Christmas bingo: the game the whole table plays
Somewhere between the last roast potato and the film, there is a gap every family knows. Christmas bingo fills it: ten minutes to set up, everyone from four to ninety in the same game, and nobody has to be the one reading numbers off a sheet, because a free caller with a real voice does it for you.
Setting up Christmas bingo on the TV
- Open the free bingo caller on a laptop and cast it to the TV, or plug it in with a cable. A tablet on the table works for a smaller group.
- Name the game, "Christmas Day Bingo" or the family name, so it shows on the marquee.
- Under Advanced settings, choose the Christmas theme. Snow falls, the lights come on, and the board turns festive green with red and gold calls.
- Pick a voice and a pace. Slow for a mixed table, Normal once everyone has the hang of it.
- Tickets: print the Christmas bingo tickets in advance, or send the game link round the family group chat so phones become tickets. Both work at once.
Prizes that suit the day
Christmas gives you the prizes for free: the last chocolate in the tin, first pick of the leftovers, control of the remote for the film, exemption from washing up. Play three games, a line prize and a full house prize in each, and the whole thing takes half an hour. The caller pauses the moment someone shouts and checks the win against the called numbers, so the argument that usually follows a family win never starts.
Family in other houses
The relatives you could not fit round the table can still play. Send the game link and they get tickets on their phone, the same numbers arrive at the same moment, and when they win their name flashes on your TV. Add a video call for the faces. The play bingo online with friends guide shows each step.
Christmas bingo calls
The caller uses the traditional calls all year, and a few land differently in December: 25 is duck and dive on the ticket but Christmas Day at the table, 12 is a dozen doughnuts or the twelve days, and 26 is half a crown, which somebody's grandad will explain at length. The full list, with a play button on every number, is on the bingo calls page.
Christmas parties and work dos
The same setup runs a work Christmas party or a club social: the caller on the big screen, tickets on phones from one link, and the theme doing the decorating. For a bigger room see how to host a bingo game and the bingo party guide.
Questions people ask
How do you play Christmas bingo?
Like ordinary 90-ball bingo with the decorations on. Everyone gets a ticket, the caller draws and reads the numbers, and the first to a line, two lines and a full house win prizes. On BingoHoster the Christmas theme dresses the whole game, falling snow, fairy lights, a tree and a snowman around the board, and a real voice does the calling.
Are there free printable Christmas bingo tickets?
Yes. The printable bingo cards page has a Christmas set of thirty 90-ball tickets, six to a page, ready to print. Or skip paper: send the game link and every phone gets tickets.
When is the best time to play bingo on Christmas Day?
The gap between dinner and the film, when everyone is full and nobody wants to move. Three short games fill half an hour, and it is one of the few things the whole table will do together.
Can family who are not with us at Christmas join in?
Yes. Send them the game link and they play on their phone from wherever they are, same numbers at the same moment, with their name on your TV when they win. Start a video call for the chat.
Does it cost anything?
No. The caller, the Christmas theme, the phone tickets and the printable tickets are all free, with no sign-up and no payments.
No sign-up, no payments, no apps for your guests.