Christmas Who Am I?

What it is

Christmas Who Am I? is a festive guessing game in which each player is secretly assigned a Christmas character, object, tradition or other familiar holiday idea. Without seeing their own identity, players ask the group yes-or-no questions until they can work out who or what they are.

The game is simple to set up and works well with families, friends and coworkers because the conversation creates most of the fun. Familiar identities make it easy for children to join in, while more specific Christmas references can make the game harder for adults.

Setting up

There are two ways to set this up, and the first needs nothing at all. On a screen, the game deals one identity at a time: the phone passes to somebody who is not the guesser, they tap to reveal it, and they hold it so the rest of the group can read it. It works because everyone agrees not to peek. On paper, print a sheet of twelve identities, cut them out, and attach one to each player where the others can read it but they cannot — a forehead, a back, or a sticky note. That needs paper and a printer, scissors, and tape or sticky notes. Either way, decide before you start whether turns run until somebody guesses correctly or whether each player gets a set number of questions.

How to play

1. Give each player one Christmas identity without allowing them to see what is written.
2. Choose the first player to begin asking questions about their identity.
3. The player asks the group a question that can be answered with yes or no.
4. The group answers truthfully based on the identity shown.
5. The player continues asking questions according to the turn rules until they are ready to make a guess or their turn ends.
6. If the player guesses correctly, reveal the identity and award a point if the group is keeping score.
7. Move to the next player and continue until everyone has identified their Christmas identity or the agreed number of rounds is complete.

Rules

• Players may not look at their own identity before guessing it.
• Questions should be answerable with yes or no whenever possible.
• The group should answer questions honestly and should not deliberately give extra clues unless everyone has agreed to allow hints.
• A player may make a direct guess when they think they know the answer.
• Use identities appropriate for the ages and Christmas knowledge of the group.
• For workplace games, avoid identities based on real coworkers or anything likely to embarrass a participant.

Winning

For a scored version, award one point each time a player correctly identifies their Christmas identity. After everyone has played the agreed number of rounds, the player with the most points wins. For a casual version, skip scoring and simply play until everyone has guessed correctly.

Variations

• Kids Version: Use very familiar identities such as Santa Claus, a reindeer, a snowman, a Christmas tree or an elf.
• Christmas Movie Version: Use only characters and objects from Christmas movies and television specials familiar to the group.
• Objects Only: Limit the identities to Christmas decorations, foods, gifts and other physical objects.
• Ten Questions: Give each player a maximum of ten yes-or-no questions to identify their clue.