Christmas Mystery Bag Game

In this post, I’ve included an inexpensive, fun Christmas activity for kids: the Christmas Mystery bag game! Follow along to see what items I put in the bags, to get access to my free printable, and for more family-friendly Christmas content!

Note: You may have heard of the Halloween Mystery Box Game or Halloween Mystery Bag Challenge. Another name for it is Touch and Feel. This is a Christmas spin on that fun holiday activity!

Why this is a great Christmas activity for kids

Here are the top reasons you and your kids will LOVE this activity:

• Budget-friendly – You really don’t have to break the bank to help your kids and their friends have a fun time. The materials for this are super cheap and easy to get your hands on. 
• Fun – This Christmas game is a guaranteed success! Every group of kids I have done this game with has enjoyed it!
• Works with any number of people – You can do this mystery bag activity with one kid or 10! That makes it great as an afterschool activity, party game, or family bonding time.
• Minimal setup/cleanup – Since really all you are doing is printing off the answer sheets and assembling the bags, it isn’t a huge time commitment to throw together. As a busy mom, that is what makes this activity so perfect!! 
• Any age can play – Pretty much any age group can play this game. My recommendation is to do it with kids who are elementary-age or higher. That way they can more fully participate by describing what they feel and writing down their guesses on the answer sheet.

Christmas Mystery Box/Bag FAQs

How long does it take to set up this activity?

• Less than 30 minutes! A lot of these items you will likely have lying around your house, but a few of them you may need to pick up from the store. This will make your assembly process just a little longer, so keep that in mind. However, once you have all the materials, it takes about 15 minutes to add the items to each bag, label the bag with a number, and print out the answer sheets.

Can I switch out what items I put in the mystery bags?

• Of course! You may want to opt for the less messy options with younger kids. However, there are all kinds of things you could add to your mystery box. Continue to the next section for more ideas!

How long does the game take?

• It’s about 15 minutes for 1 person and you can add an additional minute or 2 for each additional person. (This includes the time explaining the activity and then actually doing it). The more people that play, the longer it will take, but not by too much.

What to put into a Christmas Touch and Feel Game

For a touch-and-feel game, you want to have 8-12 different items for your players to feel. This is enough for the game to be fun, but not so many that it’s overwhelming. 

When coming up with items for this game, I thought about popular Christmas characters and symbols. This can be a helpful strategy if you choose to come up with your own mystery bag items. 

You’ll notice that below, I have included a wide variety of possible items to include in your bags. Some are messier than others. Feel free to swap any of them out if you want less chance of a mess.

Materials needed for a Christmas Mystery Bag Activity

The nice thing about this activity is that the materials are very flexible. You can make all kinds of substitutions and swaps based on what you have readily available!

Materials you’ll need for this activity: 

• Either a box or brown bags for the number of items you plan on having as part of the Christmas Mystery Box Activity. 
• Mystery box items – Whichever ones you choose (See my list in the next section) 
• Answer sheets – Use my free printable! It can be found near the bottom of the page. 
• Writing Utensils – Pens, pencils, markers. You name it! Players will just need something to mark their answers with. This will also be used to add a number to each of the bags.
• Scissors
• Glue or Tape

Mystery Box Items

Here are possible items you could include in your Christmas mystery bag activity. I grouped the ones that were a bit messier into this first section.

• Santa’s Beard: Cotton balls
• Rudolph’s Nose: Cherry, Cranberry or Grape
• Spoiled Milk and Cookies: Glue with beads in it, Yogurt, or Sour cream
• Olaf’s Arms: Cinnamon sticks/Pretzels
• Elf Hair: Twisted Pipe Cleaners
• The Gingerbread Man: Graham Cracker
• Buddy the Elf’s Dinner: Pasta with syrup and sprinkles
• Lump of Coal: Rough rock
• The Grinch’s Heart: Strawberry
• Ebenezer Scrooge’s Skin: Peach/Date
• Reindeer Snot: Tissue with jelly
• Charlie Brown’s Christmas Tree: Branch of a Pine Tree

