Christmas Drinking Games: Ugly Sweater Pong, 12 Beers of Christmas and More
The best Christmas drinking games turn the night into a show: an ugly sweater contest when people walk in, the 12 Beers of Christmas tasting while the snacks are out, an Ugly Sweater Pong bracket as the main event, and Christmas movie drink cards when everyone crashes on the couch. It works for a friends’ Christmas party, the office after-party or the night your college crew is home for break. Just read the room if your aunt’s in the kitchen.
Jump to: The plan · Sweater contest · 12 Beers of Christmas · Ugly Sweater Pong · Christmas Kings · Movie drink cards · Family edition · FAQ
The plan
| When | Game | Why then |
|---|---|---|
| Arrival | Ugly sweater contest | Everybody’s dressed up and wants to show it off |
| Early evening | 12 Beers of Christmas | Small pours while the food’s still out |
| Main event | Ugly Sweater Pong bracket | The house is full and the table’s ready |
| Between games | Christmas Kings | Something for the people waiting on the table |
| Late night | Christmas movie drink cards | Everyone ends up on the couch anyway |
Christmas falls on a Friday in 2026, so most friend parties land on Saturday, December 19. Book the date before everyone’s calendar fills up with family stuff.
Arrival: the ugly sweater contest
The contest isn’t a side event. It decides who gets perks for the rest of the night.
- Vote by applause once most people have arrived. Categories: Ugliest Overall, Best DIY, and Most Lights (battery-powered sweaters count double).
- The winner gets the Ugly Sweater Mulligan in pong (below) and shoots first in the bracket’s first game.
- Nobody wore one? Keep a stack of dollar-store tinsel and bows by the door. Instant ugly sweater.
Early evening: the 12 Beers of Christmas
Forget the twelve days. The 12 Beers of Christmas is a tasting: twelve small pours that go from light to dark, one “day” at a time, with everyone scoring each one. The best beer of the night wins its bringer bragging rights until next year.
How to play
- Everyone brings a beer. Assign a day (a style) to each guest or couple so you don’t end up with nine IPAs. With fewer than 12 guests, the host fills the gaps.
- Pour 2-ounce tasters. Small plastic shot cups or tasting glasses. Twelve 2-ounce pours add up to about two beers over the whole tasting, which is the point.
- Go in order, one day at a time. The bringer announces the beer, everyone tastes, and everyone scores it from 1 to 5 on the scorecard.
- Sing the day. The bringer has to sing that line of “The Twelve Days of Christmas” with the beer swapped in (“On the fifth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: a winter warmer”). Skip the song, drink a water.
- Crown the champion. Highest average score wins. Lowest score buys next year’s Day 12.
The 12 days
| Day | Style | Why it’s there |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Light lager or pilsner | Easy opener while people arrive |
| 2 | Wheat beer or witbier | Orange-peel and spice notes |
| 3 | Pale ale | First hops of the night |
| 4 | Amber or red ale | Malty, toasty, still easy |
| 5 | Christmas ale | The cinnamon-and-ginger seasonal |
| 6 | Winter warmer | Darker and stronger; slow down |
| 7 | Brown ale | Nutty, a good palate reset |
| 8 | Fruit beer or cider | A curveball, and a gluten-free option |
| 9 | Porter | Chocolate and coffee |
| 10 | Stout (or a milk stout) | Dessert in a glass |
| 11 | Non-alcoholic craft beer | Everyone plays, nobody notices |
| 12 | Imperial stout or barleywine | The big finish; share one bottle |
Print it: our 12 Beers scorecard and movie drink cards (PDF) has a scoring sheet and cut-out cards.
Winter beers run strong, often well above a regular lager, which is exactly why this is a tasting and not a race. Keep water and food out the whole time. Don’t be the guy who peaks on Day 6.
Main event: Ugly Sweater Pong
It’s beer pong in your worst sweater, with a tree-shaped rack and a few holiday rules on top of our standard house rules.
