Tag Archives: Christmas Ideas

Christmas – Across the Line

Christmas - Across the Line
Location
Anywhere a line can be drawn across the meeting area.

Energy level: Medium

Description
Which side are you on? Do you know where you stand? Find out in this Christmas icebreaker where participants move back and forth to opposite sides of the room depending on their Christmas related preferences.

Resources
If you have time, use string or tape to make a line down the center of the room. Alternatively, just use chairs or stand in the center as a reference point.

Preparation
Come up with a list of Christmas related choices. You will want to choose those ideas that are a little crazy and fun
as well as lead into the topic of your discussion. It’s best to end with the one that is most closely related to your Christmas discussion topic. Here is a partial Christmas list. Highlight those or put a tick mark beside those you wish to use for your Christmas Bible study / lesson.

You can also add your own ideas! Don’t use them all… about 10 to 15 is a good number… after that it gets boring! Always leave them wanting for more… as soon as interest starts to decrease a little, it’s time to move on to the next debrief!

Here’s a list of ideas

  • Shepherd – Wise man
  • Mary – Joseph
  • Candy Canes – Chocolates
  • Give a gift – Receive a Gift
  • Gingerbread Man – Plum Pudding
  • Rudolph – Frosty
  • Poinsettia – Mistletoe
  • Nuts – Fruits
  • Live Tree – Artificial Tree
  • Silent Night – Jingle Bells
  • Snow – Sunshine
  • PSP – Wii
  • Cinnamon – Nutmeg
  • Eggnog – Hot Chocolate
  • Christmas Eve – Christmas Day
  • Nutcracker Suite – Handel’s Messiah
  • Matthew – Luke
  • Wreath – Holly
  • Star – Angel
  • Homemade Card – Store Bought card
  • Snowflake – Snowball
  • Red – Green
  • Tinsel – Garland
  • Turkey – Ham
  • Apple Pie – Pecan Pie

 

What to Do

  1. Divide the room in half and put a line down the middle. You will be giving the participants TWO Christmas options, one for each side of the room.
  2. Stand on the line in the middle of the room. As you call out each Christmas related preference point to the corresponding side of the room.
  3. Everyone must then move to the side of the room based on his/ her Christmas related preference. If both options apply then they must choose the one which is true more often.

 

For example. I may call out Eggnog (point to left side) and Hot Chocolate (point to right)… If someone prefers eggnog rather than hot chocolate he /she will move to the left side of the room. If they prefer hot Chocolate they should move to the right side of the room.

Breaking into Groups
As you play, take note of those options where the groups were almost equal in size. Later if you want to break the participants up into two groups, use those identifiers to split them up.

Take It to the Next Level
General discussion questions:

  • Which Christmas related choice was easiest for you to make?
  • Which Christmas related choice was most difficult for you? Why?
  • Where there any surprises? (Example: People with the same choice as you that you didn’t expect?)
  • In what ways is the group most alike?
  • In which choices were you in the minority? Does being in the minority make you more bold or more uncertain?
  • Have you ever felt that you were all alone in certain beliefs, attitudes, habits, or characteristics? How can knowing others are just like you help?

 

Take It Spiritual

  • Did you choose Mary or Joseph? Why?
  • Mary and Joseph had some difficult choices to make. What were some of the issues they faced? Whose choice was more difficult? Why?
  • Did you choose shepherd or wise man? Why? What did the birth of Christ mean for each?

 

Action Point

  • You probably shared something in common with almost everyone in the group during one choice or another. What is one way you can you build on the things you have in common to form positive relationships with everyone.
  • This Christmas you will need to make a lot of choices… Make sure all of your choices bring glory to God and proclaim the good news to all people!

 

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Christmas Collection" ebook Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Christmas Taboo

christmas_gingerbread.jpg
Materials

1. Taboo Words List. The Taboo word, in all caps is the word that the teams will try to guess. Also included are are five supporting words that the clue giver is not allowed to say. Print them out and then cut them apart and place them in a bag for participants to draw from.
2. Timer. It can be an hourglass from a board game, or simply an egg timer that you can set for a minute and let it go.

Game Objective
The point of the game is to have your teammates guess the word that is on your card without saying the word itself, or several other key words that are listed on the card.

Game Play
1. Split the youth into at least two teams.
2. One person on each team gives the clues to a person on THEIR OWN team who tries to guess the “taboo word” within a time limit.
3. The other team must be shown the card and insure that the clue giver doesn’t say either the “taboo word” or any form of the supporting words for that clue. (e.g. If ‘Christian’ is a supporting word, to use the word ‘Christianity’ is also a violation.) If the clue giver uses one of the “taboo” words, the opposing team gets a point. If the person guessing the word doesn’t guess the word within the time limit, the opposing team gets the point.
4. If the word is correctly guessed the team guessing the word gets the point and continues to draw cards until the time elapses.
5. When the time elapses, the timer is reset and it’s the opposing team’s turn to guess words.

