Questions · Holiday party icebreakers

Holiday party icebreakers for guests who only know the host

For the December house party, the cookie swap or the ugly-sweater night, where the neighbors, the gym friends and the college roommates are all standing in one kitchen. Icebreakers that get the groups to mix.

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Kumustahan is a bilingual conversation card app: 1,200 questions in English and Filipino across 7 decks, with a short reflection on the back of every card.

Getting to know№ 57

Who do you wish you could spend more normal, no-special-plan time with?

Sino yung gusto mong makasama nang mas madalas, kahit walang special na lakad?

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A note

Ordinary time can build closeness slowly. Not every good moment needs an occasion.

Nakakabuo rin ng closeness ang ordinaryong time. Hindi lahat ng magandang moment kailangan may special na lakad.

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The questions

18 holiday party icebreakers

Every question in English and Filipino/Tagalog, word for word from the Kumustahan decks. Open “Back of the card” for the reflection printed on the other side.

Mingling by the cookie table

6 questions

Pick-one questions you can ask a stranger who is holding a plate.

  1. For one month, you can have music or movies, but not both. Which do you keep?

    Kung isa lang ang puwede mong ma-enjoy sa loob ng isang buwan, music o movies ang pipiliin mo?

    Back of the card

    Name the first song or movie you would return to when the month ends.

    Anong kanta o movie ang una mong babalikan pagkatapos ng buwan?

  2. Imagine a place to stay: tiny with a great view or huge but far from everything. Which do you choose?

    Isipin ang titirhan mo: maliit pero maganda ang view o malaki pero malayo sa lahat. Alin ang pipiliin mo?

    Back of the card

    Put one favorite thing in your new place. What belongs there?

    Maglagay ng isang paborito mong bagay sa bagong titirhan mo. Ano iyon?

  3. Pick one comic-book power: fly anywhere or appear instantly in another place.

    Pumili ng comic-book power: lumipad kahit saan o makarating agad sa ibang lugar.

    Back of the card

    You have an afternoon to try your power. Choose your first stop.

    May isang hapon ka para subukan ang power mo. Piliin ang unang pupuntahan mo.

  4. If your old phone could save only one, would you keep the photos or the messages?

    Kung isa lang ang mase-save sa lumang phone mo, photos o messages ang ititira mo?

    Back of the card

    Imagine giving the saved memories a title. No need to show any photos or messages.

    Isipin na bibigyan mo ng pamagat ang natirang mga alaala. Hindi kailangang magpakita ng photos o messages.

  5. Which button would you rather have: pause a busy hour or replay a favorite hour?

    Kung may time button, alin ang pipiliin mo: i-pause ang isang abalang oras o ulitin ang paborito mong oras?

    Back of the card

    Your button needs a label. What would you write on it?

    Kailangan ng label ang button mo. Ano ang isusulat mo rito?

  6. Pick one drink that makes an ordinary day feel a little special.

    Pumili ng isang drink na nagpaparamdam na medyo special ang ordinary day.

    Back of the card

    A drink can turn an ordinary pause into a tiny celebration. Sometimes that small upgrade is the whole point.

    Minsan isang drink lang, parang may small celebration na sa ordinary day. Yun na yung tiny upgrade.

A round in the living room

7 questions

When the group settles onto the couches, read one and go around.

  1. Create a new holiday that everyone gets to celebrate. What happens that day?

    Gumawa ng bagong holiday na puwedeng i-celebrate ng lahat. Ano ang ginagawa sa araw na iyon?

    Back of the card

    What tradition would belong to your holiday?

    Anong tradisyon ang bagay sa holiday mo?

  2. Design a celebration just for you. What would make it feel special?

    Magplano ng celebration para sa sarili mo. Ano ang magpapaspecial dito?

    Back of the card

    Which part of the celebration would you happily repeat the next day?

    Aling bahagi ng celebration ang masaya mong uulitin kinabukasan?

  3. With an unlimited budget, what extra room would you add to your home?

    Kung walang limit ang budget, anong dagdag na kuwarto ang gusto mo sa bahay?

    Back of the card

    If the new room had a sign on its door, what would it say?

    Kung may karatula sa pinto ng bagong kuwarto, ano ang nakasulat doon?

  4. You receive one free round-trip ticket. Where are you going first?

    May libre kang round-trip ticket. Saan ka pupunta?

    Back of the card

    Choose one thing you would want to do before flying home.

    Pumili ng isang gusto mong gawin bago bumiyahe pauwi.

  5. Invent one silly rule everyone should follow for one day.

    Gumawa ng silly rule na susundin ng lahat for one day.

