Christmas Spin the Wheel: 13 Ready-Made Wheel Lists

A Christmas spin the wheel turns small holiday decisions into a game. Below are 13 ready-made wheel lists you can paste straight into the swheel spinner: Christmas movies, cookie flavors, family games, gift-wrapping jobs, kindness challenges, carols, advent activities, dinner jobs and a "who opens next" wheel for gift time. Christmas 2026 is Friday, 25 December, so there is plenty of time to plan the wheels you will use most.

Each list has 8 to 12 slices, which keeps the wheel readable on a phone or TV. Edit them freely: add family in-jokes, remove anything that does not fit, and save your favorite version as a template.

How to use these Christmas wheels

1. Open the spinner and clear the sample names.
2. Copy one of the lists below and paste it in, one item per line.
3. Pick a red-and-green or snowy theme.
4. Turn on "remove after spin" for wheels where each item should come up once, such as advent activities.
5. Spin.

If you need to draw names for a gift exchange, use the dedicated Secret Santa wheel, which keeps each person's match private. The wheels below are for everything else.

Running a gift swap? Use our white elephant wheel for a fair turn order.

1. Christmas movie night wheel

Stop the 20-minute debate. Paste your family's shortlist:

• Elf
• Home Alone
• The Polar Express
• How the Grinch Stole Christmas
• A Christmas Story
• The Santa Clause
• Miracle on 34th Street
• It's a Wonderful Life
• The Muppet Christmas Carol
• Klaus

Remove each movie after you watch it, and by Christmas Eve you will have worked through the list.

2. Christmas cookie flavor wheel

For a baking day, spin to decide the next batch:

• Sugar cookies
• Gingerbread
• Snickerdoodles
• Peanut butter blossoms
• Shortbread
• Chocolate crinkles
• Thumbprints
• Oatmeal raisin
• Peppermint bark
• Linzer cookies

Pair it with a second wheel of decorating styles: sprinkles, icing, dipped in chocolate, plain.

3. Family Christmas games wheel

A game wheel keeps a long evening moving:

• Charades, holiday edition
• Pictionary
• Name that carol
• Christmas trivia
• White elephant swap
• Minute-to-win-it
• Pin the nose on the reindeer
• Holiday bingo
• Two truths and a lie
• Ugly sweater fashion show

For older kids and adults, a round of truth or dare with family-friendly prompts also works well.

4. Gift-wrapping jobs wheel

Wrapping goes faster as a team. Put the jobs on a wheel and spin for each helper:

• Cut paper
• Tape
• Ribbons and bows
• Write tags
• Fold boxes
• Hide finished gifts
• Collect scraps
• Make the snacks

5. Kindness challenge wheel

A gentle way to keep the season about giving:

• Write a thank-you note
• Donate a toy or book
• Call a grandparent
• Bake for a neighbor
• Help with dishes without being asked
• Make a card for someone
• Compliment three people
• Shovel or sweep a neighbor's path
• Leave a kind note for a delivery driver
• Share a treat with a classmate

Spin one a day through December and keep a list of the ones you complete.

6. Carol sing-along wheel

For a caroling night or a car ride:

• Jingle Bells
• Deck the Halls
• Silent Night
• Joy to the World
• We Wish You a Merry Christmas
• O Christmas Tree
• Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
• Frosty the Snowman
• Let It Snow
• Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas

7. Advent activity wheel

Put 24 small activities on a wheel, turn on "remove after spin", and spin one each day from 1 to 24 December. Some ideas:

• Make paper snowflakes
• Drink hot cocoa by the tree
• Look at lights in the neighborhood
• Read a Christmas story
• Write a letter to Santa
• Make a bird feeder
• Build a blanket fort
• Do a holiday puzzle
• Make a gingerbread house
• Watch a movie from wheel 1

Fill the rest with your own traditions. The number wheel is also handy for picking which advent door to open first.

8. Christmas dinner jobs wheel

Hosting? Spread the work:

• Set the table
• Peel potatoes
• Make the gravy
• Fill drinks
• Carve or serve
• Clear plates
• Load the dishwasher
• Wipe the counters
• Pack leftovers
• Take out the trash

Our chore wheel guide explains how to keep jobs fair across ages.