The Words
ADVENT: Christmas, holiday, December, date, celebrate
ANGEL: Sky, Heaven, Gabriel, wings, halo
BETHLEHEM: born, city, stable, birth, place
BIBLE: scriptures, read, testament, book, God
BELLS: ring, metal, cup, sleigh, jingle
CANDY: stocking, cane, chocolate, sweet, dessert
CANDLE: light, burn, wick, wax, melt
CAROLS: songs, sing, house, knock, music
CHRIST: Jesus, Lord, Redeemer, Savior, baby
CHRISTMAS TREE: lights, ornaments, star, decorate, evergreen
CHRISTMAS: tree, Santa Claus, holiday, December, 25
CHRISTMAS EVE: 24, night, presents, Santa, evening
CHURCH: Christian, service, mass, worship, sunday
DECEMBER: cold, Christmas, winter, Hannukah, month
ELVES: Santa, helpers, toys, workshop, small
EGG NOG: drink, milk, rum, glass, celebrate
FRANKINCENCE: wisemen, magi, gift, myrrh, gold
GABRIEL: Angel, Mary, visit, messenger, birth
GENEALOGY: ancestor, family, tree, relative, Luke
GIFTS: presents, surprises, give, Christmas, children
GINGERBREAD: man, cookie, sweet, house, dough
GOLD: wisemen, gift, frankincense, myrrh, metal
HALLELUJAH CHORUS: song, sing, praise, worship, Handel
HEROD: king, wisemen, Magi, ruler, baby
HOLLY: Plant, red, berries, green, leaves
INN: hotel, room, stay, stable, innkeeper
IMMANUEL: name, Jesus, God, Christ, baby
JESUS: baby, manger, Mary, God, Savior
JOSEPH: Jesus, father, carpenter, Mary, betrothed
JOY: feeling, emotion, happiness, delight, tidings
MANGER: Jesus, stable, hay, baby, animals
MARY: mother, Joseph, Jesus, Bethlehem, baby
MISTLETOE: Kiss, tree, plant, tree, berries
NATIVITY: manger, animals, shepherd, baby, Jesus
NAZARETH: Christ, Jesus, Joseph, city, childhood
NORTH POLE: Santa, home, elves, snow, cold
NUTCRACKER: nuts, suite, dance, music, ballet
ORNAMENT: tree, decorate, round, branch, Christmas
PEACE: war, calm, still, hate, earth
PLUM PUDDING: plum, dessert, Christmas, baked, food
POINSETTIA: Christmas, flower, red, leaf, Mexico
REINDEER: Rudolph, sleigh, Santa, red-nosed, antlers
SANTA: sleigh, reindeer, Kris Kringle, Saint Nicholas, toys
SAVIOR: born, city, David, Christ, Jesus
SHEEP: shepherd, wool, lamb, flocks, field
SHEPHERD: field, flocks, sheep, angels, Bethlehem
SLEIGH: ride, Santa, reindeer, toys, fly
SNOW: cold, frozen, flakes, winter, white
SNOWMAN: Frosty, ice, snow, water, round
STABLE: inn, innkeeper, room, barn, animals
STAR: wisemen, sky, night, moon, heavens
STOCKING: hung, chimney, fruit, gifts, candy
SWADDLING: clothes, wrapping, cloth, material, baby
TAX: Joseph, pay, government, city, journey
TOYS: Santa, elves, Christmas, children, gifts
WINTER: season, cold, snow, Christmas, December
WISEMEN: star, gifts, gold, frankincense, myrrh
WREATH: green, round, ribbon, circle, decoration

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Christmas Collection" ebook Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Find Jesus

christmas_wisemen.jpgMaterials
None

Activity
The Wisemen are looking for Jesus.
1. Everyone sits in a circle. 1-3 participants (depending on the size of the group are chosen as wisemen and asked to leave the room. While they are away, one person is chosen to be “Jesus.” The person chosen as “Jesus” will secretly wink at others in the circle. His objective is to not get caught by the wisemen. Anyone in the circle who sees that they have been winked at by “Jesus” sings the first line of a Christmas Carol and continues to play. (Alternatively they can shout, “Behold, I bring you tidings of great joy!”

The wisemen are then called back into the room and asked to find “Jesus.” Once the wisemen are able to identify “Jesus”, start the game again with a new set of wisemen and a new “Jesus.”

This game is a great lead in to the story of the wisemen.

Variation 1
Add a Herod. Herod, like the wisemen is trying to find Jesus. But if Herod finds “Jesus” first everyone loses.

