Looking for a holiday game for secondary students? Need something to do before Christmas break with your middle schoolers or high schoolers? Finding that most Christmas games are too “young” for your students?

I have the perfect Christmas game for middle school and high school! Take a little breather from your day to try it out… my 2 Truths and a Lie game!

INSTRUCTIONS: I’ll give you 3 statements about the holidays or winter.  Two of the statements are 100% true, and one is a lie.  Find the lie!

Holiday Game ROUND ONE:  Snow Facts

(Remember you are looking for the lie…)

A. “Watermelon snow” is reddish in color and smells like watermelon.

B. “Thundersnow” is when it snows while there is thunder and lightning. 

C. “Chowder snow” is snow that has frozen fish in it due to fish jumping out of frozen ponds.

Did you guess it correctly?  Answer C is the LIE.  Chowder snow is a real thing, but it is actually what some skiers call heavy, wet, and lumpy snow.  It does not have fish in it.  Answer A is a TRUTH.  Watermelon snow is snow with algae growing on it.  The algae is a reddish color.  It is mostly found in the Canadian Rockies.  Answer B is also a TRUTH.  Thundersnow is a relatively rare phenomenon, though. 

Holiday Game ROUND TWO:  Reindeer

A.  Some reindeer go “click, click, click”, but not just on rooftops.  Their knees make a clicking noise when they walk.

B.  A red-nosed reindeer is possible.  Reindeer have 25% more blood vessels in their noses than humans. 

C.  Reindeer may not like the cold as much as we think.  Herds of reindeer have been observed as far south as Texas.

How did you fare this time?  Answer C is the LIE.  Reindeer only live in the Arctic tundra and very northern boreal forests.  Answer A is a TRUTH.  Scientists think that this adaptation helps animals in a herd hear each other and stick together in a blizzard.  Answer B is also a TRUTH.  This helps keep their noses warm, which allows them to warm up the frigid air before they breathe it in.  Their noses turn a rosy color when blood flow is increased due to exercise or cold.

There’s More Where this Came from!

If you like these weird little facts, and more importantly if you think your students may like them, you’ll love my Holiday Two Truths and a Lie Game for kids! 

This holiday game for secondary students has 36 game cards with questions just like this.  Each question relates to the winter or winter holidays.  (But without any mention of religion… suitable for public school!)  Card themes include NYC Ball Drop, Gift Giving, Weird Meals, Pine Trees, Hot Chocolate, Candy Canes, the movie Elf, the movie Home Alone, etc.  There are 36 cards in total!

You may also be interested in my blog post about inexpensive gifts you can give your students! Check it out HERE!

Wishing you a happy, healthy, and enjoyable holiday season!

P.S. If you found the reindeer facts or the dark side of holiday plants particularly interesting, I also have a Reindeer Science Lesson and a fun Holiday Plants Article.  (Science teachers loooove the holiday plants one and tell me it has become somewhat of a tradition in their class!)