Christmas Party Games: Race to the Table, the Printable Game That Decides Where You Eat
It is the week before Christmas. The office party is on Friday, eight colleagues are standing around the coffee machine, and nobody can agree where to go: the new pizza place, the sushi bar or the cosy bistro round the corner. Twenty minutes later, nothing has been decided. This is exactly the moment Race to the Table was made for – one of those Christmas party games that settle an argument instead of starting one.
A party game that ends the “where do we eat?” debate
Race to the Table is a printable party game for 2–10 players, ages 8+, and a game takes 5–15 minutes. Every player writes one choice on a paper pawn – “Pizza”, “Sushi”, “Grandma's soup” – and the cards push the pawns from START towards THE TABLE. The first pawn to reach the table wins, and so does the choice written on it. One rule before you start: write only options everyone can live with. The game's decision is final.
How a turn works
- Each player holds 3 cards.
- On your turn, play 1 card face up and do what it says. You choose which pawn it moves: your own or someone else's.
- Draw 1 card, so you have 3 again.
- After every round the clock moves one space. When it reaches the red space, the pawn furthest ahead wins.
- When a pawn reaches THE TABLE, the game ends at once.
An example turn: Mia plays Rush! on Pizza, and Pizza moves 2 spaces. Leo does not want to help Pizza, so he plays Smells Yummy on Sushi and Soup: both move 1 space. Grandpa Tom plays Long Queue on Pizza – and Pizza goes straight back to START. Everyone has had a turn, so the clock moves on.
What sets it apart from other Christmas party games
The basic rules fit on a single page, so even colleagues who “never play games” join in after one minute. Every card is a small decision: push your own favourite, slow down the leader with Closed! or Road Works, or help the last pawn with a Shortcut. That is where the laughter comes from – and the friendly revenge in the next round. With 7–10 players you play in teams: each team has one pawn, one hand of cards and one turn per round, which makes it ideal for an office Christmas party or a big family table.
Six boards – from Lunch Break to Christmas Feast
The full edition has 6 themed boards: Lunch Break, What's for Dinner?, Street Food Night, Picnic Day, Christmas Feast and The Big Decision. They all play the same, so you simply pick the one that fits the day. The full edition also adds 8 role cards, such as the Boss, the Foodie and the Gossip. Each can be used once per game instead of playing a card, and it can turn the race around at just the right moment.
Who it's for
- Colleagues at the office Christmas party or a team lunch
- Families who cannot agree on dinner – children from 8 join in easily
- Friends on New Year's Eve, before the countdown
- Anyone who needs a quick icebreaker for a big group
Free edition or full edition?
The free edition has 27 action cards, the Lunch Break board, 6 write-on pawns with tokens and an 8-page rulebook – enough to play the whole game tonight. The full edition (€4.90) has 54 action cards in 11 kinds, 8 role cards and a quick reference card (63 cards in total), all 6 themed boards including Christmas Feast, a 10-page rulebook with a full example game, files for A4 and US Letter, an ink-saving card back, a print-shop file and the board on a single A3 or Tabloid sheet. Both editions are available in 7 languages.
Download the free edition Get the full edition
What you need
A printer, thick paper or card (250–300 gsm) for the cards, board and pawns, and scissors. An erasable marker is handy for writing on the pawns, so you can use them again at the next party.
Print the game at lunchtime, cut it out in ten minutes, and on Friday the question “where are we going?” is settled before the coffee gets cold.
Photos: AI-generated scenes · for personal use · small printed parts are not suitable for children under 3.