These Minute to Win It Christmas games are 20 one-minute party challenges for home, school and office parties, played with things most people already own: paper plates, cotton balls, socks, bows, tape and balloons. Every game has exact rules for the 60 seconds and a clear target, so a helper can say who won without arguing. Print the free game cards, the scoreboard and tournament sheet, and the shopping checklist, all on US Letter or A4. They work as one minute Christmas games for an office party and as Christmas party games for kids, since every card lists a suggested age. All the minute to win it Christmas games use simple items you may already have at home.
Quick answer: These Minute to Win It Christmas games are 20 original one-minute challenges: 7 easy, 8 medium and 5 hard. Each uses cheap household items and has a stated target to win, such as 5 plates in a basket. Print the free cards, then run 6 to 8 games, one 60-second turn per player, and add up the points.
Free printable Minute to Win It Christmas games
The free pack has three PDFs: 24 game cards (20 games, two instruction cards and two blank cards), a two-page scoreboard and tournament sheet, and a two-page shopping and setup checklist. Click a picture to open the Letter PDF, or choose A4.
The cards use three colors and three shapes for difficulty (a circle for easy, a triangle for medium and a square for hard), so they still make sense when printed in black and white. Each card says the youngest suggested age, how many players it needs and what counts as a win.
Are these games from the TV show?
No. Minute to Win It is the name of a TV game show, and PrintSheetLab is not affiliated with it. We use the name only because it is what people type when they search for one-minute party challenges. According to Wikipedia, the show premiered on NBC on March 14, 2010 with Guy Fieri as host, and its contestants take on 60-second challenges that use objects commonly found around the house.
The 20 games on this page are original. They were written for this page and are built from household items. They are not copied from the show or from any other website, and none of them needs special equipment.
All 20 Minute to Win It Christmas games at a glance
The table shows what each game needs, how many people play and how hard it is. Cards 1 to 7 are easy, 8 to 15 are medium and 16 to 20 are hard.
| # | Game | You need | Players | Level | Age |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Candy Cane Crane | 1 wrapped candy cane, 5 ribbon loops, 10 in each, 1 bowl | 1 player | Easy | 5+ |
| 2 | Blizzard Blow | 5 cotton balls, painter’s tape | 1 player | Easy | 5+ |
| 3 | Human Tree Trim | 10 stick-on bows, an old sweater or jacket | 2 players | Easy | 5+ |
| 4 | Sleigh Toss | 8 paper plates, a laundry basket, tape | 1 player | Easy | 5+ |
| 5 | Sock Curling | 5 pairs of socks, painter’s tape | 1 player | Easy | 5+ |
| 6 | Tissue Snowballs | 12 sheets of white tissue paper, 1 bowl | 1 player | Easy | 5+ |
| 7 | Elf Dress-Up | an adult sweater, a scarf, a hat, 1 pair of socks, a 3-foot ribbon | 1 player | Easy | 5+ |
| 8 | Tape Chain Sprint | 6 paper strips, 1 x 8 in, clear tape | 1 player | Medium | 6+ |
| 9 | Fan the Ornament | 1 plastic ornament ball, 1 paper plate, tape | 1 player | Medium | 5+ |
| 10 | Plate Paddle | 1 inflated balloon, 1 paper plate | 1 player | Medium | 8+ |
| 11 | Mitten Hand | 1 adult sock, 8 wrapped candies, 1 bowl | 1 player | Medium | 6+ |
| 12 | Feel and Find | 1 pillowcase, 2 candy canes, 2 spoons, 2 bows, 2 plastic ornaments | 1 player | Medium | 6+ |
| 13 | Gift Tray Memory | a tray and a dish towel, paper and pencils, 10 small items from the other games, such as a bow, candy cane, ornament, sock and spoon | Any number at once | Medium | 7+ |
| 14 | Sock Snowman | 1 clean sock, 10 cotton balls, a 24-inch ribbon | 1 player | Medium | 7+ |
| 15 | Santa’s Belly | 5 inflated balloons, a large T-shirt or sweater, a 3-foot ribbon, tape | 1 player | Medium | 8+ |
| 16 | Toe Snowballs | 6 crumpled wrapping paper balls, golf ball size, 2 paper plates, a chair | 1 player | Hard | 8+ |
| 17 | Tangled Lights | a 6-foot piece of soft cotton yarn or cloth ribbon | 1 player | Hard | 8+ |
| 18 | One-Hand Wrap | a small box about 4 x 3 x 1.5 in, a piece of wrapping paper about 10 x 9 in, 5 tape pieces | 1 player | Hard | 8+ |
| 19 | Voice-Guided Trim | 6 plastic ornaments with loops, a coat rack or hooks, a scarf as a blindfold | 2 players | Hard | 8+ |
| 20 | Plate Tower Walk | 3 sturdy paper plates, tape | 1 player | Hard | 8+ |
Easy Christmas minute games (cards 1 to 7)
Easy games are the ones every guest can win on the first try, which makes them the best way to start a party. They need no skill, only the right setup. Most take the player a minute or less.
