Christmas with friends
From the first Advent Sunday to Christmas Day, the season is full of things to disagree about. Here are the ideas, the calendar and a way to settle who was right.
- First Advent Sunday
- 29 November 2026
- Christmas Day
- Friday 25 December 2026
- Best for
- 3 to 12 friends, or the whole office
Updated
A Christmas calendar for friends
Christmas is better with fixed points. Here is the season from Advent to Christmas Day, with one idea for each occasion.
| When | Occasion | Idea |
|---|---|---|
| November | The Christmas beers arrive | Christmas beer tasting |
| From 29 November | Advent and mulled wine | Mulled wine tasting |
| Early December | Baking season | Christmas cookie contest |
| A December weekend | A long afternoon in | Gingerbread house contest |
| The office party | Big groups | Office Christmas party games |
| Christmas Jumper Day | Knitwear | Christmas jumper contest |
| The week before Christmas | Mince pies everywhere | Mince pie taste test |
Why rate on your own first?
When someone says “this one is clearly the best” out loud, the rest of the table is already swayed. The loudest voice wins, and the quiet opinions disappear.
That’s why it’s more fun to rate in secret and reveal together. Everyone gives their scores without seeing anyone else’s, and then you turn the cards at once. That’s when the discussion starts: Who gave the homemade mince pie a 3? Who thought the shop-bought cookies were best?
That is exactly what Jury is made for. You create an activity, each thing you try is a round, and everyone rates from 1 to 10 on the criteria you chose. Nobody sees the others’ scores until they’re revealed. Afterwards you get a ranking, how much you agreed, and who was generous or strict.
Christmas tastings
Christmas beer. Seasonal beers range from light and sweet to dark, spiced and strong. Five to eight is a good evening. How to host a Christmas beer tasting.
Mulled wine. Everyone has a recipe, and everyone thinks theirs is best. Warm them the same way and let the scores decide. How to host a mulled wine tasting.
Mince pies. Shop-bought against homemade, served blind on identical plates. Mince pie taste test.
Contests where you make it yourselves
It gets more personal when you made it. Everyone brings their version, you rate them blind, and the winner keeps the bragging rights until next year.
- Cookies: one batch each, and a round for every kind. Cookie contest.
- Gingerbread houses: build in teams and rate what’s still standing. Gingerbread house contest.
- Christmas jumpers: the uglier, the better. Christmas jumper contest.
- The office party: contests that work for 20 or 150 people. Office Christmas party games.
Make it a tradition
The best thing about a Christmas contest is doing it again next year. Create a new activity in the same group each year, and you can compare the winners and see whether your taste has changed.
If it should stretch across December, let the activity run over a period. Try mince pies from different bakeries whenever you’re out, and reveal the ranking just before Christmas.
Tip: give the activity a colour and a photo from the evening. Then the result looks like something you’ll want to share.
Questions and answers
When is the first Sunday of Advent in 2026?
Sunday 29 November 2026. Many people start the mulled wine season that weekend.
How many people do we need?
From three to about twelve. If you’re more, split into teams that each bring one or two entries.
Does everyone need the app?
Yes, everyone rates on their own phone. Jury is free, with no ads, and the invitation is just a link.
Can we use it for the office party?
Yes. It works just as well for colleagues as for friends, and hidden scores mean the boss’s opinion doesn’t steer the room.
How do we pick a winner?
Each round gets an average of everyone’s scores across the criteria. The ranking shows the winner and how much you disagreed.
All ideas for christmas with friends
Ready for the first round?
Jury is free, with no ads. Get the app, make an activity and send the link to your friends.