Guess that Smell Christmas Game for the Whole Family to Play
This post may contain affiliate links – please read my disclosure statement.
This Christmas game is simple to set up and guaranteed to bring lots of laughs. Players take turns smelling items hidden in jars and trying to guess what they are. It’s a hilarious and festive guessing game that everyone will enjoy—kids, teens, and adults alike. The Guess That Smell Christmas Game is the perfect activity for the whole family to play together during the holidays.
Last week, I bought supplies for this hilarious fun Christmas Game and the kids couldn’t wait to play it. Everyone- kids, teens, and adults had a blast trying to Guess the Christmas Smells. What’s more…My kids have asked to play this over and over which just proves how enjoyable this game is to play. More Family Christmas Games that provides hours of enjoyment with very little prep are Hershey’s Kiss Memory Game and Guess Who? which is a blast to play at Christmas
What I Love about this Christmas Game
- Perfect for All Ages – This game is a fun game for all ages, even young kids
- Quick and Easy – It’s an easy Christmas Guessing Game to put together
- Nostalgic – This guess that the smell game brings back feelings of nostalgia, which is so much fun – especially at Christmas
Supplies for Guess That Smell Christmas Game
Containers with lids – jars, coffee cups with lids, or anything that hides the item but holds the scent. (Opaque containers are best, so no one can peek!)
Optional blindfold – a Santa hat works perfectly.
Christmas scents – think peppermint, pine needles, cinnamon sticks, chocolate, vanilla, gingerbread, and more. (Soak cotton balls in extracts if you don’t have the actual item.)
Paper and pencils – for recording guesses.
Container Ideas
- One reader used 35 mm film cases to hide objects
- Disposable coffee cups – they already have a hole on top that closes to keep the smell fresh
- Rinsed out coffee containers with lids
Setting Up
Prepare the scents. Place each scent in its own container and seal it tightly. Number the containers to stay organized.
Make a master list. The game host keeps a list of all the scents for reference.
Hand out supplies. Give each player (or team) paper and a pencil to record their guesses.
A list of Christmas Smells
Smelling Item Ideas:
- Pinecone
- Pine Needles
- Peppermint Candy
- Cotton balls soaked with vanilla extract
- Cotton balls soaked with almond extract – that might be specific to our Christmas Cookies. Almond always reminds us of Christmas. I’ll link the recipe to the yummiest Sugar Cookies Ever, below
- Cinnamon Sticks
- Chocolate
- Fudge
- Gingerbread
- Hot Chocolate Powder
- Extracts and oils – soak cotton balls with the scent and place in the jar. Seal with lid
- Nutmeg – hee! hee! This will give players an intense reaction when the spice hits their noses. Kind of funny – kind of mean
- charred wood for a crackling fire
- tobacco and beer – if you have a cousin Eddy in the family
- Sage for turkey
- A cotton ball soaked in eggnog
- spiced gum drops
Watch my video on How I Set up This Christmas Guessing Game
Setting Up
Items should be hidden in containers and possibly numbered to keep the guessing accurate
The person in charge should have the list of items written down to compare with the players
Players should be given paper and pencils to keep track of their guesses
Watch this quick video on playing the Christmas Smelling Game
Last weekend, I asked some of my kids to play the game with me for a quick video. They happily obliged. Sorry in advance for my obnoxiously loud laughter.
Playing
Pass the scents. Each container is passed around so everyone can smell it. Players write down their best guess.
Reveal the answers. After all jars have been smelled and guesses recorded, the host reveals the correct answers.
Scoring
- 1 point for a close guess (e.g., “chocolate” instead of “Hershey’s Kiss”).
- Bonus point for the exact answer.
Winner. The person (or team) with the most points wins!
Point System
- One point for getting it really close. For example, they guessed Chocolate when it was really a Hershey’s Kiss
- A bonus point if they guess the exact contents of the jar
Variations
Team Play: Pass jars down a line of teammates. Teams can discuss before writing down their final guess. Add a timer for extra challenge!
Classroom Version: Set up “scent stations” and give kids prizes for correct answers.
Younger Kids: Focus on talking about the smells—what they remind them of, whether they like them, etc.
Extra Ideas
Add a silly twist by including one or two “stinky” smells for laughs (like vinegar, a smelly sock, or nutmeg’s strong punch).
Ask guests to suggest scents that remind them of Christmas—it makes the game more personal and fun.
