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The short answer The best ugly sweater party games put the sweaters to work: an ugly sweater hunt card to mingle with, a runway walk, a contest with real award categories, and a few quick sweater relays. Below are 16 games, 24 contest categories with printable award cards, a judging table and a two-hour run of show. Every printable here is free and works for family, friends or an office party.
Ugly Sweater Hunt
How to play: Hand every guest a card and a pen at the door. Mingle and find a guest whose sweater matches each square. They initial it. Each guest can initial only one square on your card, and you can't use your own sweater.
- Has lights that actually turn on
- Has a reindeer on it
- Has pom-poms
- Has a snowman
- Has bells that jingle
- Has tinsel or garland sewn on
- Is homemade
- Has a pun on it
- Matches someone else's sweater
- Has 3D antlers or ears
- Has a cat or dog on it
- Has sequins
+ 13 more in the printable.
Start with the hunt card above. Every square is a sweater feature (“has bells that jingle,” “is a vest, not a sweater,” “was bought at a thrift store”), and guests hunt for someone wearing it. It gets people looking at each other’s sweaters in the first ten minutes, which is the whole point of the party. Add your party’s name in the Game Maker, print one card per guest and keep a few pens by the door.
Games to play as guests arrive
1. Ugly sweater hunt (free printable)
The card above. Each guest can initial only one square on your card, and you can’t use your own sweater. First to five in a row wins; give a second prize for the most squares filled after 15 minutes. It suits 8 to 100 people and needs nothing but pens.
2. Sweater selfie scavenger hunt
Post a list of ten photos to take: a selfie with the brightest sweater, three matching colors in one shot, someone in a sweater older than you, a sweater with an animal. Teams of two or three show their phones at the end. Allow about 20 minutes.
3. Guess the sweater’s story
Each guest writes one sentence about where their sweater came from on a card (“Grandma knitted this in 1994,” “Six dollars at a yard sale”). Read them aloud and the room guesses whose sweater it is. It works best with 10 to 30 people.
Contest and runway games
4. The runway walk
Clear a strip of floor, put on a loud song and let each guest strut, pose and turn. The host reads a one-line “designer’s note” for each sweater. Give guests 20 to 30 seconds apiece, so a group of 20 takes about ten minutes. Make walking optional; some people will happily vote from the couch.
5. The ugly sweater contest
Pick four to eight award categories from the table below, then let guests vote on paper slips or have two or three judges decide. The award cards print four to a page with lines for the winner’s name.
Ugly Sweater Awards
How to play: Pick the awards you want to give, and delete or rewrite any that don't fit your crowd. Print on cardstock. Four awards fit on a page. Judges (or a guest vote) pick a winner for each award and write their name on the card.
- Ugliest Overall
- Most Lights per Square Inch
- Best Homemade Sweater
- Most Likely to Be Seen From Space
- Best Use of Pom-Poms
- Loudest Jingle
- Best Pun
- Most Creative
- Best Couple or Group Match
- Best Animal Sweater
- Most Tinsel
- Best Thrift Store Find
+ 12 more in the printable.
6. Sweater auction
Everyone gets 1,000 pretend dollars in play money. The host “auctions” each sweater (the wearer keeps it), and guests bid on the ones they think are the worst. The sweater with the highest winning bid takes the crown. It’s a funny twist on a plain vote and takes 15 minutes for 15 sweaters.
Ugly sweater contest categories
Twenty-four categories is far too many for one party. Choose enough that about a third of your guests win something; more than that and the awards stop meaning much.
| Category | Best for | How to judge |
|---|---|---|
| Ugliest Overall | Every party | Guest vote |
| Best Homemade Sweater | Crafty crowds | Judges |
| Most Lights per Square Inch | Every party | Turn off the overhead lights and look |
| Most Likely to Be Seen From Space | Every party | Guest vote |
| Best Use of Pom-Poms | Family parties | Judges count them |
| Loudest Jingle | Kids and families | Everyone shakes at once; judges listen |
| Best Pun | Office parties | Guest vote |
| Most Creative | Every party | Judges |
| Best Couple or Group Match | Friends and couples | Guest vote |
| Best Animal Sweater | Kids and families | Judges |
| Most Tinsel | Every party | Judges |
| Best Thrift Store Find | Friends | Lowest price paid wins, receipts optional |
| Best 3D Feature | Every party | Judges |
| Most Festive Vest | Office parties | Judges |
| Best Accessories | Every party | Hats, scarves and earrings count |
| Most Likely to Shed Glitter | Grown-ups | Check the couch after |
| Best Snowman | Kids and families | Judges |
| Best Reindeer | Kids and families | Judges |
| Best Sweater on a Pet | Home parties | Guest vote, with photos |
| Best Kid’s Sweater | Family parties | Give one to every kid |
| Best Last-Minute Sweater | Every party | Made or bought in the past 24 hours |
| Most Colors in One Sweater | Every party | Judges count |
| Best Runway Walk | Every party | Applause meter |
| Judges’ Wild Card | Every party | Judges’ choice, no explanation needed |
For a fair guest vote, hand out paper ballots with the categories you chose and a line for a name beside each, and ask people not to vote for themselves. Count them in the kitchen while everyone eats dessert.
