Christmas Pictionary Words (Free Printable Cards)

Bring out the paper and markers for a Christmas drawing game. These Christmas Pictionary words cover 12 themes, from simple objects for kids to movie titles, songs and festive phrases for older players.

Read the word lists below or get the free printable PDF with 180 themed cards, 15 blank cards and game instructions. Enter your name and email in the download form to receive the printable and join the Once Upon a Printable email list.

Jump to the word lists · How to play · Get the free printable

What’s included in the printable?

The 16-page PDF includes a cover, 12 themed card sheets with 15 prompts per sheet, a sheet of 15 blank cards, one instruction page and a copyright page. Some prompts appear in more than one theme, so you can print separate rounds or mix your favorites.

The cards have written words and phrases, rather than picture clues. Print only the categories you want to play; the cover does not need to be printed.

Christmas Pictionary word lists

There are 15 prompts in each list. For an easier game, start with the kids’ words and decorations. For a bigger challenge, try movies or song titles.

You do not need to use every card in one game. Remove unfamiliar prompts before you begin, and decide whether close guesses such as “gift” for “present” will count.

Christmas Pictionary words for kids

Start with familiar objects and characters. A grown-up can quietly read the card to a child who needs help.

• Santa Claus
• Reindeer
• Snowman
• Christmas Tree
• Stocking
• Gingerbread Man
• Candy Cane
• Presents
• Angel
• An Elf
• Snowflake
• Chimney
• Star
• Sleigh
• Bells

Christmas decorations

These concrete objects make a good next round after the children’s cards.

• Christmas Tree
• Ornaments
• Wreath
• Christmas Lights
• Tinsel
• Stockings
• Mistletoe
• Nativity Scene
• Garland
• Christmas Village
• Snow Globes
• Advent Calendar
• Poinsettias
• Holly
• Christmas Candles

Christmas food

Choose foods your group recognizes. A few simple shapes can suggest a cookie, pie or mug.

• Gingerbread Cookies
• Candy Canes
• Roast Turkey
• Eggnog
• Fruitcake
• Mince Pies
• Sugar Cookies
• Hot Cocoa
• Yule Log Cake
• Cranberry Sauce
• Pecan Pie
• Mashed Potatoes
• Figgy Pudding
• Peppermint Bark
• Mulled Wine

Santa’s Workshop

Try this theme for a round of toys, presents and North Pole favorites.

• Elves
• Santa Claus
• Reindeer
• Sleigh
• North Pole
• Toy Train
• Teddy Bear
• Dollhouse
• Jack-in-the-Box
• Toy Soldiers
• Wooden Rocking Horse
• Wrapped Presents
• Santa’s List
• Candy Cane Factory
• Workshop Tools

Winter activities

These action phrases work well when players are ready to sketch a small scene.

• Ice Skating
• Snow Angels
• Building a Snowman
• Skiing
• Snowball Fight
• Drinking Hot Cocoa
• Snowboarding
• Building an Igloo
• Going Sledding
• Decorating a Christmas Tree
• Baking Holiday Cookies
• Going on a Sleigh Ride
• Roasting Marshmallows
• Visiting a Christmas Market
• Getting Warm by the Fire

Christmas traditions

Use familiar family activities for a scene-drawing challenge. Skip traditions your players do not know.

• Decorating the Christmas Tree
• Hanging Stockings
• Baking Christmas Cookies
• Exchanging Gifts
• Singing Christmas Carols
• Sending Christmas Cards
• Christmas Eve Services
• Making Gingerbread Houses
• Watching Christmas Movies
• Drinking Hot Cocoa
• Visiting Santa Claus
• Building a Snowman
• Hosting a Christmas Party
• Lighting the Advent Wreath
• Reading Christmas Books

Christmas movie Pictionary

Choose titles your group has seen. These are drawing prompts, so agree before playing whether a recognizable character or scene is enough to identify the title.

• The Santa Clause (1994)
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Frosty the Snowman
• The Grinch
• A Christmas Story
• Miracle on 34th Street
• The Nutcracker
• Home Alone
• Elf
• The Polar Express
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• White Christmas
• A Christmas Carol
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• Die Hard

Christmas characters

Mix familiar characters with a few harder choices for older players. You can draw something associated with the character instead of attempting a portrait.

• Santa Claus
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
• Frosty the Snowman
• The Grinch
• Elf on the Shelf
• Mrs. Claus
• The Nutcracker
• Kevin McCallister
• Ebenezer Scrooge
• Buddy the Elf
• Cindy Lou Who
• Ralphie
• Sugar Plum Fairy
• Tiny Tim
• Baby Jesus

Christmas song Pictionary

Song titles are often harder to draw than objects. Keep this round for players who know the songs, and remember that humming gives an extra clue.

• I’ll Be Home for Christmas
• Blue Christmas
• Last Christmas
• Jingle Bell Rock
• Feliz Navidad
• Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree
• It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
• Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
• Sleigh Ride
• Silver Bells
• White Christmas
• Frosty the Snowman
• Carol of the Bells
• Do You Hear What I Hear?
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer

Classic Christmas carols

This themed sheet includes traditional carols and familiar holiday songs. Pick a few recognizable titles rather than requiring everyone to know the whole list.

