15 Christmas Themed Games You Can Still Buy in Time this Year
Hopefully by now you have your Christmas list taken care of thanks to our numerous Holiday Gift Guides. We covered everything from family games to party games, toys and books to puzzles and even had some great suggestions for anyone into anything pop culture. With over 250 individual recommendations, you have zero excuse for not finding something for your family, friends or even yourself.
That is unless you were searching for something a little more holiday themed. Every year we are asked about favorite Christmas-themed games we recommend. By comparison to other themes, Christmas is very underrepresented in the board game world, and even fewer are available for purchase at or under the MSRP. Sure, you’ll find themed versions of Monopoly or Yahtzee at Walmart, but I’m referring to original titles that have only been issued in Christmas form. Their mechanics and artwork are exclusive to the game and are perfect to bring to your next family gathering so you don’t get stuck playing a Christmas version of Checkers.
In this list you’ll find a wide variety of different types of games, all with some sort of Christmas connection. All are still available on Amazon for at or below the MSRP and can be delivered via Prime – well ahead of gift-opening day! Take a look and choose a couple to bring to Christmas dinner and box up with your ornaments to make a tradition of playing something memorable each winter!
As always, look for the familiar 
notation to read a more in-depth overview of the game!
Santa’s Bag
Griggling Games
This evergreen holiday game belongs under every tree! In Santa’s Bag, you play an Elf in Santa’s workshop, making toys for girls and boys! The National Parenting Center, “The game is simple enough to learn and get started with but complex enough that kids can play for an extended time and remain engaged…; families came back to it multiple times. Making toys for others which is just what the season should be all about.”
12 Days of Christmas
Eagle-Gryphon Games
12 Days of Christmas is a game for 2 to 8 players that is played with a special deck of playing cards inspired by the classic carol. Your goal is to acquire the most gifts by given away all the cards in your hand before your fellow players. It is easiest to do when you are the Lead Player, as you have the opportunity to play the first card(s) of a given turn. If you played this lowest card in the previous hand, you will be this hand’s Lead Player. However, as the carol reminds us, low cards are rare – there is only one partridge in a pear tree.
Holiday FLUXX
Looney Labs
It’s the most wonderful game of the year! Holidays filled with gifts, candy, friends and good cheer. Bring them all together and mix them up for some unforgettable memories with the game that’s never the same twice!
12 Days
Calliope Games
Celebrate gift giving and the spirit of Christmas with 12 Days, a lovingly illustrated card game by renowned artist Echo Chernik. 12 Days is an experience the whole family can enjoy! Inspired by the iconic Christmas carol “The Twelve Days of Christmas” and designed by James Ernest and Mike Selinker, 12 Days is ingrained with familiar play patterns of traditional card games; 12 Days feels like a true holiday classic. Bring joy and good cheer home to your family with 12Days!
Santa’s Workshop
Rio Grande Games
It’s the busiest time of the year at the North Pole, with only days to go until Santa leaves to make his yearly trip around the world! After his long night, and all the work that led up to it, Santa always takes a vacation somewhere sunny and warm. As a reward for helping bring joy to children around the world, Santa takes his hardest working team of elves with him! Can you lead your team of elves to claim their well-deserved reward? Not only are there toys to be built, but reindeer to be tended and coal to be mined (sadly, not all the children are on the “nice” list)!
Letters to Santa
Alderac Entertainment Group
If you want all of your Christmas wishes brought by the big guy, you’ll need to make sure your letter makes it to him. The closer you get the letter to Santa, the more likely you are to win! But watch out for the wily Krampus, out to dash your yuletide dreams! Letters to Santa is a Christmas edition of the award-winning Love Letter coming to stores this Christmas season. This simple but elegant card game is easy enough for even the youngest players and engaging enough for adults.
Home Alone Game
Big G Creative
It’s time to defend the house! When the McCallister family jets off for the holidays, they accidentally leave 9-year-old Kevin home alone. And now, the notorious Wet Bandits are casing the neighborhood, hoping to score some valuable loot! Team up as the burglars to try and steal the goods, or play as Kevin to unleash an arsenal of creative contraptions to protect the house. Who will triumph—the little guy or the bad guys?
Lumps: The Elf Coal Game
Continuum Games
The Lumps Legend: Children around the world have been so good over the past few years; lumps of coal have built up at the North Pole. Puzzled by what to do with the excess coal; Santa’s elves decided to create an exciting new game that uses lumps of coal of all shapes and sizes.
Christmas Lights
25th Century Games
It’s the most wonderful time of the year! Time to open up the boxes of Christmas decorations, untangle the lights, replace broken bulbs, and decorate the tree. To have a bit of fun, you’ve decided to compete with your fellow decorators to see who can build their sets of lights the fastest. Sift through the bulbs, exchange information, and arrange them in the right order as you trade and build your strands. Ho ho ho! Players swap, play, trade and draw Christmas Light Bulbs into their own sets of lights in an attempt to be the first to complete two sets.