| # | Game | Set up | Rules for the 60 seconds | How to win |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Candy Cane Crane | Tie five 10-inch ribbons into loops. Lay them on a table with the bowl beside them. | Hold the cane by its straight end and keep your other hand behind your back. Hook a loop with the curved end, lift it and drop it in the bowl. Only the cane may touch the loops. | All 5 loops in the bowl. |
| 2 | Blizzard Blow | On a smooth floor or long table, tape a start line and a finish line 3 feet apart. Line up the cotton balls on the start line. | Kneel behind the start line and blow the cotton balls toward the finish line. No hands, and keep your body behind the start line. A ball counts when it fully crosses the finish line. | All 5 cotton balls over the finish line. |
| 3 | Human Tree Trim | One player is the tree: wear the sweater, stand still with arms out. The other holds the 10 bows. | The decorator peels each bow and sticks it on the tree’s clothes. No bows on skin, hair or face. The tree may not touch the bows or help. | All 10 bows are on the tree when time ends. Swap roles. |
| 4 | Sleigh Toss | Put the basket on the floor. Tape a throw line 4 feet away and stack the plates on the line. | Throw the plates into the basket like flying discs, one at a time. Walk (do not run) to fetch misses and throw them again. Plates in the basket stay there. | 5 or more plates in the basket. |
| 5 | Sock Curling | On a smooth floor, tape a start line and a 12-inch square 6 feet away. Roll each pair of socks into a ball. | Kneel behind the line and slide the sock balls one at a time along the floor toward the square. Hands stay behind the line. Bumping other balls in or out is fine. | 3 or more sock balls touching or inside the square. |
| 6 | Tissue Snowballs | Stack the 12 sheets on a table with the bowl next to them. | Use one hand only and keep the other behind your back. Pick up a sheet, crush it into a ball smaller than your fist and drop it in the bowl. | 8 or more snowballs in the bowl. |
| 7 | Elf Dress-Up | Pile all five items on a chair. The player stands 3 steps away. | Put it all on: sweater over your clothes, scarf around your neck, hat on your head, a sock on each hand, and the ribbon tied around your waist over the sweater. | All five items on and the ribbon tied. |
Medium Christmas minute games (cards 8 to 15)
Medium games ask for a steadier hand or a good memory, and most players will win about half of them. The two balloon games are in this group, so they are written for ages 8 and up.
| # | Game | Set up | Rules for the 60 seconds | How to win |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8 | Tape Chain Sprint | Cut 6 paper strips. Tear 6 pieces of tape and stick them along the table edge. | Make a paper chain. Loop one strip and tape it closed, thread the next strip through it, loop and tape that one, and keep going. Use both hands. | A chain of 6 linked loops that stays together when held up by both ends. |
| 9 | Fan the Ornament | On a smooth floor, tape a start line and a finish line 5 feet apart. Set the ornament on the start line. | Kneel behind the start line and fan the plate to blow the ornament along the floor. Neither the plate nor your hands may touch the ornament. | The ornament rolls fully across the finish line. |
| 10 | Plate Paddle | An adult inflates and ties the balloon. Clear the space around the player. | Hold the plate flat and tap the balloon up with it. A helper counts each hit aloud. If the balloon lands, pick it up and carry on. Use only the plate, never your hands. | 35 hits in 60 seconds. |
| 11 | Mitten Hand | Put the 8 candies on a table with the bowl 12 inches away. | Pull the sock over one hand like a mitten and put your other hand behind your back. Pick up the candies one at a time with the sock hand and drop them in the bowl. | 6 or more of the 8 candies in the bowl. |
| 12 | Feel and Find | Put the 8 items (4 matching pairs) in the pillowcase and shake it. | Hold the pillowcase behind your back. Reach in and pull out two items you think are a matching pair. Look: a match stays out, a miss goes back in. Repeat. | 3 or more matching pairs out. |
| 13 | Gift Tray Memory | Put the 10 items on the tray and cover them with the towel. | A helper lifts the towel for 20 seconds. Everyone looks and nobody writes. Cover the tray again. For the last 40 seconds, write down every item you remember. | 8 or more of the 10 items written down. |
| 14 | Sock Snowman | Put the 10 cotton balls on a table with the ribbon and the sock. | Stuff all 10 cotton balls into the sock, then tie the open end shut with the ribbon in a knot. A helper holds it up by the knot for 3 seconds. | All 10 balls inside a tied sock that holds for 3 seconds. |
| 15 | Santa’s Belly | An adult inflates and ties the balloons. Tape a line on the floor 10 steps away. | Pull the big shirt on over your clothes. Stuff the 5 balloons up the front, tie the ribbon around your waist so they cannot fall out, then walk to the line and back with no hands. A popped balloon ends the turn. | All 5 balloons still inside at the end. |
Hard Christmas minute games (cards 16 to 20)
Hard games are meant to be lost often, so save them for the final rounds or for teenagers and adults. The win targets are low enough that a calm, careful player can still beat the clock.
