snowman

35. Ice skating

36. Caroling

37. Drinking hot cocoa

38. Baking Christmas cookies

39. Hanging stockings

40. Wrapping presents

41. Reindeer flying

42. Naughty or nice list

43. The night before Christmas (Christmas Eve)

44. Snowball fight

45. Santa coming down the chimney

46. Cookies and milk for Santa

47. Secret Santa

48. Christmas shopping

49. 12 Days of Christmas

50. The Grinch

Tip: Set the festive mood by playing your favorite Christmas soundtrack in the background while you play!

Explore more Christmas Fun:

• Holiday Minute-To-Win-It Games
• FREE Which Came First Christmas Printable
• Christmas Day Predictions Game

Looking for more fun games to play at your next Christmas party? Check out our roundup of favorite Christmas Party Games for even more festive ideas to keep everyone entertained and in the holiday spirit!

Bonus Round: Christmas Movies Draw & Guess Prompts

Ready to take your Christmas drawing game to the next level?

Add a Christmas movie bonus round for an extra festive challenge! These movie-inspired Pictionary prompts will put your Christmas movie knowledge (and drawing skills) to the test.

More Christmas Party Games to Play!

• 20 Christmas Jeopardy Questions
• Laugh out loud Christmas Danger Word Game
• FREE Christmas Scattergories Game Printable

What’s Next?

Our community is making this year about CONNECTION. Are you in? Sign up below to join the popular free newsletter and get started.

Finally, if you played this game, please share in the comments and let us know! We’d love to hear from you!