GoodHolidayStore planning guide
No Printer? Christmas Games You Can Still Host
The printer's out of ink, the guests arrive at seven, and your backup plan is a PDF nobody can mark. Relax: you have two good routes. Run a spoken game that needs nothing, or put a browser game show on a screen everyone can see.
The screen route skips printing, but you still need to download it, test the display and know the controls. Pick the one you can manage tonight.
What does "no printer" leave you tonight?
Have you got a laptop and a shared TV? Just a phone? No reliable screen at all? Those are different parties. A game designed for a shared display won't become comfortable for twenty guests because you can technically open it on your phone.
If you've got no time to test equipment, start with spoken choices or charades. If you can connect a computer and rehearse, a browser show gives you ready-made questions and scoring. Neither route needs player printouts.
| What you have | A workable choice | Catch to plan for |
|---|---|---|
| Voices and a small group | Spoken this-or-that | The host supplies original prompts |
| Space and willing performers | Christmas charades | Allow people to pass |
| Computer and readable display | Browser trivia or Feud | Download, unzip and test first |
| Windows desktop PowerPoint | Supplied PowerPoint edition | Requires macros and compatible software |
| A printable PDF on a phone | Readable host notes, sometimes | Not automatically a digital multiplayer game |
A download isn't the same thing as a screen game. Bingo boards, cut-apart cards and write-in sheets still need their intended player materials unless you deliberately create your own different activity.
No screen either? Start with these spoken games
For an immediate free warm-up, ask an original question such as “Would you rather untangle the lights or wrap the awkward-shaped present?” Let people answer from their seats. Follow with “Winter walk or film on the sofa?” and “One big decoration or lots of tiny ones?”
Keep it conversational: no scores, no need to explain a choice. Stop when the answers turn into a good argument.
For charades, ask willing players to act an ordinary festive action: carrying an enormous tree, wrapping a bicycle or discovering a burnt cookie. Give the other players one guess at a time. No one needs to sing, reveal a personal story or perform alone if they'd rather join a guessing team.
Set your own brief time limit and demonstrate first. The host doing a terrible imaginary wrapping job takes some pressure off the next person. If your room is cramped or guests are holding dinner plates, stick with seated questions.
Category trivia on the big screen
Christmas Jeoparty offers four full games with 120 questions plus four Final Rounds. It supports two to four teams, a category board and automatic scoring. The browser and PowerPoint editions contain the same questions; you're choosing a technical route, not buying extra questions by opening both.
The supplied HTML games play offline in Chrome, Edge, Safari or Firefox on Windows, Mac or Chromebook. Download and unzip the files before the party, then open the chosen game and enter sample team names. Internet access for downloading is separate from offline play once the files are ready.
Try the game from the seat farthest from the screen. If the text is difficult there, change the seating or display before making teams. A larger question collection doesn't fix a screen people can't read.
Team guessing: Christmas Feud
Christmas Feud gives two teams survey-style questions with listed answers. Its 100 rounds are split across two games of 50, supplied in browser and Windows PowerPoint versions. The host reveals correct answers, applies strikes and awards points through the controls.
Choose this when your guests enjoy suggesting several possible answers together. It has a different rhythm from selecting one trivia question and answering it. Explain who speaks for each team so the host isn't trying to hear five shouted suggestions at once.
You don't need to print anything to play, though a printed host answer key is handy. To stay printer-free, open that PDF on a second device and rehearse checking it without flashing answers at guests.
For the office party: Office Holiday Party Jeoparty
Office Holiday Party Jeoparty is its own collection: 120 questions plus four Final Rounds, supporting two to four teams. Categories include Office Supplies, Coffee Break and Inbox Zero alongside holiday topics. Pick this edition when that mix fits your coworkers better than an all-Christmas collection.
It also includes browser games and macro-enabled PowerPoint files. The browser route works offline on the listed desktop platforms. It works on a TV, a projector or a shared screen on a video call. You supply the equipment.
For remote guests, share the game window and check that they can read it. Keep the host guide outside the shared area. Ask one remote teammate to describe what they see before starting; it's easier to fix the view during rehearsal than during the first scored answer.
Rehearse for ten minutes before guests arrive
Use it to download and unzip, open one game, connect the display and try a complete question. Check the reveal, scoring controls and sound level.
The PowerPoint editions require desktop PowerPoint on Windows with macros. Google Slides, Keynote and PowerPoint Online aren't substitutes for that requirement. If your equipment doesn't match, use the supplied browser route and test it rather than trying to convert the file at the party.
Finally, choose an ending your evening can support. You don't have to exhaust four games or 100 rounds. Announce a manageable selection and how you'll decide the winner before beginning. Leave the spoken warm-up ready as your backup if the display connection fails. The party can continue while the cable has its little crisis.
Questions and answers
Can I play without PowerPoint?
Yes. These products include HTML browser games. The listings name Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox on Windows, Mac or Chromebook.
Do the games work without internet?
Yes, after setup. You need internet to download the files. Unzip them beforehand and the browser games play offline, so a Wi-Fi wobble at the party won't stop the game.
Do I need a printed answer key?
Not for guests. Screen play needs no player printouts. A printed host key is handy, but you can open the host PDF on a phone or second screen instead, out of sight of the group.
What if I only have a phone?
Run spoken choices or charades. A game show needs a screen the whole room can read, and a phone held up to a group doesn't count. If you can cast the phone to a TV, test that first.