Left Right Christmas Game Free Printable
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Get ready for holiday fun with our Left Right Christmas Game Free Printable! The gift passing game is so much fun to play with family and friends and a great way to exchange gifts during the holidays!
Our free printable left-right game features two original Christmas stories, “My Best Friend Saves Christmas” for the adults and “The Mischievous Elves” for the kids!
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Left Right Christmas Game Free Printable!
The holiday season is a time for eating, drinking, and being merry! And what would it be without gifts under the Christmas tree?
The Christmas Left Right Game is a fun way to give and receive gifts with friends and family, And it’s an equally great game to play with work colleagues at office parties or at a holiday party with neighbors.
It’s a game that would be fun to play in a classroom before the Christmas break or in a care home with residents.
For those new to this Christmas party game, which can be played in large groups or at intimate family gatherings, it involves reading a story out loud, filled with the words “left” and “right”.
Every time the verbal cues are given (often over-enunciated by the reader), players pass gifts to the left or right. Our stories also include “all around,” where gifts are passed to the person opposite, which mixes things up even more!
The anticipation and excitement build with each direction change, culminating in the end of the story, where everyone gets to open the gift they’re holding—so much fun, right?!
Where Are The Free Printables?
- You will find the download links further down this page, surrounded by a purple box outline.
- Tap the purple download buttons to save the file(s) to your device.
- Printables are available in two paper sizes – A4 and US Letter (8.5″ x 11″).
- Download the paper size that is appropriate for your printer.
- UK Readers! No printer? No problem! Get your printables printed and sent to you with Doxzoo!
Left Right Christmas Story
You need a great story to read out to play this fun game. You can write your own story or make your holiday gift exchanges easier with one of our original Christmas stories!
Our first story, My Best Friend Saves Christmas, is a fun, heartwarming tale and a great way to bring laughter and excitement to adult Christmas parties.
Whether that’s a white elephant gift exchange, an office Christmas party, or a Secret Santa swap, players are going to love playing the right left game!
Our second story, The Mischievous Elves, is perfect for younger kids and the whole family. It’s the day before Christmas Eve at the North Pole, and two elves, Leo and Riley, want to play a fun game before being caught by Santa Claus!
This shorter story will captivate little kids and adults alike at Christmas time!
How Do You Play The Left-Right Game?
You don’t need much to set up this fun Christmas gift exchange game – just the free printable story and any number of players (minimum of 3, including or as well as a storyteller), and of course, everyone needs to bring a gift to pass around.
- As the host, you can read the story or join in simultaneously.
- All the players need to sit in a circle, holding the wrapped gift that they have brought.
- Read the story out loud, paying attention to the times the words left, right, and all around are mentioned. Put emphasis on these words so players take action and pass the gift they’re holding in the correct direction.
- Sometimes, the instructions come quickly, and it can cause a lot of mixups and hilarity—but that’s all part of the fun of this popular game!
- The end of the story marks the end of the game, and participants can then open the gift that they have ended up with.
- If, by some chance, someone ends up with their own gift, you can make the call on how to swap it with someone else.
What Are The Best Gifts For The Left-Right Game?
A gift game needs gifts! Typically, everyone invited to play brings their own gifts to exchange, and you may want to set some rules for it.
Alternatively, you may want to provide the gifts, for example, if you run an activity group.
- Small and Affordable: Set a budget/price point when inviting people. Keep the gifts relatively small and affordable. The charm of this simple game often lies in the unpredictability of the gifts, so they don’t need to be extravagant.
- Themed Gifts: Consider a specific theme for your gift exchange, such as holiday-themed, movie night, kitchen gadgets, or self-care.
- Gender-Neutral: Since the game is typically played with a mixed group of participants, choose gifts suitable for both men and women. Avoid gender-specific items.
- Age-Appropriate: If you’re playing with a diverse group, ensure the gifts are age-appropriate.
- Wrapped Creatively: Wrap your gifts creatively to make them more enticing. Colorful wrapping paper, ribbons, and bows can add to the excitement.
- Gag Gifts: Humorous or gag gifts can add a lot of laughter to the game. Just ensure they are in good taste and won’t offend anyone.
- Gift Cards: Gift cards to popular stores, restaurants, or online retailers are always a hit. They provide flexibility and allow the recipient to choose what they want.
- Sweets and Treats: Small boxes of chocolates, candy bars, gourmet snacks, or festive treats can be a delightful addition.
- Have Backups: Have a few suitable wrapped gifts in case someone extra turns up or a gift is forgotten.
Remember that the Left-Right gift exchange game is meant to be lighthearted and entertaining. The goal is to have fun and create memorable moments with friends and family.
Tailor your gift choices to the preferences and personalities of your group, and you’ll ensure a great time for everyone involved!
More Printable Games for Christmas
If you’re tired of the same board games for your family game night, try one of our fun, free printable Christmas games:
- Free Christmas Bingo Printable Game Cards
- Free Christmas Movie Emoji Game Printable with Answers
- Free Printable Christmas Memory Game
Check out more of our Free Printables, including over 100 Free Christmas Printables!
Download The Left Right Christmas Game Free Printable
The free printable left and right Christmas game stories are full-color, but if you need to print in black and white, the words LEFT, RIGHT, and ALL AROUND, are uppercase, bold, and underlined, ensuring you can emphasize when reading out loud.
And if you want a Christmas gift exchange poem instead of a story, included the famous verse ‘Twas The Night Before Christmas. There are many version of this famous poem online, and this is our fun twist, with a copy/paste version below the download boxes.
Click the download link to save the printable file(s) to your computer.
UK Readers! No printer? No problem! Get your printables printed and sent to you with Doxzoo!
Visit The Purple Pumpkin Shop for more awesome printables and products!
‘Twas The Night Before Christmas
How to play: When you hear the word RIGHT in the story, pass the gift to the person on your right. When you hear the word LEFT, pass the gift to the person on your left. When you hear the words ALL AROUND, pass the gift to the person opposite you. When the story is over, you get to open the gift you’re holding! Direction words are in bold uppercase.
‘Twas the night RIGHT before Christmas, when ALL AROUND the house
Not a creature was LEFT stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were LEFT by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be RIGHT there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds;
While visions of sugar-plums dancing LEFT and RIGHT in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,
When RIGHT out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang RIGHT from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the LEFT window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
LEFT a lustre of midday to objects below,
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a miniature sleigh and to the LEFT, eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew RIGHT in that moment he must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them RIGHT by name:
“RIGHT, Dasher! RIGHT, Dancer! RIGHT Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top RIGHT of the porch! to the top RIGHT of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”
As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So RIGHT up to the housetop the coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too—
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little LEFT and RIGHT hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning ALL AROUND,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, RIGHT down from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung RIGHT on his back,
And he looked like a pedler just opening his pack.
His LEFT and RIGHT eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard RIGHT on his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held RIGHT in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled ALL AROUND his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a RIGHT jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his RIGHT eye and a twist of his head
Soon LEFT me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went RIGHT to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned LEFT with a jerk,
And laying his LEFT finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, RIGHT up the chimney he rose;
He sprang RIGHT to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove RIGHT out of sight—
“Happy Christmas to all, and to ALL AROUND a good night!”
The Create the Holidays series on The Purple Pumpkin Blog features free printables, crafts, recipes, and more for Christmas and the Winter Holidays. Check out Create the Holidays (formerly Create Christmas) from 2023, 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, and 2012.
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