Kris Kringle Games

Hide and Seek

• Play hide and seek with Kris Kringle. One person puts on a red hat to target her as Kris Kringle. Kris Kringle hides as another person counts. Once the counting is finished, all players search for Kris Kringle. The person who finds Kris Kringle gets to be the next Kris Kringle.

  In another, Kris Kringle (Santa Claus) is "it" and other players are reindeer who need to be found. Kris Kringle carries a bell. At the count of 100, she searches for the reindeer. The first reindeer found becomes the next Kris Kringle. Kris Kringle rings her bell each time she finds a reindeer.

Puzzles and Cards

• Print copies of a Kris Kringle picture on card stock. Cut up the pictures to make puzzles and place in individual envelopes. Give everyone playing one of the envelopes. The object of the game is to see who can open the envelope and assemble the puzzle first. Trade puzzle pieces and repeat. The person with the most points after several times of assembling the puzzles, wins.

  Create cards with a piece of Kris Kringle's costume on the cards---hat, coat, boots, etc. For the traditional Kris Kringle, include a bell. Make sure to have two of each card. Lay cards face down on the table. The object is to match cards with the same costume part. If several play you might wish to have four cards of each piece of Kris Kringle's costume. The person with the most matches wins.

Play Online

• Play a variety of Kris Kringle games online. KrisKingle.com offers "Gift Grab," "Homerun Champion," "Hot Shots" and more. From Spin Top Games you can download "Christmasville." Santa Games offers a variety of Santa-themed games including "Santa Claus Reindeer" and "The Differences Game."

Inside Group Games

• Choose a person to be Kris Kringle and blindfold him. Kris is given a bell. Everyone creates a circle around Kris Kringle. One holds a package. Within a time limit decided by the group, Kris Kringle must find the person with the gift and ring the bell. Others guide by giving one word directions such as "left," "right" and "forward." The person holding the gift becomes the next Kris Kringle, and another person is designated to hold the gift. If Kris Kringle does not find the gift in the allotted time, the package is passed to a new person and the game starts again.

  Hold a Kris Kringle relay. Form two or more lines. Each person in line holds a wrapped package. Across the room, for each line is a basket and a chair holding a bell. The object is for each person, in turn, to run across the room, drop the gift into the basket and ring the bell. Once the bell is rung, the next person in line races to drop in a gift and ring the bell. If a gift does not enter the basket, the gift has to be retrieved and put into the basket. If the bell is not rung, that runner must take the gift and return to the back of the line for that team. The team that first rings the bell after putting all its gifts in the basket, wins.