| # | Game | Set up | Rules for the 60 seconds | How to win |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 16 | Toe Snowballs | Put the 6 balls on one plate and the empty plate 1 foot away. Sit on the chair with one shoe and sock off. | Keep both hands on the chair seat. Use the toes of your bare foot to pick up each paper ball and drop it on the empty plate. | 4 or more of the 6 balls on the second plate. |
| 17 | Tangled Lights | A helper ties 6 overhand knots along the yarn, pulls each one snug by hand and lays it on the table. | Untie all 6 knots with your fingers. No scissors and no teeth. At the end the yarn must be knot-free. | All 6 knots undone. |
| 18 | One-Hand Wrap | Cut the paper to size and tear 5 pieces of tape onto the table edge. Put the box in the middle of the paper. | Use one hand only and keep the other behind your back. Wrap the box and tape it shut. Your arm, body and the table may hold things still. | Box fully covered, at least 3 tape pieces holding, and it stays closed when lifted. |
| 19 | Voice-Guided Trim | Put the ornaments on a table. Set the coat rack 6 feet away and clear the floor between. | Player 1 wears the blindfold or keeps eyes closed. Player 2 may only talk, never touch. Player 1 carries the ornaments one at a time to the rack and hangs each one. | 4 or more ornaments hanging on the rack. Swap roles. |
| 20 | Plate Tower Walk | Tape a start line and a turn line 10 feet apart. | Stack the 3 plates on your head. Walk to the turn line and back. If the stack falls, put it back on your head (hands allowed only for this) and carry on. | Back at the start with the stack on your head. |
How do you run a Minute to Win It Christmas party?
Pick 6 to 8 games, set up one station for each game, and give every player one 60-second turn per game. Start with easy games, put medium games in the middle and finish with the hard games. A helper at each station keeps time and decides each result. Follow these steps:
- Test every game once before guests arrive. Tape targets and finish lines to the floor, and check that you have every item on the shopping checklist.
- Choose 6 to 8 cards. Mix levels: for example 3 easy, 3 medium and 1 or 2 hard.
- Read the “How every game works” card aloud (card 21), so everyone knows the helper’s call is final.
- Play one game at a time, or run several stations at once and rotate groups between them.
- Score on the scoreboard sheet after every turn, then add up the totals.
- End with the championship round: the top three players or teams each play one hard card.
How long does it take?
Plan on about 2 minutes per player per game: 60 seconds of play plus about a minute to reset and explain. The total time is roughly players × games × 2 minutes, divided by the number of stations running at once. This is our own planning estimate, not a measured figure, so test your first game with a stopwatch.
| Players | Stations running at once | Games | Approximate time |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 1 | 6 | 48 minutes |
| 8 | 2 | 6 | 48 minutes |
| 12 | 3 | 6 | 48 minutes |
| 12 | 3 | 8 | 64 minutes |
Teams or solo?
Solo play suits groups of up to 8, because nobody waits long between turns. For bigger groups, make teams of 2 or 3 and add up the points of everyone on the team. Teams also suit mixed ages: put an older child with a younger one, and let players under 8 choose from the easy and medium cards. The two-player cards, Human Tree Trim and Voice-Guided Trim, work well as team games.
