Christmas Category Game
If you are searching for Christmas scattergories, this is our own Christmas category game, free to play and print. Pick one of our 10 category lists, each tagged for kids, families or adults, from a snow day for kids to the Christmas kitchen and a holiday party for grown-ups, type your own, or print a blank list and write the categories on paper. Roll a letter on this page, start the timer, and everyone writes one answer per category that starts with that letter. Answers nobody else thought of score a point, with a bonus point for alliteration and a quick vote when someone disagrees. The letter roll uses your browser’s secure random numbers, never repeats a letter in the same game, and can skip the hard letters Q, U, V, X, Y and Z, leaving 20 letters. Print answer sheets with three rounds each, one per player with their name on it, a score sheet with your winning score, a sample-answers sheet for the list and letter cards to cut out if you would rather play without a screen. US Letter or A4, in colour or black and white, with our own drawn Christmas borders. Free, with no sign-up and no watermark.
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Printable sheets
Categories
Players
In the PDF
Runs in your browser with our own code: names and categories never leave your device, and nothing is saved. Letters are rolled with your browser’s secure random numbers; the timer is silent. The category lists, sample answers and borders are our own. Print at 100% (Actual size). Not affiliated with Hasbro.
How to play the Christmas category game
- Pick a category list (each says Kids, Family or Adults), choose Your own categories and type one per line, or choose Blank list to write them on paper.
- Type the players’ names, or how many answer sheets you need, pick a winning score, and download the PDF.
- Press Roll a letter. Everyone writes the letter in the box for round 1.
- Press Start timer. When time is up, pens down: read the answers category by category and score a point for every answer nobody else wrote.
- Roll again for round 2. The score sheet keeps the totals across the game; the first to the winning score, or the most points after the last round, wins.
What you can use it for
- A family game after Christmas dinner
- A classroom party game on the last day before the winter break
- An office party ice-breaker with the grown-ups list
- A game for a long winter evening with the letter cards and no screen
- A road-trip game with answers written on a phone
The 10 category lists
| List | For | Categories | Starts with |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas for everyone | Family | 12 | Something on a Christmas tree; A holiday food or treat; A gift for a grandparent |
| Christmas for kids | Kids | 12 | A toy; An animal; Something red |
| The Christmas kitchen | Family | 12 | A kind of cookie; A drink; A spice or herb |
| Winter outdoors | Family | 12 | A winter sport; Something you build; Something on a mountain |
| Christmas for grown-ups | Adults | 12 | A thoughtful gift; Something at a party; A word that means happy |
| In the toy workshop | Kids | 12 | Something you can paint; Something made of wood; A tool |
| Snow day | Kids | 12 | Something you wear outside; Something you can slide on; A cozy drink |
| Christmas morning | Family | 12 | Something under the tree; Something you unwrap; A breakfast treat |
| Home for the holidays | Adults | 12 | Something you pack; A way to travel; Something at an airport or station |
| The holiday party | Adults | 12 | A party food; A party drink; Something to wear to a party |
120 categories in all, written by us, with no film, song, toy or brand names: 3 for kids, 4 for families and 3 for adults. Edit any list before you print, type up to 20 categories of your own, or print the blank list.
How to play and score
| Step | What happens |
|---|---|
| Roll | One letter for the round, the same for everyone |
| Write | One answer per category starting with that letter, before the timer ends |
| Compare | Read the answers category by category |
| Score | An answer nobody else wrote scores 1 point. Answers that match another player’s score nothing, and so does a blank. |
| Bonus | 1 extra point when every word of an answer starts with the letter, like snowy sled for S. |
| Disputes | If someone challenges an answer, the player explains it and the others vote. A tie keeps the point. |
| Win | First to the winning score you pick (25, 50, 75 or 100 points), or the most points after the last round |
House rules are part of the fun: agree whether a or the at the start counts, and whether to play with the bonus. The score sheet prints the rules and your winning score.
The letters
| Setting | Letters in the roll |
|---|---|
| Skip hard letters (on) | 20: A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L, M, N, O, P, R, S, T, W |
| All letters | 26: A to Z |
Each roll picks from the letters not used yet in the game, with your browser’s secure random numbers. In a test of 5,000 rolls with the setting on, no skipped letter came up.
