The Only Drinking Game You Need At Your Next Holiday Party

The Only Drinking Game You Need At Your Next Holiday Party

Twas the week before Litmas, and all through the city, not a bottle was opened, oh what a pity...

There is but a week before Christmas gets here and you know you're bound to stumble upon some last minute Christmas parties. Sometimes they can be drawn out but sometimes there is an open bar and it's not so bad of a time.  If you do feel like your time is being drawn out I encourage you to take this step by step guide to the host and propose a toast.  Man, I'm just full of rhymes today.

The Game

I'm sure you've seen New Girl, if not all seasons are on Netflix and get on that. For those that are true fans, there is a game they play pretty frequently in episodes. Can you tell me what its called?

The Only Drinking Game You Need At Your Next Holiday Party

Yup. My game is a game based off of True American from New Girl. It is the Holiday edition.

So, it's 50% drinking game, 50% life-size Candy Land. -Jess
Well, it's more like 75 drinking, 20 Candy Land, and by the way, the floor is molten lava. -Schmidt
It's actually 90% drinking, and then it's got a loose Candy Land-like structure to it. -Winston

First of all, what are we working with?

Picking Your Elves

Elves are optional. To pick elves, everyone holds up a random number of fingers against their foreheads. You are teamed up with anyone else that is holding up the same amount of fingers as you. Unmatched elves can team up as needed.

The North Pole

The North Pole is made up of cans of beer and a bottle of liquor (Mint liquor if you want to be SUPER festive). The container of alcohol is Santa’s Work Shop. The beers are Reindeer, which are the deliverers of gifts. The Reindeer are lined up in four lines radiating outward from the King.

The Workshop

There are four departments and each with five spaces where an elf can stand. There is a trail of chairs, cushions, tables, etc. through the departments (i.e., a chair, two pillows, a bench, and a Frisbee are the spaces). The floor is thin ice so you cannot step on it for it will crack under you. You must use these objects to traverse the departments without stepping on the ice. The North Pole is in the middle of the departments, and the spaces at the beginning and end of the departments are the farthest away from the North Pole.

Tis the season…

The game starts with a shotgun tipoff. Then, someone chants “Jack Frost!” and all other players yell “Nipping at your nose!” at which point all elves run to the center table, grab a beer and pick the nearest object to stand on.

Game Play

Elves take turns attempting to earn moves. There are three commands that can be called out when it is an elf's turn.

Guessing a common trait: The elf names two people or objects that have something in common. The other elves then yell out what is in common. For instance, “Michael Buble`” and “Mariah Carey” are both famous Christmas song artists. Elves who guess correctly drink and move.

12 Days of Christmas: The elf sings “On the first day of Christmas my true love gave to me,” and on “me,” all elves put a number on their head, similar to how teams are picked. All those with the same number as the elf who shouted the command must drink and move a space.

Completing a quote: The elf begins a quote, and all other elves attempt to finish the quote. For instance, “I am a cotton-headed…“ and “ninny-muggins!”. Elves who complete the quote correctly drink and move.

Other Rules


When an elf finishes their beer, they yell “He’s making a list…” and all other elves yell “and checking it twice!” at which point empty cans are thrown into a designated receptacle.

A player may yell “Jack Frost” at any time at which point everyone must yell “Nipping at my nose” and finish their beer.

There you have it, folks. All you need is a little bit of space, a lot of beer, and a designated driver to make this shindig a go at your next holiday party. Please party, play and drink responsibly. I don't want any of you to end up on the naughty list this late in the game.

The Only Drinking Game You Need At Your Next Holiday Party


  1. This sounds like a very interesting game! I would love to play it except at holiday parties my family does not drink. They all prefer to sit around and talk, which is perfectly acceptable. But I will keep this in mind for future holiday parties!

  2. Hmm, can I use something other than beer? Lol. Not a fan! I’m sure hard liquor will knock me on my butt, though.