Scoring and tie-breaks
Winning an easy card scores 2 points, a medium card 3 points and a hard card 4 points. Reaching at least half of the target scores 1 point, and a miss scores 0. If players tie for first place, the tied players each play Tissue Snowballs once, and whoever crushes more snowballs in 60 seconds wins. Print the scoreboard sheet to keep track.
Balloons, small items and mess
- Balloons. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission recommends that children under 8 do not play with uninflated balloons without supervision, and that pieces of a broken balloon are collected and thrown away at once. It does not consider a fully inflated balloon a hazard to young children. To be careful, an adult should inflate and tie every balloon, watch the game, and pick up popped pieces immediately. The two balloon cards (10 and 15) are written for ages 8 and up.
- Small items. Cotton balls, candies and plastic ornaments can block the airway of a very young child. The CPSC small parts rule exists to protect children under 3, so keep these games for ages 5 and up and keep toddlers away from the supplies.
- Floors. Games with sliding socks, plates or ornaments need a clear smooth floor. Keep other guests out of the play area, and wipe up any spills at once.
- Blindfolds. In Voice-Guided Trim, let the player keep eyes closed instead of using a blindfold if they prefer. Clear the path first.
- Food and allergies. The only food is wrapped candy in Mitten Hand and the memory tray. Check for allergies before choosing a candy.
- Mess. Have a bin bag and a towel ready. Cotton balls, tissue paper and plate scraps are the likely litter.
What is on the scoreboard and checklist sheets?
The scoreboard and tournament sheet has two pages: a scoreboard for up to 10 players across 8 rounds with a points guide and tie-break rule, and a team tournament sheet with a round log and a championship round. The shopping and setup checklist also has two pages: every item with quantities and the card numbers that use it, then a setup and reset list for each game.
Planning a different kind of party? One minute games for kitty party has a 60-second timer and more quick games. For a game with no equipment, try the left right Christmas game. To decide who plays first, the random generators can pick names or roll dice.
Choose four or five minute to win it Christmas games for a party, and keep a timer and a score sheet ready.
Frequently asked questions
9 quick answers
How many Minute to Win It Christmas games should I play at a party?
Play 6 to 8. That gives each player 6 to 8 turns without the party dragging, and it is about 48 to 64 minutes for 8 to 12 players with stations.
What age are these Christmas minute games for?
Most are for ages 5 and up. The easy games suit ages 5 and up, the two balloon games and the hard games suit ages 8 and up, and the memory game suits ages 7 and up. Each card shows its age.
Do I need to buy anything special?
No. Most items are household things. The likely purchases are paper plates, candy canes, stick-on bows, balloons, plastic ornaments and wrapped candies, and the shopping checklist lists them all with quantities.
How do I choose a winner when players tie?
Tied players each play Tissue Snowballs once. The player who crushes the most snowballs in 60 seconds wins, and a second tie means a shared win.
Can I play these games in teams?
Yes. Teams of 2 or 3 add up the points of every member. Human Tree Trim and Voice-Guided Trim are written for two players, so they work naturally as team games.
Can I play these games in a classroom?
Yes. Use the easy and medium cards, skip the balloon games if any child is under 8, and run two or three stations at once so every child gets a turn quickly.
Can I add my own game?
Yes. Cards 23 and 24 are blank. Write the items, set up, play and win line, and pick a target that a calm player can reach in 60 seconds.
What makes these one minute Christmas games easy to judge?
Every game has exact rules for the 60 seconds and a clear target, such as 5 plates in a basket, so a helper can say who won without arguing. Each card also lists the youngest suggested age and the number of players.
Which Christmas party games for kids are best to start with?
Begin with the easy cards, numbers 1 to 7, which are marked for ages 5 and up. Games such as Blizzard Blow, Sock Curling and Tissue Snowballs need no skill, only the right setup, so every guest can win on the first try.
More Christmas games and printables
- Christmas activities for kids: 40 ideas and a free advent calendar
- Christmas quiz questions and Christmas trivia
- Christmas bingo cards and Christmas tambola
- Christmas scavenger hunt and Christmas I spy
- Christmas worksheets and more party games
Sources
- Minute to Win It, Wikipedia (the TV show, its format and first broadcast)
- Balloon safety warning, US Consumer Product Safety Commission (supervision for children under 8)
- Small parts ban, US Consumer Product Safety Commission (children under 3)
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