Sweater relays and quick games
7. Two-person sweater race
Partners squeeze into one oversized sweater (one arm each) and race to wrap a gift, eat a cookie or walk across the room. It’s silly, and it needs big sweaters from the thrift store. Two minutes per heat.
8. Sweater swap relay
Teams line up with one huge sweater each. The first player puts it on, runs to a chair and back, takes it off and hands it to the next. First team done wins. Mittens on for round two.
9. Pom-pom drop
Tape an empty tissue box to a guest’s belt at the back and fill it with pom-poms. They have 60 seconds to shake them all out without using their hands. For more quick challenges like this, see our Christmas 60-second games.
10. Decorate a plain sweater
Teams get a cheap plain sweater, felt, ribbon, tinsel, safety pins and 20 minutes. One teammate models it at the end. Use safety pins and fabric tape, not hot glue, with kids.
11. Freeze dance
Play holiday music and stop it at random. Anyone still moving is out, unless their sweater is so loud the host gives them a pass. Little kids could play this for an hour.
Games for the table
12. Christmas bingo
A seated break between the active games. Our free Christmas bingo cards print up to 100 different cards with a calling sheet.
13. Christmas charades
Draw a card, act it out, 60 seconds on the clock. Add a sweater bonus: an actor who works their own sweater into the clue scores an extra point. We have 150 Christmas charades ideas with printable cards.
14. Sweater trivia
Write ten questions about tonight’s sweaters (“How many sweaters have reindeer?” “What color is the host’s?”). Read them after the runway walk. Whoever paid the most attention wins.
15. Holiday this or that
Quick two-choice questions read aloud, everyone points to a side. It works with a plate in one hand, which is why it’s a good game for after the food comes out.
16. Gift swap finale
End the night with a swap. Ask each guest to bring a wrapped gift under a set price, and choose a format from our list of gift exchange games. If you’re drawing names ahead of time, a Secret Santa questionnaire keeps the gifts on target.
- Printed hunt cards (one per guest) and pens
- Printed award cards on cardstock
- Paper ballots or slips and a bowl
- Two or three extra-large thrift store sweaters for the relays
- Pom-poms, tissue boxes and tape
- Felt, ribbon, tinsel and safety pins for the decorating round
- A speaker for runway music
A two-hour ugly sweater party plan
| Time | What happens |
|---|---|
| 0:00 to 0:20 | Guests arrive, get a hunt card and a pen, and start mingling |
| 0:20 to 0:35 | Call the hunt winners; group photo while everyone is still in one room |
| 0:35 to 1:05 | Food, with this or that or sweater trivia at the table |
| 1:05 to 1:20 | Runway walk and ballots |
| 1:20 to 1:40 | Two relays or the decorating round while the votes are counted |
| 1:40 to 1:50 | Award cards handed out |
| 1:50 to 2:00 | Gift swap or one last round of charades |
National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day falls on the third Friday of December, which is December 18 in 2026. Lots of offices hold their sweater day then, so it’s a handy date if you’re planning a work party.
Ugly sweater party tips
- Say “sweater optional” on the invite if some guests won’t own one. Keep two or three spares by the door so nobody feels left out.
- At work, call it a sweater day. Our office holiday party games have ideas that suit any team.
- Light-up sweaters need batteries. Ask guests to bring a spare set. Somebody’s always goes dark during the runway walk.
- Warm room, wool sweaters. Turn the heat down before guests arrive and keep cold drinks handy.
- Kids at the party? Give every child an award card. The categories “Best Kid’s Sweater,” “Loudest Jingle” and “Best Reindeer” stretch easily to cover a whole group.
Looking for more for the same night? Try our Christmas party games for adults or family Christmas games, or browse every printable in our Christmas games section.
Questions hosts ask
What games do you play at an ugly sweater party?
An ugly sweater hunt card, a runway walk, a contest with award categories, sweater relays, a decorate-a-sweater round and table games like Christmas bingo and charades.
What are good ugly sweater contest categories?
Ugliest Overall, Best Homemade, Most Lights, Best Pun, Best 3D Feature, Best Group Match, Best Thrift Store Find and a Judges' Wild Card are popular picks.
How do you judge an ugly sweater contest?
Use two or three judges, or a paper ballot where guests vote for each category without voting for themselves. Count votes while dessert is served.
When is National Ugly Christmas Sweater Day?
It falls on the third Friday of December. In 2026 that's Friday, December 18.
By the Party Game Book editors. Every game here is free to print for personal, classroom and non-commercial use. How we make and check our games.
