Free Printable Left Right Christmas Game
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I know what you might be thinking. Isn’t it a little early for Christmas games?
I am here to say that it’s never too early for Christmas games. We are the family that sneaks in a round (or two) of this Elf Christmas Monopoly game (affiliate) on rainy days in the summer. Christmas games really can be played all year round. If you let them.
But, really it isn’t that early. From my recent count, we are only a month or two away from Santa’s big arrival.
This season, I’ve been busy designing lots of printable Christmas games for the shop. And it’s been so much fun!
As a family that enjoys playing games together, Christmas is a time to share that joy with others. I love adding Christmas games to our holiday party’s agenda. It’s a great way to spend time enjoying each other’s company beyond just eating Christmas treats in the kitchen. (Although that’s fun too.)
One activity that we added to our family’s holiday celebration last year was a gift exchange. We especially enjoyed this dice gift exchange. It was fun rolling the dice and seeing who switched gifts next.
So this season, I wanted to try a new kind of gift exchange game. The Left Right Christmas Game.
What is a Left Right Christmas Game?
The Left Right Christmas Game is a story that you read. It features the words “left”, “right” and, in this case, “all around”. When you hear the different key words, you pass the gift that specific direction.
The game starts with everyone bringing a wrapped gift. Choose a value range (usually between $10 to $20) and let guests know in advance. This way no one gets something that is super fancy or really cheap.
To begin playing, all of the guests sit in a circle holding their gifts. You read a story aloud. When the story reads “left”, you pass the gift to the left. When it reads “right”, you pass the gift to the right.
Sometimes there’s an extra cue – in this Free Printable Left Right Christmas Game its “All Around”. Then, each person swaps gifts with the person sitting across from them.
At the end of the game, players get to keep whichever gift that they are holding.
What Happens if Players Wind Up with the Gift that They Brought?
One of the tricks to a successful left right Christmas game is to try to get players to not end up with the same gift that they brought. Although this rarely happens, if it does you can always add an extra line to the end of the story that requires one final passing of the gift.
An example would be: “Now that the story is at the end, the only thing LEFT to do is open your gift.” Then, players can pass the gift one more time to the left. This should prevent anyone going home with the same gift that they brought.
How Can I Use this Left Right Christmas Game?
As mentioned above, I plan to organize a left right story game at our family’s upcoming Christmas celebration. There are lots of other ways that you can use the left right Christmas story at your celebration too.
This left right Christmas game is fun for both kids and adults. You can use it at your class celebration, office holiday party, church celebration or other holiday gathering. Playing together is a fun way to exchange gifts without exceeding a reasonable budget.
When organizing, just be sure to let guests know how much they should be spending on a gift. You will probably have people not follow this guideline – bound to happen – but at least you can try.
Free Printable Left Right Christmas Game
This Free Printable Left Right Christmas Game is called “The Nice List is Just Not Quite Right”. It’s an original story that I wrote. The game includes lots of cues for passing the gift left and right. I also added an “All Around” cue so players could swap a gift with players across from them. This should add some more fun to the game.
In the story, Santa’s Nice List goes missing right before Christmas. Fritz, the elf, needs to find it so they can make the last gifts before Christmas. He searches left, right and all around the North Pole (see what I did there) looking for the list.
You can download your Free Printable Left Right Christmas Game here.
One game version not enough? If you want to play the Left Right Christmas Game multiple times and need a different story to use, be sure to stop by our shop. There you can find another original Left Right Christmas Game called “Stella the Just Right Reindeer”.
Too early in the season to think about Christmas Party Games? Be sure to pin this Left Right Christmas Game to save for later.
Love Christmas Printables?
We have lots of Christmas printables on our blog and in our shop. Check out some of our favorites below.
Kids Christmas Party Games that Everyone will Love – sharing my favorite kids Christmas party games that are sure to be a hit at your celebration
Fun Christmas Gift Exchange Games – in case you’re looking for more gift exchange game ideas
Reindeer Left Right Christmas Game – another original left right Christmas story to enjoy together
Christmas Gift Exchange Dice Game – one more fun way to exchange gifts together
Free Printable Christmas Wish List – a great place for kids to write all of their wishes
Gnome Christmas Games – a collection of 11 ORIGINAL Christmas games – gnome themed, of course
Christmas Cookie Game – the perfect game if you’re planning a Christmas cookie exchange party
Free Printable Roll a Christmas Tree Game – a fun dice game to play with kids
Free Printable Christmas Lights Scavenger Hunt – the great scavenger hunt idea on a cold Christmas night
Christmas Elf Ring Toss – in case you need something for your elf to play one morning
Free Printable “Today Let’s…” Elf Sign – to announce fun Christmas plans delivered by your Christmas elf
Happy Celebrating,
Natalie
