Free printable, no sign-up Christmas Pictionary Words

What's on the Christmas Pictionary cards

The deck has 50 Christmas Pictionary words, and every one is something you can actually draw: a candy cane, a snow globe, a gingerbread house, a lump of coal, a puppy with a bow. No abstract ideas, no brand names and nothing you'd hesitate to draw in front of grandma or your manager. Here's the full list, grouped by theme.

The cards aren't sorted by difficulty, so every draw is a small surprise. Easy ones that anyone can sketch in ten seconds: candy cane, snowman, stocking and Santa hat. Middle of the road: sleigh, chimney, icicle and gingerbread house. The hard ones are where the laughs are: Mrs. Claus, advent calendar, singing carols, matching pajamas and ski lift. If your group is mixed, pull a few hard cards out for the youngest players, or save them for a final round.

How to play Christmas Pictionary

One person draws, their team guesses, and nobody at the easel is allowed to speak or write a single letter. That's the whole game.

1. 1Split into two teams. Three or four teams work too if the party is big.
2. 2Set up a drawing spot everyone can see: a whiteboard, a sketch pad on an easel or a sheet of paper taped to the wall.
3. 3Shuffle the cards and stack them face down.
4. 4The first drawer takes a card, reads it without showing anyone and starts a one-minute timer.
5. 5Draw. No letters, no numbers, no talking and no acting it out. Teammates shout guesses as fast as they like.
6. 6A correct guess before time runs out earns a point. If not, the card goes to the bottom of the pile.
7. 7Teams take turns, with a new drawer each time. First team to 10 points wins, or play until the cards run out.

House rules that keep it fair

Settle these before the first card, so nobody argues halfway through the party.

• Close counts or not? Most groups accept “snowmen” for snowman, but not “snow” on its own.
• Dashes are allowed. Drawing three short lines to show a three-word answer is a classic move.
• Arrows and circles are fine. Use them to point at the part of the drawing that matters.
• Gestures are off. If the drawer nods, points at the coffee table or mimes, the turn ends.
• The drawer can erase and start over at any time, but the timer keeps running.
• Any team can steal. If time runs out, the other team gets one guess for half a point. Skip this rule if your group is competitive enough already.

Printing and party tips

• Print on cardstock so nobody can read the word through the back of the card.
• Use thick markers. Thin pens look fine up close and vanish from the back of the room.
• No whiteboard? A pad of printer paper and a clipboard does the job, and you keep the drawings for a laugh later.
• A one-minute sand timer looks great on the table, but any phone timer works.
• Draw the cards from a Santa hat or a stocking.
• Players who can't read yet can draw in pairs, with a teammate whispering the word to them.

Christmas Pictionary variations

Play the same words on one phone

Our Draw & Guess game has the same Christmas deck built in. Pick Christmas as the word list, and the drawer peeks at the secret word, then draws on the screen with a finger while the team guesses. It keeps the timer and the score for 2 to 4 teams, and there's a drawing telephone mode too. It's handy when there's no printer nearby, or when the paper ran out halfway through dessert.

For a bigger holiday lineup, see our Christmas games, or the office holiday party games for a work crowd. Printing more? Try the Christmas bingo cards or the Christmas trivia cards.

Questions