What you can print
| Page | What is on it |
|---|---|
| Answer sheet | One per player, categories down the side and 1 to 3 rounds, each with a letter box and a points row |
| Blank list | The same answer sheet with 12 empty category lines to write your own |
| Score sheet | Landscape, a row per player, up to 10 rounds, a total column, the winning score and the rules |
| Sample answers | Three example answers for each category of the list, like Something on a Christmas tree: Star, Bauble, Tinsel |
| Letter cards | The letters in the roll, 5 across with dashed cutting lines |
| Rounds on each answer sheet | Row height on US Letter | Row height on A4 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 15 mm | 15 mm |
| 2 | 15 mm | 15 mm |
| 3 | 15 mm | 15 mm |
Row heights measured by the tool for a list of 12 categories.
More Christmas games and printables
Need letters for another game? Try the Random Letter Generator. For a picture game, make cards with the Bingo Card Generator.
- Cards for the family: Christmas Card Template.
- Tags for the prizes: Gift Tag Template.
- A wish list for each child: Christmas Wish List Template.
- A certificate for the winner: Certificate Maker.
More free Christmas printables
Planning a Christmas party?
Games, cards and tags that run in your browser: free, with no sign-up and no watermark.
Frequently asked questions
Is it free?
Yes. There is no sign-up, no email and no watermark, and you can play and print as often as you like.
How do you play?
Each player has an answer sheet. Roll a letter and start the timer. Everyone writes one answer for each category starting with that letter. When the time is up, go through the categories in turn: an answer nobody else wrote scores a point, answers that match score nothing. The first to the winning score, or the most points after the last round, wins.
How many points do you need to win?
Pick it under Winning score: first to 25, 50, 75 or 100 points, or the most points after the last round. It prints at the top of the score sheet. With 12 categories a player can score up to 12 points a round before bonuses, so 25 suits a short game and 50 a longer one.
How long should a round be?
Two minutes suits most families and classes, and three minutes gives younger players more time. The 30-second lightning round is for when everyone knows the categories well. The timer counts down silently on the screen.
Which letters are skipped?
With Skip hard letters ticked, the roll never gives Q, U, V, X, Y, Z: few everyday words start with them, so a round can stall. Untick it to use all 26 letters.
Can a letter come up twice?
Not in the same game. The roll picks from the letters not used yet; when every letter has been used, it starts a new cycle and says so. New game clears the list.
Do two players with the same answer score?
No. Matching answers cancel out, which is why unusual answers win. A blank scores nothing too.
What is the alliteration bonus?
One extra point when every word of an answer starts with the round’s letter, like snowy sled for S or candy cane for C. It is printed on the score sheet; leave it out if your group prefers plain scoring.
What if players disagree about an answer?
The player who wrote it explains it, and everyone else votes on whether it fits the category. A tie keeps the point. The sample-answers sheet helps settle what kind of answer fits, but any answer that fits the category and starts with the letter counts.
Is there a version for kids?
Yes. 3 lists are tagged Kids: Christmas for kids, In the toy workshop, Snow day. They have categories like a toy, something red and a sweet treat. With the hard letters skipped and a three-minute timer, young children can join in.
Is there a blank sheet for our own categories?
Yes. Choose Blank list under Category list: the answer sheets print 12 numbered empty category lines for everyone to fill in before the first round. To type your own categories instead, choose Your own categories.
Are there sample answers?
Yes. Tick Sample answers for the list, or open the Sample answers tab, for a page with three example answers for each category of the list you picked. They come with our lists, not with your own categories.
Can we play without a screen?
Yes. Tick Letter cards to cut out: the PDF adds a page of letter cards to fold and draw from a bowl. Use a kitchen timer for the rounds.
How many answer sheets do I get?
One per name you type, up to 12, each with the player’s name on it. Without names, type how many sheets you need. Each sheet has room for up to three rounds; the score sheet holds up to 10 rounds.
Can I use the sheets in class or sell them?
Yes. The designs are our own drawings: you may use them and anything you make with them, including things you sell, with no credit needed.
Are names uploaded?
No. The sheets are made in your browser and nothing is saved.