Other possible mystery bag/box items:

• Mrs. Claus’s Belt: Ribbon 
• Santa’s gift bag: Velvet Cloth Swatch
• Reindeer food: Thin Pretzels
• Snowman’s nose: Carrot
• Angel Wings: Feather
• The Shepherd’s Cane: Candy Cane
• Candle Wax: Caramel Candy
• Elf Poop: Wrapped Peppermint Candies
• Chunk of the North Pole: Block of Ice/Ice Cubes
• The Grinch’s Fur: Fluffy Fabric Swatch
• Christmas “Magic”: Sprinkles
• Elf on the Shelf Blanket: Wrapping Paper

How to Make Your Christmas Mystery Bags

1. Before starting your assembly, you want to gather all the needed materials. 
2. Next, open up each of your brown bags or boxes so that they are standing and ready to place a mystery item inside. 
3. Then, place your mystery items in the bags. Each item should have its own bag. 
4. Mark each bag with a number
5. If you haven’t already, print off your answer sheets and cut them in half. 
6. Make an answer key by filling out one answer sheet with the correct answers to the Christmas game. 
7. Once that is finished, put the filled mystery bags/boxes out along with the answer sheets and writing utensils. Your festive activity is now ready to play!!

How to Play: Christmas Mystery Bag

The instructions are simple.

Hand out an answer sheet and writing utensil to each person who is going to participate in the activity. Then, have each person place their hand inside the bag without looking. Once all the players have felt the mystery item in that bag, give them a second to think and write down the number of the bag next to which item they think they just felt.

After players have written their answers, you can move on to the next box/bag. Continue this until everyone has gone through all of the bags.

Next, show the kids or friends the answer sheet and have them tally up how many they got correct. Though a prize isn’t necessary, it can make this Christmas game even more exciting for participants.

I usually like to give them a small piece of candy for each one they get correct. That way everyone benefits from playing the game!

Free Christmas Printable

To make the game set up even easier, I’ve created a FREE PRINTABLE Christmas Mystery Bag document. These print in black and white and 2 per page which means you don’t need a fancy printer. And if you DO want to get fancy, you could print them onto red and green paper which would make them really cute!

This Christmas printable includes all of the items I listed above for the Mystery bag activity. 

Here are the FREE PRINTABLE NUMBER LABELS:

Here are the FREE PRINTABLE CHRISTMAS TOUCH AND FEEL ANSWER SHEETS

If you have other mess-free ideas for items to include in the mystery bags, share those ideas in the comments! Also, make sure to sign up for my email if you want more family-friendly content. I have everything from recipes to decor to party ideas!

Other Christmas Activities

We have EVEN MORE holiday inspiration for you! Here are some fun activities you might enjoy:

• Christmas Bingo + Free Printable
• Best Disney+ Christmas Movies for Teens/Kids
• 15 Christmas Short Stories and Books for Kids
• 5 Entertaining Christmas Games
• Christmas Party Games for Kids

Christmas Gift Guides

Giving a gift during the holidays just got that much easier! Each of these gift guides targets a specific group with gifts for a variety of price points and personalities! There is something for each of the special people in your life.

• 20 Christmas Party Favors Your Guests Will Love
• 75 Stocking Stuffers for Kids and Teens
• Christmas Package Ideas for LDS Sister Missionaries
• Christmas Package Ideas for LDS Elders
• 70 Stocking Stuffers for Men

Don’t Leave Just Yet

Here at Events to Celebrate, my whole goal is to help real people plan for their kids’ birthday parties, life events, and holidays! Life is crazy. I GET IT. You don’t have endless time OR money to spend on parties, but you still want to help your guests have a great time. I’m here to help give you tips, tricks, and ideas for celebrating life on a budget.

As a mom, you want to do it all. You want to make your family happy and create special memories. My brand is all about creating special moments with those you love. The kind of moments that you will look back on years later and wish you could relive! So, if that’s something you’re interested in, stick around! I have an email list you can sign up for, so you don’t miss my future party ideas!