    Back of the card

    Silly rules make ordinary life feel slightly remixed. One harmless rule can turn a normal day into a shared bit.

    Yung silly rules, nire-remix lang nang konti ang normal na araw. Isang harmless rule, shared bit na agad.

  6. What day from the past would you like to watch?

    Anong araw sa nakaraan ang gusto mong mapanood?

    Back of the card

    Pause on one scene from that day. Which detail would you want to look at longer?

    Huminto muna sa isang eksena ng araw na iyon. Anong detalye ang gusto mong tingnan nang mas matagal?

  7. Pick one small item you use often that makes life feel a little easier.

    Pumili ng isang small item na madalas mong gamitin at nagpapagaan ng life kahit konti.

    Back of the card

    Small useful things can feel quietly heroic. They make the day easier without asking for attention.

    May small useful things na quietly heroic. Pinapadali nila yung araw nang hindi nagpapapansin, kahit simple lang sila.

Before the coats go back on

5 questions

Warmer questions for the small group lingering by the door.

  1. Who do you wish you could spend more normal, no-special-plan time with?

    Sino yung gusto mong makasama nang mas madalas, kahit walang special na lakad?

    Back of the card

    Ordinary time can build closeness slowly. Not every good moment needs an occasion.

    Nakakabuo rin ng closeness ang ordinaryong time. Hindi lahat ng magandang moment kailangan may special na lakad.

  2. Name one thing that would make next month feel a little lighter.

    Magbanggit ng isang bagay na makakatulong para mas gumaan nang konti ang next month.

    Back of the card

    A lighter month does not have to mean a perfect one. Even one less weight can change how a season feels.

    Hindi kailangang perfect ang mas magaan na month. Kahit isang bawas na bigat, iba na ang pakiramdam ng season.

  3. What are you looking forward to over the next few weeks?

    Ano ang inaabangan mo sa susunod na mga linggo?

    Back of the card

    Finish if you like: "The part I cannot wait for is..."

    Kung gusto mo, ituloy: "Ang pinaka-inaabangan ko ay..."

  4. What simple invitation could brighten a friend's ordinary day?

    Anong simpleng yaya ang puwedeng magpasaya sa normal na araw ng friend?

    Back of the card

    Keep the invitation short enough to send as one message.

    Puwedeng maikli lang ang yaya, kasya sa isang message.

  5. Which part of your day do you look forward to?

    Anong part ng araw mo ang inaabangan mo?

    Back of the card

    The part you look forward to can be a clue. It shows where your day still gives you a little life.

    Clue din yung part na inaabangan mo. Ipinapakita niya kung saan may konting buhay pa sa araw mo.

How to use them

Before you ask

Holiday party icebreakers work when they give two strangers a fun disagreement: music or movies, pause or replay, a tiny place with a view or a huge one in the middle of nowhere. A pick-one question gets people debating in seconds, and two people debating aren’t strangers for long.

The host’s problem at a December party is that guests arrive in clusters. The neighbors stand with the neighbors, the work friends find the work friends, and the host spends the night running between them. One question asked to the whole kitchen, or a round once everyone has a plate, mixes the clusters better than introductions do.

End warm. As the party thins out, ask what people are excited about in the weeks ahead, or who they wish they saw more often. It sends everyone into the holidays on a good note.

Good for

  • December house parties
  • Cookie swaps and ugly-sweater parties
  • Neighborhood holiday open houses
  • Christmas, Hanukkah or “just December” get-togethers
  • Friend groups meeting each other for the first time

Tips

  1. Ask a pick-one question to two people from different groups at once, then step away.
  2. Write a few questions on cards and tuck them under the cookie plates.
  3. Keep questions about the season rather than one holiday, so every guest can join in whatever they celebrate.
  4. Start a living-room round only once most people are sitting; standing rounds fizzle.
  5. Save the warm closers for whoever is helping with the dishes.

Decks for this

Holiday party icebreakers

Frequently asked questions

What are some good holiday party icebreakers?

Pick-one questions that start a friendly debate: music or movies for a month, a pause button or a replay button, a tiny place with a view or a huge one far from town. They’re quick, playful and work for any crowd.

How do you get guests to mingle at a holiday party?

Ask one question to two guests from different groups and let them argue it out, or start a round in the living room once plates are full. Shared answers mix people faster than introductions.

Are there holiday icebreakers that work whatever people celebrate?

Yes. Questions about food, small pleasures, travel and the coming year work whether guests celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa or nothing at all.

Bring a better question to the table.

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