Setup
- The tree rack: rack 10 cups in the usual 4-3-2-1 triangle, then add one cup centered behind the back row: the trunk. That’s 11 cups per side.
- The star: the front cup is the star. Use a red or green cup for it if you have one.
- Sweaters on. No sweater, no shooting. Tinsel counts in a pinch.
Holiday rules
- Ugliest sweater shoots first. In the first game, the contest winner’s team shoots first. After that, the team holding the table shoots first like normal.
- The Ugly Sweater Mulligan. The contest winner gets one do-over per game: miss a shot, call “mulligan,” and shoot it again. It can’t be used in redemption.
- Light the tree. Sink the star cup and the trunk cup on the same turn and the other team pulls one extra cup of your choice. It doesn’t count during redemption.
- Losers swap sweaters. The losing team trades sweaters with the winners for the next game. Nobody wants the one with the battery pack.
Everything else follows our house rules, from island to redemption. Argument mid-game? Check the quick rulings. More than four teams? Set up a bracket in 30 seconds with our bracket generator, and play 6 cup in the early rounds so the final happens before midnight.
Between games: Christmas Kings
Play Circle of Death (Kings Cup) with four holiday swaps:
| Card | Normal rule | Christmas rule |
|---|---|---|
| 9 | Rhyme | Christmas rhyme: every word has to rhyme with “snow” |
| 10 | Categories | Holiday categories: reindeer names, Christmas movies, cookie types |
| Jack | Make a rule | Carol: sing the next line of a Christmas song; first one stumped drinks |
| King | King’s Cup | Eggnog Cup: pour into the center; the fourth King drinks it (eggnog optional, honestly) |
Waiting for the pong table with a smaller group? Ride the Bus or Never Have I Ever work great too. Try “Never have I ever regifted a present.”
Late night: Christmas movie drink cards
Put on any Christmas movie. Hand out one card per person and take a sip when yours happens on screen. Swap cards halfway through.
| Card | Sip when… |
|---|---|
| Merry Christmas | someone says “Merry Christmas” |
| Let it snow | it starts snowing on screen |
| Wipeout | someone falls on snow or ice |
| Big guy | Santa shows up |
| Bah humbug | a character hates Christmas |
| Sing-along | a character breaks into a carol |
| Under the tree | a present gets opened |
| Holiday miracle | everything gets fixed at the end |
The cards are in the same printable PDF. Sips only: a holiday movie can hit “Merry Christmas” 30 times.
Family edition: read the room
- Swap the drinks. Every game here works with soda, hot cider or water. Ugly Sweater Pong with root beer is still Ugly Sweater Pong.
- Keep the sweater contest. Grandma’s sweater might win it outright.
- Use the movie cards with candy. One chocolate per card. Kids love it.
- Save the 12 Beers for after the kids are in bed.
Set up the house
- One long table handles pong all night and the tasting before it. No table? See our best beer pong tables.
- Post the house rules on a House Rules sign so the holiday rules don’t start a family feud.
- Still shopping? Our gifts for beer pong lovers has stocking stuffers and white-elephant picks.
FAQ
What are good Christmas drinking games?
Ugly Sweater Pong, the 12 Beers of Christmas tasting, Christmas Kings and Christmas movie drink cards. Run them in that order and the night plans itself.
What is the 12 Beers of Christmas?
A tasting game: twelve 2-ounce pours of different beers from light to dark, one per “day,” scored by everyone. It adds up to about two beers total, so it’s a tasting, not a race.
How do you play ugly sweater beer pong?
Play regular beer pong in ugly sweaters with an 11-cup Christmas tree rack. The best sweater shoots first and gets one mulligan per game, and the losers swap sweaters with the winners.
Can the whole family play?
Yes. Use soda or cider in the cups, keep the sweater contest, and play the movie cards with candy.
When is Christmas in 2026?
Friday, December 25, 2026. Most friend parties land on the Saturday before, December 19.
More party plans: Thanksgiving drinking games and New Year’s Eve drinking games, or see all our party games.
Planning the whole year? See the beer pong party calendar.