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The short answer Our free Christmas picture puzzle game has 16 puzzles where each row of little drawings spells out a Christmas song or movie title, like a bell and a rock for “Jingle Bell Rock.” A second, easier sheet has 14 holiday phrases that work for kids and mixed ages. Both print with an answer key on its own page, and every answer is listed below with a hint for stuck players.
Christmas Picture Puzzle
How to play: Print one puzzle sheet per player or team, or show it on a TV in Play mode. Every row of pictures stands for a Christmas song or movie title. Write your guess on the line under each row. Close counts if the host agrees.
Picture puzzles are the rare party game that works for a room of strangers and a table of cousins. Nobody has to perform, the rules take one sentence, and the “oh, I get it” moment is loud enough that people at the next table lean over to see what’s funny.
Add your party name to the top, then print a PDF on US Letter or A4, or put it on a TV in Play mode and let the whole room shout out answers.
What’s on the printable
The songs and movies sheet has 16 numbered rows. Each row has two to four small pictures from our own drawings: bells, trees, snowflakes, crowns, a clock, a rock and so on. Under each row is a blank line for the guess. The answer key prints on a separate page, so you can hand out the sheets without giving anything away.
Twelve of the answers are Christmas songs, most of them old enough that grandparents will know them. Four are movie titles. The mix matters, because a sheet of only pop songs leaves half the room guessing blind.
The trick with these puzzles is to say the pictures out loud. “Bell, bell” doesn’t look like much on paper. Say it twice and somebody hums “Jingle Bells.”
How to play
- Print one sheet per player, or one per team of two or three. Teams are more fun, since half the game is arguing.
- Hand the sheets out face down with a pen, and flip them over together.
- Set a timer for 10 minutes. Twelve works better for a crowd that doesn’t know many carols.
- When time’s up, swap sheets with the next player or team.
- Read the answers from the key. Give one point per correct title.
- Most points wins. For a tie, read one of the draw-your-own puzzles below and the first to shout it takes the prize.
Decide on spelling rules before you start. We’d accept “Rocking Around the Christmas Tree” for “Rockin’,” and “Let It Snow” even though the real title says it three times. Being strict about apostrophes turns a light game into a courtroom.
If your crowd is stuck at the five-minute mark, call out a category hint: “Number 13 is a movie.” It gets pens moving again without giving away the answer.
Answers to the songs and movies puzzle
Here are the answers in order, with the logic behind each one. Tap or hover to reveal an answer if you want to check just one.
- Bell, bell. “Jingle Bells.” Two bells ringing together.
- Bell, rock. “Jingle Bell Rock.”
- Rock, tree. “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.”
- Music note, bell. “Carol of the Bells.” The note stands for a carol.
- Snowflake, snowflake, snowflake. “Let It Snow.” The full title repeats the phrase three times, one snowflake each.
- Snowflake, tree. “White Christmas.”
- House, tree. “I’ll Be Home for Christmas.”
- Crown, crown, crown, star. “We Three Kings.” Three crowns for three kings, plus the star they followed.
- Baby, sheep, star. “Away in a Manger.” Accept “Silent Night” if you’re feeling generous; it’s the same scene.
- Sparkle, tree, clock. “Wonderful Christmastime.” Sparkle for wonderful, tree for Christmas, clock for time.
- Music note, tree. “The Christmas Song.” Players often write “Christmas carol,” which is close but not the title.
- Tree, book. A Christmas Story, the movie.
- Tree, tree, tree, tree. Four Christmases, the movie.
- Die, rock. Die Hard. A die, plus a rock because rocks are hard. The debate over whether it counts as a Christmas movie is a free bonus round.
- Bell, footprints. Jingle All the Way. The footprints walk “all the way.”
- Snowflake, snowman, sparkle. “Winter Wonderland.”
The easier sheet: Christmas phrases
For kids, grandparents or anyone who doesn’t know a lot of song titles, this sheet uses everyday holiday words instead. Readers from about age 7 can do most of it alone; younger kids can team up with an adult and do the talking while the grown-up writes.
Christmas Picture Puzzle: Holiday Phrases
How to play: Print one sheet per player or small team, or show it on a TV in Play mode. Every row of pictures stands for a Christmas word or phrase. Say the pictures out loud. That's usually how the answer clicks.