• Away in a Manger
• Silent Night
• Deck the Halls
• O Little Town of Bethlehem
• Jingle Bells
• It Came Upon the Midnight Clear
• While Shepherds Watch Their Flock
• We Three Kings
• Joy to the World
• O Come, All Ye Faithful
• God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen
• The First Noel
• Good King Wenceslas
• Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
• O Holy Night

The Twelve Days of Christmas

The twelve gifts are joined by three related prompts. Drawing several small parts can help your team work out a longer phrase.

• Turtle Doves
• French Hens
• Leaping Lords
• Maids Milking
• Gold Rings
• Partridge in a Pear Tree
• Laying Geese
• Calling Birds
• Swans Swimming
• Ladies Dancing
• Pipers Piping
• Drummers Drumming
• Twelve Days
• True Love
• Christmas Gift

Nativity Pictionary words

Choose this round for a group familiar with traditional Nativity scenes and Christmas storytelling.

• Baby Jesus
• Mary
• Joseph
• Angel Gabriel
• Shepherds
• Three Wise Men
• Star of Bethlehem
• Manger
• Donkey
• Sheep
• Camel
• Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh
• Stable
• Swaddling Clothes
• Innkeeper

How to play Christmas Pictionary

This printable uses a simple team drawing game with one point per correct guess. You do not need a board game or dice.

What you need

• Printed cards, cut apart along the dotted lines
• Paper and pencils, or a whiteboard and markers
• A one-minute timer
• A bowl or face-down pile for the cards
• At least four players for two teams, plus paper to keep score

Simple game rules

1. Choose your cards and teams. Select themes your players know and divide into two teams. Decide on a winning score or an equal number of turns before starting.
2. Pick an artist. The drawing player takes a card and reads it without showing the other players.
3. Start the timer and draw. Give the artist one minute to draw the prompt. Use pictures without letters, numbers, symbols or spoken clues.
4. Guess and score. Teammates call out guesses. A correct answer before time runs out earns one point; otherwise, no point is awarded.
5. Take turns. Put the used card aside, switch teams and rotate the artist so everyone gets a turn.
6. Finish at your agreed stopping point. For example, play to 10 points or complete the same number of turns for each team. The highest score wins.

If you want the rules beside you while playing, download the printable cards and instruction sheet.

Make the game work for kids and adults

For younger children, use concrete prompts such as snowman, star, stocking or candy cane. Quietly read the card to a child who needs help, and give extra drawing time as a house rule. Let beginners practice one card before you start scoring.

For teens and adults, choose longer phrases, movie titles or song titles. Difficulty depends on what your group knows: a familiar film may be easier than an unfamiliar food. Choose prompts for the people playing rather than treating every card as suitable for every age.

For a mixed-age gathering, pair younger children with older players and take turns with the drawing role. Keep the pace relaxed and allow a replacement card if someone does not recognize the prompt.

Three ways to vary your Christmas drawing game

• Theme rounds: play one round of decorations, one of Christmas movies and one of songs. Tell everyone the category before the timer starts.
• Team drawing: choose one guesser while the other teammates draw the same prompt together. Keep the no-talking rule for the artists.
• Cooperative play: take turns drawing while everyone else guesses. With a small group, see how many cards you can solve together instead of keeping team scores.

You can also use the cards for Christmas charades: act out the prompt silently instead of drawing it. Treat that as a separate game so everyone knows which clues are allowed.

Print and prepare your cards

The PDF is sized for US Letter paper. Use ordinary printer paper for a quick game or cardstock for sturdier cards. Check print preview and choose “Fit” if your printer needs space around the edges.

Cut along the dotted lines and keep each theme in a separate envelope if you want to reuse the game. The blank sheet lets you add family traditions, familiar characters or your own Christmas phrases. Keep those extra prompts separate until everyone agrees to include them.

Download your free Christmas Pictionary cards

Enter your name and email below to get the free printable PDF and join the Once Upon a Printable email list. The download contains all 12 themed sets, the blank cards and the instructions. Save a copy before your gathering so it is ready to print.

These free printables are a part of our exclusive subscriber library and are for personal use only. They are the exclusive property of Once Upon A Printable and may not be reproduced or used for commercial purposes without our written consent. Thank you for respecting our copyright.

Christmas Pictionary questions

Can we play without a printer?

Yes. Write selected words from the lists above on slips of paper, or have a non-playing host show each artist a prompt. Keep the answer hidden from the guessers.

Can two or three people play?

Yes, as a cooperative game. Take turns drawing while the other players guess. The two-team version works best with at least four players.

Can we sing or act out the answer?

For the drawing game, keep clues to pictures: no talking, humming, acting, letters, numbers or symbols. If you want to play charades instead, agree on that variation before the round starts.

Do I have to print all 16 pages?

No. Print only the themed sheets you want to use and the instruction page if helpful. The blank cards and cover are optional.

More Christmas games to play together

Follow your drawing round with 96 Christmas trivia questions and answers, or take the family out for a Christmas lights scavenger hunt. For more seasonal activities, browse the holiday printables.