“So Stupid…they might just work!” Youth Group Christmas Ideas

By Ryan Ice

Youth Group Holiday Lights Display- Have each student become a station for a drive-thru holiday lights display. They can dress up, work together, cover themselves in lights and then stand or sit still in the church parking lot as family and friends travel through the weirdest Holiday Display they will have ever seen.

Reverse Caroling- Make one of your evening classes more entertaining by singing a Christmas carol when the first person opens the door. As people continue to enter, they join in as a part of the Caroling Chorus. When the door shuts- the song ends. Every time the door opens the growing chorus sings until the last person enters the classroom.

Ginger Bread Battleship- First, have groups make gingerbread houses (4 per side). Divide the room in half so that students cannot see the other side. Make a 5 by 5 grid lettered and numbered. Place ginger bread houses on spots on grid and then teams will alternate calling out spaces (like C-3 or E-5) and try to hit their houses. If a house is hit, it can either be delivered to the other team for them to eat or have someone smash the house. First team to destroy the other houses is the winner!

Form-Fitted Foil Wrapped Gift-Exchange- Every group has done a white elephant gift exchange, so this is just a way to add some humor. Each present should be wrapped so that it is pretty obvious what the gift is or at least makes you think that is what the gift is. A football, a t-shirt, a mug, or a teddy bear would be obvious but even funnier if they can make it look like the form of something it is not. Exchange would work just like the white elephant.

The Christmas Slay Haunted House- Forget to do something for Halloween this year? No problem, combine the two things. Turn your youth room or church building or someone’s house into a haunted house for Christmas. Let’s face it- glowing reindeer noses, creepy elves, fat men jumping out of fireplaces, and creepy stocking stuffers could be hilariously spooky!

Regressive Dinner- Our church has for years put on a very nice progressive dinner where people move from home to home moving from appetizer to dessert. A regressive dinner would work in reverse going from home to home starting with dinner and working backward to appetizers. Also, you could have students wear ugly sweaters backwards for additional fun.

Elf Night- “Elf” has become an instant holiday movie classic. Make a night about fun and service. Gather toys, or gather money and go shopping for toys dressed as Christmas Elves. Then deliver them to a charity or as a part of something your congregation is already participating in. Dinner for the Night will consist of spaghetti (with syrup as an option), candy, candy corn, and candy canes. Finish the night by watching the movie.

A Hallmark Christmas- Let’s face it Hallmark Christmas Movies are really awful and extremely predictable, but are a huge hit! Use the beginning of the night to make Christmas Cards to send out to shut-ins or people who you have served throughout the year and have your group sign those cards. Then, give students 15 minutes in groups (more than enough time) to create a cliché Hallmark Christmas movie. Invite parents to come and enjoy the Hallmark movies they created live.

The Reindeer Games- Feel free to get creative with outside-the-box games. Simply, have students where reindeer hats and ugly sweaters and have Olympic Style Competitions for the night. Feel free to award red-noses to the winners or something Christmas-y.

Stocking Stuffer Night- We all love getting to go Trick or treating, but its sad it only happens once a year. I think candy should be freely given out throughout the year! Stocking Stuffer Night is the Equivalent to a trunk or treat. Have volunteers either at their homes throughout town or from trunks in the parking lot be prepared to hand out candy. Have students dress up in Christmas-themed Costumes and take stockings to each spot to stuff their stockings with candy!