30 Christmas Scavenger Hunt Riddles With Answers, Room by Room

These 30 Christmas scavenger hunt riddles with answers are grouped by where you will hide them: kitchen, bathroom, living room, bedroom and outdoors. Pick one riddle for each spot on your route, write it on a card, and hide that card at the answer to the previous riddle. The answer to each one is listed right below it so you can build the trail in minutes.

All of these are original and written to be read aloud or printed. Most suit readers aged 7 and up; the ones marked with a star are trickier and better for older kids, teens or adults.

How to Use These Christmas Scavenger Hunt Riddles

The trick is to remember that each riddle points to where the next card is hiding. So if the first riddle you hand over is about the cookie jar, the second card goes inside the cookie jar.

1. Choose 8 to 15 riddles whose answers exist in your home.
2. Put them in the order you want players to travel.
3. Hide riddle 2 at the answer to riddle 1, riddle 3 at the answer to riddle 2, and so on.
4. Place the prize at the answer to the last riddle.
5. Hand over riddle 1 to start.

Mix rooms so players run back and forth. It is more fun than clearing one room at a time.

Kitchen Christmas Scavenger Hunt Riddles

1. “Round and sweet, I’m always raided. Lift my lid before the crumbs have faded.” Answer: the cookie jar.
2. “Cinnamon, nutmeg, pepper and clove, I line them up above the stove.” Answer: the spice rack. (If it really is above the stove, tape the card to the side, not over the burners.)
3. “Apples, oranges, a banana or two. Look underneath and you’ll find your next clue.” Answer: the fruit bowl.
4. “Loaves and rolls sleep here at night. Open my lid and look to the right.” Answer: the bread box or bread bag.
5. ★ “A dozen sit in a cardboard row, waiting for the cake you’ll bake in the snow.” Answer: the egg carton in the fridge.
6. “I flatten dough for cookies and pie. Look in the drawer where I usually lie.” Answer: the rolling pin drawer.
7. ★ “Sweet as snow, but kept in a tin. Lift my lid and look within.” Answer: the sugar canister.

Bathroom Christmas Scavenger Hunt Riddles

8. “I’m full of water when you’re in me, and empty when you’re not. Look along my edge for the next spot.” Answer: the bathtub.
9. “I unroll and unroll but I never go far. Look in the middle where the cardboard parts are.” Answer: the toilet paper roll.
10. “I hold your brush after every smile. Check my base for the next clue in a while.” Answer: the toothbrush holder.
11. “Push me down and I’ll give you a squirt. Look behind me for the next alert.” Answer: the soap dispenser.
12. ★ “I close with a swish to keep water in. Check my rings up top, and the hunt can begin again.” Answer: the shower curtain rings.
13. “You step on me dripping, fresh out of the bath. Lift my corner to follow the path.” Answer: the bath mat.

Living Room Christmas Scavenger Hunt Riddles

14. “I have arms but no hands, and you sink when you sit. Check under my cushion, there’s a clue in it.” Answer: under a couch cushion.
15. “Everyone fights over me, but I’m tiny and gray. Look under the spot where I’m tossed away.” Answer: where the TV remote lives.
16. “I drink from a watering can and grow toward the light. Look behind my pot, on the left or the right.” Answer: a houseplant.
17. ★ “You walk on me daily but never say thanks. Lift up my corner, I’m full of pranks.” Answer: the living room rug.
18. “I hold a memory behind my glass. Look at my back before you pass.” Answer: a picture frame.
19. “Candy canes and chocolates, all in a bowl. Dig to the bottom to reach your goal.” Answer: the candy dish.
20. ★ “I sit where the glass meets the wall, watching the weather and seeing it all.” Answer: the windowsill.

Bedroom Christmas Scavenger Hunt Riddles

21. “I keep your pairs together, or at least I try. Open me up and one’s gone, oh my.” Answer: the sock drawer.
22. “Fuzzy and warm, I wait by the bed. Put in your toes and find the clue instead.” Answer: slippers.
23. ★ “Dust bunnies gather and lost toys creep. Look in the dark below where you sleep.” Answer: under the bed (slide the card just within arm’s reach).
24. “Shirts and dresses hang from me in a line. Check the hanger at the end, the clue is fine.” Answer: the closet hanger rail.
25. “I’m round and pink and full of coins. Shake me gently where the paper joins.” Answer: the piggy bank (tuck the card underneath, not inside).

Outdoor Christmas Scavenger Hunt Riddles

26. “I say welcome to all but I never speak. Lift me up and take a peek.” Answer: the doormat.
27. “I’m coiled like a snake and I water the lawn. Look in my loops before the clue is gone.” Answer: the garden hose.
28. “Birds stop by for a winter snack. Look on my pole, around the back.” Answer: the bird feeder.
29. ★ “Round and green with a bow on my face, I hang on the door in the holiday space.” Answer: the Christmas wreath.
30. “Two wheels, a bell and pedals to spin. Check my basket or seat to win.” Answer: the bike.

Put outdoor cards in zip-top bags so snow or rain does not ruin them. For a full outdoor route, see our outdoor Christmas scavenger hunt guide.

Picking Riddles for Your House

Not every home has a bird feeder or a bathtub. That is fine: skip what does not fit and swap in others. A few quick rules make the trail flow better.

If your home is…	Lean on these sections	Tip
A small apartment	Kitchen, bathroom, living room	Use drawers and cushions to create more “layers”
A house with a yard	All five, including outdoors	Save outdoor riddles for the middle, not the end
Shared with grandparents	Kitchen and living room	Ask before using bedrooms and private spaces
Busy on Christmas morning	Living room and bedroom	Hide cards the night before in low-traffic spots

If you want more on route planning, our Christmas scavenger hunt around the house guide walks through it room by room.

Making the Riddles Harder or Easier

The same riddle can suit a 7-year-old or a 17-year-old depending on how you present it.

• Easier: read it aloud, add a picture hint on the back, or say which room it is in.
• Harder: scramble the answer, remove the rhyme, or turn the key word into a number code.
• Much harder: make players combine two riddles to get one location, or use a cipher. Our guide to hard Christmas scavenger hunt clues has worked examples.

Safety Notes for Hiding Spots

A riddle hunt should never send someone near danger. Avoid tucking cards near stoves, toasters, space heaters, fireplaces with a fire going, candles and string lights. Do not use cabinets with cleaning products, and keep cards off high shelves that need climbing. For more safe ideas, see our list of Christmas scavenger hunt hiding spots.

Want Them Printed and Ready?

You can write these riddles on index cards, or type them up and print them on card stock. If you would rather use a finished set, our printable Christmas scavenger hunt for older kids has puzzle-style clue cards and an answer key, ready to print at home.

Before you start, number the back of every card in pencil. If one gets lost or moved mid-hunt, you will know exactly which riddle to rewrite.