Christmas Wheel
Gift exchanges, party games and movie nights, settled with a spin
Use one wheel for the whole season: draw the turn order for a white elephant swap, pick the next party game, choose tonight's Christmas movie or hand out festive forfeits. Load a list below or type your own, one entry per line. If you need names drawn in secret for a gift exchange, use the Secret Santa generator instead: a wheel is public, a Secret Santa draw shouldn't be.
- Christmas charades
- Carol karaoke
- Wrapping race
- Reindeer ring toss
- Christmas Pictionary
- Snowball toss
- Name that carol
- Pin the nose on Rudolph
Christmas wheel games: how to play
1. White elephant turn order
Put every player's name on the wheel and turn on elimination mode. Spin once per player: the first name spun opens a gift first, the second goes next, and so on. A player can open a new gift or steal an opened one, and each gift can be stolen at most three times. The first player gets one last chance to swap at the end, which makes up for going first.
2. Christmas charades
Load "Party games" and spin to pick the next game, or make a wheel of charades prompts (Frosty the Snowman, wrapping a present, ice skating). Split into two teams. The actor spins, acts out the prompt without speaking, and the team has one minute to guess. One point per correct guess; the team with the most points picks the next movie.
3. Festive forfeits
Load "Festive dares" for any game that needs a forfeit: losing a round of trivia, being last in the wrapping race, or burning the toast. The loser spins and does whatever the wheel lands on. Keep the list kind enough for the youngest and oldest guests.
4. Movie night without the argument
Load "Christmas movies", let everyone remove one title they really don't want, then spin once. The rule: the wheel's pick plays, and anyone who complains makes the popcorn.
5. Advent activity calendar
On December 1, load "Advent activities" and add your own ideas until there are 24. Each evening, spin once with elimination mode on, so every activity comes up once before Christmas Eve.
More Christmas wheel ideas
Office party raffle
Giving away hampers or gift cards? Run the draw on the raffle picker on the big screen so everyone sees the winners picked live.
Secret Santa, done properly
The Secret Santa generator draws names privately and never pairs anyone with themselves. Use this wheel afterwards to decide the order presents are opened.
Cracker joke master
Spin to choose who reads the cracker jokes aloud at dinner. They must read every joke, however bad.
Classroom countdown
Teachers: put the class names on the wheel and spin to choose who opens each window of the class advent calendar.
Cookie-baking flavors
Fill the wheel with flavors and toppings and spin twice to invent this year's house cookie.
Boxing Day plans
Walk, sales, board games or a nap? Put the options on the wheel and let it pick how December 26 begins.
Christmas wheel questions
When is Christmas 2026?
Christmas Day 2026 is Friday, December 25. Christmas Eve is Thursday, December 24, and Boxing Day is Saturday, December 26.
Can I use this wheel for Secret Santa?
Not for drawing names: a wheel shows everyone who got whom. Use the Secret Santa generator, which draws names privately and makes sure nobody gets themselves. The wheel is perfect for the gift-opening order afterwards.
How do I decide white elephant turn order?
Put every player's name on the wheel, turn on elimination mode and spin once per player. The order the names come up is the turn order, and nobody can be picked twice.
Can I run an office Christmas raffle with it?
Yes. For a prize draw with many entries, the raffle picker is set up for it: add one line per ticket, show the wheel on a screen and spin once per prize.
Does it work on a TV or projector?
Yes. Open the page in any browser connected to the screen and press the fullscreen button on the wheel. There is nothing to install and no sign-up.
Is every spin fair?
Yes. The wheel uses your browser's cryptographically secure random number generator, so every entry has the same chance on every spin. The fairness page runs 100,000 spins to show it.