Variation 2
Rudolph is waiting for Santa so that all the presents can be delivered. Rudolph needs to find Santa. One participant is selected to be Rudolph and leaves the room while Santa is selected from those remaining. Once Rudolph returns Santa begins to secretly wink at people in the circle. If a person is winked at the let out a loud, “HO! HO! HO! –Merry Christmas. Once Rudolph identifies Santa, start again with a new Santa and a new Rudolph.

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Christmas Collection" ebook Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Christmas Snowflake Race

christmas_snowflake.jpgMaterials
Soap bubble blower with an ample supply of soapy water.

Activity
Since snowflakes have a tendency to melt, use bubbles instead. One team member in each group is given a soap bubble blower with an ample supply of soapy water. The other two members of each team are given fans. At the signal “Go,” the soap blower from each team blows a bubble. The other two team members then proceed to try and fan that bubble across the room. The soap blower follows behind them. If any team’s soap bubble breaks before it can be fanned across the goal line, then the soap bubble blower blows another bubble at the point where the last one broke. The first team to get a soap bubble across the goal line is the winner. Use a committee of judges to ensure that everything proceeds according to the rules.

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Christmas Collection" ebook Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Christmas Meltdown

ice.jpgMaterials
Large ice cubes of equal size for each team.

Game Play
Place each team in a line with the players standing behind each other. Give the first person in each line a large ice cube of equal size. At the signal “Go” each leader places the ice cube on the back of the neck of the one behind him, who must stoop over. This person then tries to balance the ice cube on his neck as long as he can. The person who placed it on his neck slips to the end of the line. (Everyone else stays in place through the game) As soon as it slips off he must either catch it or pick it up from the floor and IMMEDIATELY place it on the neck of the next person. This continues until the cube has gone all the way to the end of the line, and has been placed on the neck of the one who started the game.

Game Objective
The winning team is not the one which gets the ice cube to the end of the line first, but the one which is able to take the longest time to get the ice cube to the end of the line! Have a committee of judges on hand to see to it that no one dawdles along the way. As soon as the ice cube is dropped, it must be immediately picked up and placed on the neck of the next person. The only delay of time can come about when one is able to keep the ice cube from slipping off his neck.

Additional Rules
The use of hands is strictly forbidden except in moving the ice cube from one person to another.

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Christmas Collection" ebook Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Christmas Forward and Backward

christmas_candy2.jpgMaterials
List of actions, Chairs in a circle, one chair per person.

Game Play
1. Sit everyone in a chair and then give instructions for participants to follow. Instructions should be related to Christmas.

For example,
“If you have on green, move forward one chair”
“If you are wearing red move back three chairs”
“If you haven’t finished Christmas shopping, move back one chair.”
ADD your own…

2. If someone is in the chair you move to, just sit on his or her lap. You can stack people three or four high.

3. The first person to make it all the way around the circle wins.

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Christmas Collection" ebook Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Tearable Christmas Tree

christmas_tree.jpgMaterials
Sheet of green construction paper for each participant.

Activity
Participants must rip a sheet of construction paper into the shape of a Christmas tree — behind their back. They are not allowed to look at their creation until it is complete. Hang the works of art up for everyone to judge. Give prizes for the best-looking Christmas trees.

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Christmas Collection" ebook Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Four Men in a Sleigh

christmas_sleigh.jpgMaterials
One chair for each person and a couch (sleigh). Four chairs can be used to replace the couch if you don’t have one available. Decorate the couch (or four chairs) like “Santa’s Sleigh.” There should also be one extra chair.

Game Setup
1. This game requires 10 or more people to work. Set up requires that there be one more chair than people and the name of each person playing written on a piece of paper. Place the chairs in a circle and the couch on one side of the circle.
2. Divide the group into 2 teams that can easily be identified (e.g. girls against guys, or those wearing glasses against those not.) If you want, distinguish one group by making them wear red Santa red hats or some other means of easy identification.

Game Play
1. Have everyone sit on the chairs making sure two of each team is sitting in the “sleigh”. Mix up and then pass out the papers with the names giving one to each person.
2. To win the game, a team must have 4 of their players sitting in the “sleigh.” This is accomplished by having the person on the right of the empty chair call out a name. The person with that name on their piece of paper moves to the empty chair and then exchanges the name paper with the person that called him/her. The person to the right of the new empty chair is the next person to call a name and exchange with the person who will move to the empty chair.

The game gets confusing trying to track who has what name and how to move the opposite team off of the “sleigh” and to get your team mates there.

Variation
Instead of a “sleigh” label the couch the stable. Then inform the team that the first to get four wisemen to the stable wins. (There may have been more than 3 wisemen, although only three gifts are mentioned in scripture.)

