CHRISTMAS GAME – CANDY CANE HOCKEY

Here’s a fun Christmas game for your youth group – Candy Cane Hockey.

It includes a short Christmas message, based on Isaiah 7:14.

Big Idea: Jesus came to be with us so our broken relationship with God could be restored.

Before you jump into the game, a quick personal note from me (Nick).

Five and a half years ago, I moved to San Diego and found amazing friends and a great church community. Now a new chapter begins. I’m moving to San Francisco next month! This past year taught me how to embrace change, face uncertainty, let go of control, and trust Jesus. My hunch is there’s more of that coming in 2026, and I’m ready.

How about you? How did you grow this year? What lessons did God teach you?

As you look back on this year, take a moment to notice how God has been shaping you. Growth doesn’t always look dramatic, but it’s always meaningful when we pay attention to it.

Nick Diliberto
Founder, Ministry to Youth

CHRISTMAS GAME – CANDY CANE HOCKEY

Bible: Isaiah 7:14

Big Idea: Jesus came to be with us so our broken relationship with God could be restored.

Supplies:

• Large candy canes (one per student)
• Plastic ornaments (3–4 total). More if you have a large group.
• Buckets (2)
• Masking tape

How to Play:

Set up this game like a hockey match with plenty of open space for students to move. Use masking tape to mark a line at each end of the room and place a bucket on each line. Divide students into two equal teams facing each other. Each team chooses one goalie to stand on their line, and everyone gets a large candy cane to use as a hockey stick. Place 3–4 plastic ornaments in the center of the room.

Explain that the goal is to hit the ornament into the opposing team’s end zone using only the candy canes. When an ornament crosses the line, it goes into the bucket and a new ornament is placed in the center. After hitting the ornament, players must pass the candy cane to a teammate before it can be hit again. Play several rounds, and the team with the most ornaments in their bucket at the end wins.

Game Tie-In:

Candy canes go by lots of names such as peppermint sticks, Santa’s cane, or simply peppermints, but they are all the same candy. In the same way, we give people multiple names all the time, like the different names we use for our grandparents. The same idea applies to Jesus. He has many names, and each one tells us something important about who He is.

Say:

Note: Put the following in your own words. Use what’s written here as a guideline, not a script.

Read Isaiah 7:14.

This verse tells us that a child would be born and called Immanuel, which means “God is with us.” Christmas is more than presents, decorations, and songs. At the heart of it is a loving God who wants a relationship with us. Sin separated us from God, and there was nothing we could do on our own to fix it. We can’t earn that relationship by being good enough.

That’s why God sent Jesus, Immanuel, to be with us. Jesus is God’s gift to us to restore our relationship with Him forever. In the Bible, Jesus is also referred to as Wonderful Counselor, Prince of Peace, The Good Shepherd, and King of Kings. This Christmas, remember that God loved you enough to come near, and now you can choose a relationship with Him.

[End Lesson]

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