Christmas Mad Libs Story Game: How to Play

Christmas Mad Libs is a word game where one reader asks for random words, fills in a story, and then reads the silly result out loud. The story below is ready to use, and you can write your own in a few minutes.

How to Set Up

1. Pick one person to be the reader. This person keeps the story hidden.
2. Give everyone else paper and a pen, or just have them call out words.
3. Explain the word types you will use. A noun is a thing or place. A verb is an action. An adjective describes something. Give one example of each.
4. Copy the story below onto paper and replace each numbered word with a blank, like “(1) ______”.

How to Play

1. The reader asks for the first word on the list, such as “Give me an adjective.”
2. A player gives a word. The reader writes it in the blank.
3. Go around the group so everyone gives at least one word.
4. Do not tell anyone what the story is about until all blanks are filled.
5. When all blanks are filled, the reader reads the story out loud in a dramatic voice.
6. Everyone laughs. Then start over with a new reader.

The Story: “The Great Cookie Mix-Up”

Ask for these words in order: 1. adjective, 2. name of a person in the room, 3. noun (a food), 4. verb ending in -ing, 5. plural noun, 6. silly sound, 7. adjective, 8. body part, 9. verb, 10. number, 11. noun (an animal), 12. adjective, 13. noun (a place), 14. exclamation, 15. verb ending in -ed.

Story text (fill in your words):

It was a (1) ______ Christmas Eve when (2) ______ decided to bake cookies out of (3) ______. The kitchen was full of (4) ______ and the floor was covered in (5) ______. Suddenly the oven made a (6) ______ noise. The cookies came out (7) ______ and smelled like a (8) ______. “We must (9) ______ them at once!” said (2) ______. They counted (10) ______ cookies and fed them to a (11) ______. The (11) ______ looked (12) ______ and ran all the way to (13) ______. “(14) ______!” shouted everyone, and they all (15) ______ happily ever after.

Scoring and Winning

There is no winner, only laughs. If you want a prize, let the group vote for the funniest word choice or the best dramatic reading.

Tips for a Fun Game

• Ask for big, silly words. Boring words make a boring story.
• Keep the story hidden until the end.
• Read slowly and add voices. A Santa voice or a robot voice both work.
• Teens and adults can write a story about a real family event with inside jokes.

Variations

• Little kids: Use only nouns and colors, and let adults help with spelling.
• Team version: Split into two teams and write two different stories. Swap and read each other’s.
• Write your own: Each player writes a 5-sentence story, blanks out 8 words, and gives it to a friend to fill in.