“There’s a clue in the freezer?!” That’s the sort of discovery that makes this indoor Christmas scavenger hunt so much fun. One minute the kids are peeking under the doormat, and a few riddles later they’re off to investigate the ice cream. All they know for sure is that there’s a Christmas surprise waiting at the end!
Our free printable includes 18 Christmas scavenger hunt clues across three pages. Each card sends the kids to a familiar spot around the house, so all you need to do is print, cut, and hide them. Try it on a rainy December afternoon, or save it for Christmas Eve and let the last clue lead everyone to a new pair of pajamas on their pillow.
How to Set Up Your Christmas Scavenger Hunt
- Print the three pages and cut out the 18 clue cards. Keep them in order, reading from left to right across each row. The cards are unnumbered, so a little pencil number on the back can help while you’re setting up.
- Keep the first card to give to the kids. It sends them to the place where you eat dinner, so that’s where you’ll hide card 2. Taping it underneath someone’s usual chair is a fun way to make them look twice!
- Keep going in the same way. Card 2 sends them to the doormat, so slip card 3 underneath it. Card 3 sends them to the towels, so tuck card 4 into the folds of a clean towel. The answer key below gives you the whole route.
- Hide the last card with the pencils and crayons, then leave a little surprise on your child’s bed. A Christmas storybook, some chocolate coins, or a handwritten ticket for a family movie night would all make a lovely find.
- Gather your little clue hunters and read the first card aloud. If you have kids of different ages, let an older child read the rhyme and a younger one lead the search. Swap jobs or take turns opening the cards so everyone gets a moment to shout, “I found it!”
All 18 Christmas Scavenger Hunt Clues
Here are all the clues in printable order. You can also copy them onto slips of paper if you fancy setting up a last-minute hunt before the kids finish dinner.
- The hunt has begun, let’s get started, alright? Go find your first clue where we eat every night!
- Soft and cozy, it lies on the floor, Look underneath where we step in and out the door!
- Up on the rooftops, the reindeer rest, Now search for your clue where towels are kept best!
- Santa’s sleigh flies fast, but he likes to take a break, find your next clue where we store food to bake.
- Let it snow, let it snow, we’re cozy all day, Now check where our shoes are tucked away!
- Jingle bells, jingle bells, hear them all day, Now find your clue where breakfast is made each day!
- On the twelfth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me, Find the next clue where you’d find your key!
- It’s cold inside, where the ice cream goes, Find your next clue where the frosty air blows!
- Imagine a gift with a bright red bow, Now find your next clue where the stinky laundry will go!
- Merry Christmas, the joy is here, Find your next clue where movies appear!
- Silent night, the stars are bright, Now look where we turn off the light.
- With cheeks so red and a belly so round, Check in the kitchen, where mugs can be found!
- Santa’s sleigh is filled with gifts to share. Now search for your clue where your toys are everywhere!
- Your next clue is hidden where there’s light and a beautiful view. Check the place where you peek out, it’s true!
- Spinning round and round, it keeps clothes so neat, Look for your clue where the laundry gets heat!
- Santa arrives when you’re cozy and in a deep sleep. Now look for your clue where the mail we keep!
- Oh no, the sleigh ride is almost through, Your second-to-last clue is where you keep pencils, crayons, and glue!
- You’ve reached the end, sleep tight with delight. Go to your bed for your final gift, goodnight!
Christmas Scavenger Hunt Answer Key for Grown-Ups
Each spot below is the answer to that numbered clue. Hide the following card there. For example, the answer to clue 1 is the dinner table, so the card you hide there is clue 2.
| Clue | Where it leads | Clue | Where it leads |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dinner table or a dining chair | 10 | TV or TV stand |
| 2 | Under the doormat | 11 | Beside a light switch |
| 3 | Towel shelf or linen closet | 12 | Mug cupboard |
| 4 | Pantry or baking cupboard | 13 | Toy box or play area |
| 5 | Shoe rack or wherever shoes are kept | 14 | Window or windowsill |
| 6 | Kitchen counter where you prepare breakfast | 15 | Dryer door, with the clue taped to the outside |
| 7 | Key hook or key bowl | 16 | Mail basket or the spot where letters land |
| 8 | Freezer | 17 | Pencil case, crayon box, or craft drawer |
| 9 | Laundry hamper | 18 | Your child’s bed, where the surprise is waiting! |
Fun Ideas for Your Christmas Eve Hunt
For younger kids, try leaving a corner of each card peeking out. There’s something lovely about a little one spotting a flash of paper between the towels and getting to pull it out all by themselves. If 18 stops feels like a lot before bedtime, pick five or six favorite clues and finish with the bed card. Just hide each card at the answer to the one before it.
For a Christmas Eve box reveal, start the hunt after dinner while everyone is still around the table. When the kids realize the first clue points to the very place they’re sitting, see who ducks under the table first! Have their box waiting on the bed with pajamas and a book you can read together once the excitement settles.
Download the Free Printable Christmas Scavenger Hunt PDF
Ready to get hiding? Download the three-page PDF below for all 18 indoor Christmas scavenger hunt cards. Plain printer paper works well, or use cardstock if you’d like to tuck the cards away with your decorations and bring them out again next December.
This printable is free for personal and classroom use. If another family would enjoy it, please share this blog post so they can download their own copy.
More Christmas Activities for Kids
If your kids want to keep the Christmas fun going, our Christmas light suncatchers are a lovely activity for the next quiet afternoon. Display the finished lights in the window and you’ve even got a festive hiding place for clue 15!
- Christmas Light Suncatcher Craft for Kids (Free Printable Template)
- Yarn Robin Christmas Craft
- MagnaTiles Christmas Printable Challenge Cards
- Free Printable Christmas Word Scramble
- Free Printable Christmas Free Printable Christmas Masks for Kids for Kids
Pin this Christmas scavenger hunt to your Christmas activities board so you can find it when the kids are in their pajamas and you’re ready to hide that first clue.
