Christmas Password - The Perfect Game For Small Groups

Looking for a fun holiday game that doesn’t require a whole bunch of people, money, props, supplies or time to prepare? Let’s play Password!

Back in the 1960s, Password started as a TV game show where celebrities would pair with everyday folks to get their partner to say a specific word. They could do or say anything except say any portion of the word out loud. In recent years, it’s been updated by adding a time limit and passing a timer around - if you’re holding the timer when it runs out, your opponents get a point.

This is a hugely popular game in our youth group. We’ve played it with just two of us and with a room full. You can use the box of words from your Pictionary game and choose whichever one of the words on the card you like best. You can randomly open a book and point at any word,  making that the word you must describe. The possibilities are endless.

You can also write out your own words on a particular theme, lesson or holiday. When we played our Christmas Password this week, I wrote out a stack of cards with a variety of December-themed words. We had a younger child playing with us, so she would ask me the word and whisper back what she thought would be a good description. It was so much fun to play along and try to explain words like Christmas Eve service and holly to a six year old.

We set the timer on my phone for 1 minute and took the top card from the upside-down stack. The phone gets passed as you describe your word, and the goal is to not be holding it when it goes off. You've never heard people talk at break-neck speeds and slide a phone across the table so quickly. It's one they ask for time and again, so I guess I need to add some more words to the stack!