Santa’s Renegades
Renegade Game Studios
Unwrap special powers this holiday season! Each gift box is a special gift created for Renegade Fans. Contains: 7 card pack for Lotus 1 Promo tile for Lanterns: The Harvest Festival 1 character card for Covert 1 apothecary for Apotheca: The Secret Potion Society 1 board tile for Snow Tails 3 pack of cards for World’s Fair 1893 1 choice token for Dicey Goblins 1 card for Clank!
Catan Scenarios: Santa Claus
Catan Studio
Santa needs wool for his new coat and the coats of his elves. If you give Santa Claus wool on your turn, you may move him to a hex on the island of Catan. Once he arrives on the hex, he gives the settlers Christmas gifts and may even chase away the robber and/or to protect a hex! This expansion increases the strategic value of wool, which in the basic game is considered the least attractive commodity. Your adventurous settlers seek to tame the remote but rich isle of Catan. Start by revealing Catan’s many harbors and regions: pastures, fields, mountains, hills, forests and desert.
Rudolph’s Christmas Journey
Aquarius
You’ve been chosen by Santa to help Rudolph(R), Hermey the Elf(TM), and Yukon Cornelius find all the lost Misfit Toys. Christmas can’t start until this courageous trio returns all the toys to the North Pole, so they can be delivered to a lucky boy or girl. Gather your friends as you all journey through an icy winter wonderland on your quest to the Island of Misfit Toys and back to ol’ Saint Nick’s workshop. Who will be the first to help Santa?.
The Santa Claus Game
Zobmondo
Open the game and be transported into the wonder, excitement and joy of Christmas with an emphasis on giving gifts, not getting them.
Each player chooses a sleigh filled with presents, teddy bears, dolls, and treats. Then travel around the winter wonderland game board and give presents to others. Along the way enjoy activities such as singing a favorite holiday song, twirling like a snowflake and belting out your best “Ho! Ho! Ho!”
Santa vs. Jesus
Komo Games
In this funny card game, players get into two teams – Team Santa and Team Jesus – and fight it out through a variety of festive themed puzzles, riddles, jigsaws, building challenges (not easy after a few Christmas sherries) and brain games to win Believers. The team with the most Believers at the end of the game are the winners!
Santa’s Sleigh Ride
D Clef Games
Santa’s Sleigh Ride is a 15-20 minute racing game for 2-6 players, ages 5+. The object of the game is to race other “Santas” throughout the world, stopping at highly populated cities along the way to deliver gifts. The first player to arrive back at the North Pole wins the game. But, watch out! Your journey along the Candy Cane Path will be filled with a few twists and turns.
As you can see, there’s a wide variety of game types that cover all age ranges. We hope you’re able to fit at least one of these under your tree this year, but you have to hurry! There’s only a little over week left until everyone starts unwrapping!
What is your favorite Christmas-themed game that we missed including?
I love all the variety here. I had no idea there were so many Christmas-themed games out there. I’d love to get the Rudolph game.
You covered a wide variety of games. There sure are a lot of Christmas-themed games! Plenty of great entertainment!
I have heard of some of these Christmas games. I didn’t know there were this many! I’ve never played a Christmas game! So playing these games could be a part of a new tradition
All the games sound interesting. Except the one game I would not want to ever play is Santa vs. Jesus. I don’t think Jesus would appreciate being compared to a fake old white haired fake man! In my opinion, it is an insult
Letters to Santa sounds like it could be a fun one for us play on Christmas Eve. We’re pretty excited to spend the night playing games.
These all sound like a lot of fun. We love playing games in our house. These holiday themed ones would be great.
The Home Alone game and the Rudolph game looks amazing! I need to head to Target to see if I can find it for Christmas eve!
I love playing games and I think I would enjoy the 12 Days of Christmas game. With my daughter and her boyfriend coming for the holidays it would be perfect.
This is the perfect season for Christmas games. The Christmas Lights game would be perfect for my family. My kid will love it.
I think I would like to play that Santa versus Jesus game it looks pretty interesting!
This is a great list! Perfect for Christmas Eve fun!
Great suggestions for Christmas themed games. I don’t think we have any in our collection. I guess I must buy some of these. The Santa vs. Jesus game looks interesting, although in reality, it is always (and should always be) Jesus who is the winner.
Wow, what a lot of great games. I have never heard of any of them. A lot of them sound like they would be a lot of fun. I know my family would love getting games for gifts.
Rudolph’s Christmas Journey is perfect for my sister, a big big fan of the movies. Thanks for the shopping help.
Great! My granddaughters love games!
My kids would love the Home Alone Game
I have never played any of these games but that’s because I am old, but they do look interesting.
we love christmas games.
I hadn’t heard of ANY of these, but I definitely want to tray the Santa Catan, since Catan is my FAVE.
Some of these games I have heard of and others, I would like to know better. Even though these games may be Christmas/Holiday games, I would still buy them for other occasions. They are fun for all year round! Thank you for sharing!
The Home Alone Game looks like a lot of fun!
Who doesn’t love games!
This would be great to have when family is home for the holidays.
I’d love to give Home Alone a try….
Christmas Rush
I don’t know of many Christmas themed games. I’d love to try the Catan Santa scenarios