Tips and Tricks
*Not necessary, but it would be nice – If you plan on dividing into teams, then get double of everything so teams can go at the same time
*My jars are see-through for the photograph. To prevent cheating (it happens)…You’ll probably want to conceal your items in a non-see-through jar or container
Check out some of our other game ideas like:
Here are My Top Amazon Picks for this Christmas Smelling Game
affiliate links
[box] 
Granite Ware Silicone Jar T...Shop on Amazon 
Granite Ware Silicone Jar T...Shop on Amazon 
Watkins Pure Peppermint Ext...Shop on Amazon 
Watkins Pure Almond Extract...Shop on Amazon 
Crazy Candles Eggnog 3 Bott...Shop on Amazon 
Mystic Moments | Hot Cocoa ...Shop on Amazon
DilaBee 8 oz Plastic Jars w...Shop on Amazon[/box]
Here’s the Best Ever Sugar Cookie Recipe I promised – click here
Printable Card for the Christmas Smell Game
Guess that Smell Christmas Game for the Whole Family to Play
Materials
- containers with lids
- optional blindfolds if you think they will peek
- items for Christmas smells full list of ideas below
Instructions
Setting UP
- Items should be hidden in containers and possibly numbered to keep guessing accurate
- The person in charge should have the list of the items written down to compare with the players
- Players should be given paper and pencils to keep track of their guesses
Playing
- For added pressure, you can time this game so they only have seconds to guess
- Containers should be passed down through all of the players giving them a chance to smell the item
- Players should write down what Christmas Scent is in the jar or what Christmas smells it represents
Team Play
Setting Up
- Have enough chairs at the table for the whole team or 2 teams to sit at once
- Make sure objects are hidden inside containers and possibly numbered for accuracy
- Teams should have paper and pencils to log their guesses
Playing
- For added pressure, you can time this game so they only have seconds to guess
- Have the players grab a jar, write down their guess, and then pass each jar down the line through the players on their team
- Teams can discuss amongst themselves what they think is in the jar and write down their best guess
- After the end of the game, have the teams share their guesses out loud and see which team scored the most points
- Variation: Individual players on teams can keep track of their own guesses and points can be combined for team totals
Points
- One point for getting it really close. For example: they guessed Chocolate when it was really a Hershey's Kiss
- A bonus point if they guess the exact contents of the jar
Notes
- Item Ideas for Christmas smells
-
- Pinecone
-
- Pine Needles
-
- Peppermint Candy
-
- Cotton balls soaked with vanilla extract
-
- Cotton balls soaked with almond extract – that might be specific to our Christmas Cookies. Almond always reminds us of Christmas. I’ll link the recipe to the yummiest Sugar Cookies Ever, below
-
- Cinnamon Sticks
-
- Chocolate
-
- Fudge
-
- Gingerbread
-
- Hot Chocolate Powder
-
- Extracts and oils – soak cotton balls with the scent and place in the jar. Seal with lid
-
- Nutmeg – hee! hee! This will give players an intense reaction when the spice hits their noses. Kind of funny – kind of mean
- charred wood for a crackling fire
-
- spiced gum drops
- Sage for turkey
- tobacco and beer – if you have a cousin Eddy in the family
Just thought I would help you out on the hot chocolate idea. The liquid would be very difficult but you could just use the hot coco powder that way you stiil get the smell without the liquid mess.
Yes! That would be a great substitute. The cocoa powder should be enough to remind them of hot chocolate. Thank you. 🙂
I LOVE this!!! I am doing this for an adult only Christmas party. I’m going to do one “gag” bag with a cotton ball soaked in beer and toss in some form of tobacco for a “creepy Uncle from out of town” smell. 😂🤣😂🤣
LOL! You are my kind of gal! That sounds hilarious. I love it!
Can’t wait to do this with my high school classroom! Making and gifting Russian Tea is a family tradition here, so I’ll include that in one of the jars, too. Fun!!
I’m so excited. Thank you for letting me know about your plans for your high school class. What a fun teacher. They will have a blast.
L ove all these ideas ! What do you cover the jars with that you can smell the stuff?
Thank you. I found the silicone jar covers ate Menards (a big box hardware store. I found them in their grocery aisle. There is also a link to the same jar covers through Amazon somewhere on the post. It should be near the supplies needed.
thank you so much for this great idea – I will try a version of this when I visit seniors with dementia in our area – this could be a great way to trigger reminiscence – smells can be such a powerful memory trigger! (note: some lose certain smells with chemo and dementia but most don’t and many who do don’t lose all their sense of smell)
As for other smells to try – small piece of charred wood – (crackling fire or coal in stocking!) …
I’m reaching for the tissue, now. This is so touching. I am constantly amazed at how people use games and craft ideas from my little corner of the internet. It really validates what I’m doing. I hope the game does exactly what you are thinking it will. It does makes sense that smells could trigger memories. What a wonderful moment that will be, if it works.
As for the Charred wood…that is a great idea!
Thank you so much for leaving your comment. You started my day off right. Happy Holidays.
This is such an awesome idea. I used it with my Girl Guide group. I put the items in disposable coffee cups with lids. It worked really well and the girls had a blast.
Why didn’t I think of the coffee cup idea? There is literally no need to take the lid off, as the cap would have a slit to sniff from! I love it! Thank you so much for coming back to tell me about the fun time your girls had. That makes me so happy!
I love the disposable coffee cup idea! Thank you for posting this, I didn’t, have jars to play this with our kids & grandkids on Christmas, but thanks to your suggestion we can with the reusable travel type plastic coffee cups with lids that I have. 🙂
I’m going to use this idea with 3-4 yr olds as a language activity. No need to hide the item, just let them smell and and talk about the contents, do they know what it is? Do they like the smell?
That’s a great idea! I love the way you are modifying it for their age.
LOVE this idea as a language development task!
I have heard about so many wonderful applications using this game. I love that idea!
Going to give this a try!
I love the spiced gum drops, so I’m adding these. Also, thinking about soaking cotton ball with egg nog. Maybe some sage or poultry seasoning for a turkey? Wish I could figure out the new baby doll smell 😉
Great game with my students years ago! I used 35mm film cases as the “sniffing containers.”
That’s a great way to hide the objects. Thanks for the idea!
You can buy deer urine in the hunting section and call it reindeer urine. Did it last year and it was fun.