9. Who opens next wheel

Gift time with a big family can get chaotic. Put every person's name on a wheel and spin to decide who opens a gift next. Turn off "remove after spin" so everyone keeps their place on the wheel until all their gifts are open, then remove them.

10. Christmas food wheel

Not sure what to cook during the holiday week? Spin for the menu:

• Hot chocolate bar
• Homemade pizza night
• Pancake breakfast
• Soup and grilled cheese
• Taco night
• Baked potato bar
• Breakfast for dinner
• Leftovers buffet
• Fondue or dipping night
• Slow-cooker chili

Our what to eat wheel has more meal lists for the rest of the year.

11. Winter break boredom buster wheel

The days between Christmas and New Year can drag for kids. A boredom buster wheel helps:

• Build a snowman or a paper snowman
• Board game marathon
• Craft with leftover wrapping paper
• Bake something new
• Family walk
• Write thank-you cards
• Indoor scavenger hunt
• Read for 30 minutes
• Make a puppet show
• Tidy and donate old toys

A Christmas trivia wheel

Trivia works well as a wheel because each spin picks the category. Put these categories on the wheel and prepare three or four questions for each before the party:

• Christmas movies
• Carols and songs
• Reindeer names
• Holiday foods
• Christmas around the world
• Winter animals
• Famous snowmen
• Gift-wrapping and decorations

Spin, read a question from that category, and give a point for a correct answer. Mix easy and hard questions so younger players can score too. A number wheel set from 1 to 4 can decide which question in the category gets asked.

Keep it inclusive

Many homes and classrooms include people who celebrate different holidays or none at all. A "winter wheel" with snow, cocoa and kindness ideas lets everyone join in. If you are running the wheel at work or school, keep slices free of religious tasks and let people skip any activity they do not want to do.

A stocking stuffer idea wheel

Stuck on small gifts? Put categories on a wheel and spin for inspiration while you shop:

• Socks or mittens
• A small book
• Art supplies
• A puzzle or card game
• Lip balm or hand cream
• A favorite snack
• Stickers
• A keychain
• Hair accessories
• A homemade coupon, such as "one free chore"

Spin once per stocking and you have a starting point for each person. The homemade coupon slice is a favorite because it costs nothing and kids love redeeming them.

Planning your December wheels

A simple plan: build the advent wheel by 30 November, the movie and cookie wheels in the first week of December, and the games and dinner wheels the week before Christmas. Save each one so the whole set is ready next year with no extra work.

Christmas wheels by age

Ages 3 to 6: use six to eight slices with short words or simple pictures. Movement ideas such as "jump like a reindeer" work best.

Ages 7 to 12: they can handle ten or more slices and enjoy challenges such as trivia and drawing. Let them build and name their own wheel.

Teens and adults: games with a little competition, such as a carol lyric challenge, holiday trivia or the gift-wrapping race, keep everyone involved.

A two-wheel Christmas Eve plan

For a simple Christmas Eve, use two wheels back to back. Spin the games wheel for the evening's activity, then spin the movie wheel for the film before bed. Children feel they chose the night, and adults avoid the debate.

Tips for a smooth Christmas wheel

• Keep slices short. Two or three words read best on a TV.
• Use equal slices. Everyone trusts a wheel more when no item is duplicated.
• Save templates. Save each list once so you can reuse it next year.
• Let kids spin. Giving each child a turn at spinning cuts down on arguments.
• Mix wheels. Spin a game wheel, then a snack wheel, for a two-step surprise.

If you used our Thanksgiving spin the wheel lists in November, the same tips apply.

Christmas wheel ideas for classrooms

Teachers can use the same lists in the last week before winter break:

• A kindness challenge wheel for each morning.
• A writing prompt wheel: "Describe the perfect snow day", "Invent a new holiday tradition", "Write a letter from a snowman".
• A brain break wheel with movement ideas such as "Reindeer hops" or "Snowman freeze".

Keep the activities inclusive, since not every student celebrates Christmas; a "winter" or "holiday" wheel works for mixed classes. Our classroom wheel ideas has more.

Frequently asked questions