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Christmas Collection" ebook Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Christmas Confusion

christmas_soldier.jpgMaterials
One copy of the list for each person. Modify the list as needed.

Game Play
1. Find someone to autograph your list for each of the following items. The qualification or action must be completed before the person can sign. You may also choose to limit the number of times a person can sign each list.
2. First person to complete the list gets the prize.

Christmas Confusion
1. Get five autographs 1)____________________ 2)_____________________ 3)___________________
4)___________________ 5) ____________________

2. Find three other people and sing together, “We wish you a Merry Christmas”
Initial each other’s paper here 1)___________ 2)___________ 3)___________

3. Tell someone the names of 6 of Santa’s reindeer then have that person initial here 1)___________

4. You play Santa Claus. Find someone else and ask him/her what he/she wants for Christmas. Give a hearty “Ho, Ho, Ho” and have him or her initial here 1)___________

5. Pick the ornament on a Christmas tree which you like best. Find someone else and give them a 15 second speech on why you like that ornament then have them initial here 1)___________

6. You are Ebenezer Scrooge. Find someone and ask them to wish you a Merry Christmas. When they do, say “Bah, Humbug!” ten times while jumping up and down. Then have that person initial here 1)___________

7. You are a toy soldier in the nutcracker ballet. Find someone to pantomime winding you up. Then march across the room and back. Have them initial here 1)___________

8. You are an angel. Find three fearful shepherds and In your loudest and most majestic voice say “Do not be afraid. I bring you tidings of great joy that shall be to all people.” Have the shepherd initial here 1)___________ 2)___________ 3)___________

9. Find someone of the opposite sex and have them whistle one verse of “away in a manger” to you. Have that person initial here 1)___________

10. Find someone and have them squeak like a mouse. Then say “It was the night before Christmas and all through the house, not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse.” Have them initial here 1)___________

11. Find three people and sing with a lisp”All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth.”
1)___________ 2)___________ 3)___________

12. Find someone and have them write the best Christmas gift they ever got here _________________________________________________________

13. Find someone and have them write the craziest gift they ever got here
_________________________________________________

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Christmas Collection" ebook Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection

Name that Christmas Tune

christmas_music.jpgCan you name the Christmas Tune?
1. Move hitherward the entire assembly of those who are loyal in their belief.
2. Listen, the celestial messengers produce harmonious sounds.
3. Nocturnal timespan of unbroken quietness
4. An emotion excited by the acquisition or expectation of good given to the terrestrial sphere.
5. Embellish the interior passageways
6. Exalt heavenly beings to whom harkened.
7. 12 o’clock on a clement night witnessed its arrival
8. The Christmas preceding all others
9. Small municipality in Judea southeast of Jerusalem
10. Diminutive, masculine master of skin covered percussionistic cylinders
11. Omnipotent supreme being who elicits respite to ecstatic distinguished mails.
12. Tranquility upon the terrestrial sphere
13. Obese personification fabricated of compressed mounds of minute crystals of H2O
14. Expectation of arrival to populated area by mythical, masculine perennial gift giver.
15. Natal celebration devoid of color, rather albino, as a hallucinatory phenomenon for me.
16. In awe of the nocturnal timespan characterized by religiosity.
17. Geographic state of fantasy during the season of mother nature’s dormancy
18. The first person nominative plural of the triumvirate of far eastern heads of state.
19. In a distant location the existence of an improvised unit of newborn children’s slumber furniture.
20. Titinnabulation of vacillating pendulums in inverted, metallic, resonant cups.
21. Proceed forth declaring upon a geological alpine formation
22. Jovial yuletide desired for the second person singular plural by us.

Answers
1. O Come all ye Faithful; 2. Hark, The Herald Angels Sing; 3. Silent Night; 4. Joy to the World, 5. Deck the Halls; 6. Angels we have heard on High; 7. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear; 8. The First Noel; 9. O Little Town of Bethlehem 10. Little Drummer Boy; 11. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen 12. Peace on Earth; 13. Frosty the Snowman; 14. Santa Claus is Coming to Town; 15. I’m Dreaming of a a White Christmas; 16. O Holy Night; 17. Winter Wonderland; 18. We Three Kings; 19. Away in a Manger; 20. Jingle Bells; 21. Go Tell it on the Mountain; 22. We Wish You a Merry Christmas

Get Creative Youth Ideas: "Christmas Collection" ebook Christmas Collection
Games and Activities helping youth discover the Reason for the Season.

Get more than 200 creative ideas for planning a Youth Christmas celebration or Christmas Party party. You can immediately download my best Christmas Icebreakers, games, illustrations, Christmas activity ideas AND MUCH MORE in a useful ebook!

=> Tell me more about the Christmas Collection