50 Christmas photo scavenger hunt ideas for parties, families and work
By the Mission Memories team · Updated
The short answer
A Christmas photo scavenger hunt is a list of festive photo challenges people complete with their phones, like "recreate a Christmas card photo with your table" or "find the most outrageous jumper". Pick 10–20 ideas from the list below, share them in a photo game app like Mission Memories so everyone can join from a QR code with no app to download, and crown the winner on the live leaderboard. It's free for up to 5 people and £4.99 for up to 40.
How a Christmas photo scavenger hunt works
- Choose 10–20 challenges from the lists below, mixing quick ones with a few that need teamwork.
- Share them with everyone: a printed list works, but a photo game lets people join from a QR code and submit photos straight from their phone.
- Give each challenge points. Harder ones (a whole-table photo) are worth more.
- Set an end time, then reveal the leaderboard and the best photos together.
Festive icebreakers (10)
- Selfie with someone wearing a Christmas jumper
- Find someone with the same favourite Christmas film as you
- Photo with the person who travelled furthest to be here
- Selfie with someone you've never had a proper chat with
- Find someone who has already finished their Christmas shopping
- Photo with the person with the most festive earrings or tie
- Get three generations (or three departments) in one photo
- Selfie with someone born in December
- Find someone who can name all of Santa's reindeer
- Photo with whoever has the best Christmas hat
Decorations and details (10)
- Snap the most over-the-top decoration in the room
- Find the wonkiest bauble on the tree
- Photo of something red, something green and something gold
- Snap a robin, a reindeer and a snowman (decorations count)
- Photograph the best-dressed table
- Find the strangest cracker gift
- Snap a candy cane hidden somewhere unexpected
- Photo of the fairy lights from the coolest angle
- Find a decoration older than you
- Snap the best mince pie (before it's eaten)
Team and table challenges (10)
- Recreate a Christmas card photo with your table
- Build a human Christmas tree
- Get everyone at your table wearing their cracker hats
- Recreate a famous Christmas film scene
- Make a nativity scene using only what's on the table
- Photo of your table doing their best carol-singer faces
- Get your whole group in one jump shot
- Spell out NOEL with your bodies
- Recreate an album cover with a festive twist
- Photo of your team's best impression of a Christmas advert
Funny and silly (10)
- Catch someone mid-laugh at a cracker joke
- Photo of the most dramatic reaction to a present
- Snap someone wearing tinsel as a scarf
- Recreate the most awkward family Christmas photo you can
- Photo of someone pretending to be asleep after dinner
- Find the worst Christmas jumper and give it an award
- Snap the best photobomb of the night
- Get a photo of someone attempting to look like Santa
- Photo of the most creative use of wrapping paper
- Catch someone sneaking an extra pig in blanket
Heartfelt ones to finish on (10)
- Photo with someone who made your year better
- Snap a moment that sums up this Christmas
- Photo of the people who did the cooking or organising
- Group photo of everyone still standing at the end
- Photo of the best present you saw given
- Snap the moment of the toast
- Photo with the oldest and youngest people here
- Recreate a photo from last Christmas
- Photo of something you're grateful for this year
- One last photo of the whole party
Scoring it fairly
| Challenge type | Points | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Quick icebreakers | 10 | Everyone can do these in the first ten minutes |
| Decorations and details | 10–15 | Gets people moving round the venue |
| Team and table challenges | 20–30 | Rewards teamwork and mixing groups |
| Heartfelt finishers | 20 | Ends on the photos people keep |
Run it on everyone's phones with Mission Memories: guests scan a QR code, no app needed, and every photo lands in one gallery. Free for up to 5 people, £4.99 for up to 40.
Frequently asked questions
What should be on a Christmas photo scavenger hunt list?
Mix quick icebreakers (a selfie with someone in a Christmas jumper), things to find (the wonkiest bauble), team challenges (recreate a Christmas card photo) and a few heartfelt ones to finish. 10–20 challenges is the sweet spot for an evening.
How do you run a photo scavenger hunt at a Christmas party?
Share the challenges, let people submit photos from their phones, give harder challenges more points and reveal a leaderboard at the end. A photo game app like Mission Memories does the scoring and collects every photo in one gallery.
Is there a free Christmas scavenger hunt app?
Mission Memories is free for up to 5 people and 5 missions, so you can try it with family or a small team. Up to 40 people is £4.99 for the whole event, with no subscription.
Run it with Mission Memories
Free for 5 guests. Guests join with your code from their phone's browser, no app needed.