77 days to Christmasdays

Christmas Scavenger Hunt

Search the house or a safe outdoor area for Christmas decorations and festive objects on a list built for you.

Players
2+
Ages
6+
Time
about 30 min
You need
Nothing needed

Build your Christmas scavenger hunt

Pick who is looking and where, and the list builds itself. Everything on it is something you can spot without touching, moving or opening anything.

Who is playing?
Where are you looking?

Indoors is the fullest list, and the only one with food and drink on it.

How many things?

No sign-up, no timer, no score. Nothing is saved — close the tab and it is gone.

How the Christmas scavenger hunt generator works

Choose who is looking — kids, the whole family, or adults — whether you are staying indoors, heading outdoors, or might do either, and how many things you want to find. Then take one of two doors. Play now deals the list onto the screen to tick off together as you go, and swaps out anything your house turns out not to have. Create & print deals a printable Christmas scavenger hunt instead, which you can reword in your own words before printing one copy per player — the boxes always print empty. Nothing is saved, and there is no signup, no timer, no score, no GPS and no photo to upload: every item is something you spot with your eyes and tick with a finger or a pencil.

A Christmas scavenger hunt for kids works best on the shortest list and the indoor setting, where there is most to find in the smallest space. The outdoor list keeps to what can be seen from a path you are allowed to walk on, and the Anywhere list holds only things that are true inside or out, so it still works if you wander. These are the rules the hunt is built on.

What it is

Christmas Scavenger Hunt sends everyone searching for festive objects and decorations instead of keeping the room around a table. The list is built for you: choose who is looking, whether you are staying indoors or going outside, and how many things you want, and every item is something that can be spotted without touching, moving or opening anything.

One person can work a list as happily as a houseful, and nothing is scored or timed, so nobody is racing anybody. It suits families and children especially well because it combines a simple challenge with plenty of movement, and it adapts to the space you have, from a short list in one decorated room to a walk around the neighbourhood. Anything your house does not have can be swapped for something else, and the list can be printed if you would rather tick it with a pencil.

Setting up

Decide where the hunt will happen and agree the boundaries before anyone starts looking, including any rooms, outdoor areas or objects that are off limits. There is nothing to prepare: the list is generated for you, and every item on it is chosen to be findable in the place you picked. If you would rather play on paper, print the list and hand out pencils.

How to play

  1. Choose who is looking, whether the hunt is indoors, outdoors or either, and how many things to find.
  2. Explain the boundaries of the playing area and identify any rooms, outdoor areas or objects that are off limits.
  3. Share the list, on a screen everyone can see or on paper, and start looking.
  4. Tick off each item as somebody spots it. Spotting is enough — nothing needs to be collected, moved or brought back.
  5. If something on the list genuinely is not there, replace it and carry on looking.
  6. The hunt is over when everything on the list has been found.

Rules

  • Players must remain inside the boundaries established before the hunt begins.
  • Do not search in unsafe, fragile, private or inaccessible places, and do not climb or reach for anything.
  • Items are spotted where they are, not collected: do not move, hide or take anything on the list.
  • Children should search only in areas appropriate for their age and should be supervised when the hunt includes outdoor spaces.
  • For outdoor hunts, stay on permitted property and do not enter roads, neighboring property or other unsafe areas.

Variations

  • Printable Hunt: Print the list and give everyone their own copy and a pencil, so each person ticks off their own finds.
  • Kids Hunt: Choose the kids list and the shortest length, and keep the search within a smaller, clearly defined area.
  • Neighbourhood Walk: Choose the outdoor list and look at decorations along a route you already walk, staying on permitted paths.
  • Team Hunt: If you would rather make it a race, divide a larger group into teams and give every team the same printed list. The game does not keep score, so agree between yourselves what counts as finished.

Keep playing

More games for your group

Three that go well after Christmas Scavenger Hunt — or let the Finder choose.