The answers, for a quick check:
- Cookie, house. Gingerbread house
- Mug, cookie. Milk and cookies
- Egg, mug. Eggnog
- Moon, tree. Christmas Eve
- Sun, tree. Christmas morning
- Snowflake, house. Snowed in
- Gift, heart. A gift from the heart
- Apple, cake. Fruitcake
- Oven, mitten. Oven mitt
- Footprints, snowflake. Footprints in the snow
- Snowflake, crown. The Snow Queen, the fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen
- Gift, crown. “The Gift of the Magi,” the O. Henry story
- Tree, cookie. Christmas cookies
- Snowflake, sun. Snow day
Draw-your-own round for a whiteboard
Want a live round after the printed sheets? Draw these on a whiteboard or a big pad of paper, one at a time, and let teams race to call out the title. You don’t need to draw well. Stick figures and arrows are part of the charm.
- A house and a big number 1. Home Alone
- A crescent moon and a finger held to lips. “Silent Night”
- A deck of cards and a long hallway. “Deck the Halls”
- A Christmas tree colored in blue. “Blue Christmas”
- A polar bear and a train. The Polar Express
- An arrow pointing up and the roof of a house. “Up on the Housetop”
- A tiny drum and a boy. “The Little Drummer Boy”
- A calendar page with 12 on it and a Christmas tree. “The Twelve Days of Christmas”
- A smiley face, an arrow and a globe. “Joy to the World”
- Two bells shaded gray. “Silver Bells”
- A street sign that says “34th St.” and a sparkle. Miracle on 34th Street
- A sled and a car. “Sleigh Ride”
Give the drawer a 60-second limit per puzzle and no letters or numbers except where the puzzle needs one. For a longer version of the drawing race, our Christmas party games for families has a full drawing game with rules.
How many to print
One sheet per player, plus a few spares for late arrivals. For teams, one sheet per team and a second pen. At a family party, print both: the phrases sheet for kids and the songs sheet for adults, then trade halfway through if anyone finishes early.
- Printed puzzle sheets, one per player or team
- Pens or pencils
- A phone timer
- A whiteboard or big paper pad and a marker for the draw-your-own round
- A small prize, like a box of candy canes or first pick at the cookie tray
Ways to play for different crowds
Kids and classrooms
Use the phrases sheet and read each row aloud together. Kids spot the pictures quickly and love being the one who says it first, so in a classroom, have them raise hands instead of writing. Skip the timer for kids under 8.
Office parties
Leave a stack of sheets at each table while people get food, with a collection box by the door. Mark them during dessert and announce the winner with the other raffle prizes. It keeps a quiet crowd busy without anyone having to stand up. More low-pressure ideas are in our Christmas party games for work.
Seniors
The songs sheet suits an older crowd well, since most of the titles date from the 1940s to the 1960s. Play it on a TV in Play mode so nobody has to squint at small pictures, and let the group call out answers together rather than writing.
Big groups
With 30 or more people, play in teams of four and put the sheet on a TV. Teams write their answers on one card per puzzle and hold it up, and the host counts correct cards. It moves faster than marking 30 sheets.
More Christmas games to pair with it
Picture puzzles take about ten minutes, so plan something to follow. Christmas trivia uses the same brain for a longer round, and Christmas bingo works for every age once the food comes out. You’ll find every holiday printable on our Christmas games page, and a longer list in free printable Christmas games.
Questions hosts ask
How do you play a Christmas picture puzzle game?
Each row of pictures stands for a Christmas song, movie or phrase. Players say the pictures out loud, write their guess on the line and score one point per correct answer.
How long does a picture puzzle game take?
About 10 minutes for a 16-puzzle sheet, plus a few minutes to mark answers. Give kids or a crowd that doesn't know many carols a couple of extra minutes.
Is there an easier version for kids?
Yes. Our phrases sheet uses everyday holiday words like gingerbread house and milk and cookies. Most kids from about age 7 can do it alone.
Can I play it on a TV instead of printing?
Yes. Open the game in Play mode on a phone or TV and let the room call out answers together, which works well for big groups and seniors.
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.
