Winter Icebreaker Questions for Cold Days and the New Year: how it works
These winter icebreaker questions cover the part of the season with no holiday in it: 60 cards about snow, cold, warm food and staying in. Another 46 handle January and the new year, from last year's wins to the first week back at work. Read one out, then press Next card.
Pick the group for the week
In December and February, tap Snow and cold, Cozy indoors, Warm food and drinks or Out in the snow. None of those cards names a holiday, so they suit a room that celebrates different things, or nothing. For the first meeting of the year, tap New year at work: 12 new year icebreaker questions for work about the team, a shortcut to learn and the first task back. On a big call, tap Multiple choice and count hands.
What the new year cards ask
The New year group holds 22 new year icebreaker questions, half looking back and half ahead. Start by looking back: last year's best meal is easier to say aloud than a goal. The custom is old. Babylonians promised to return borrowed farm equipment, and Romans made promises to Janus, the god January is named after. The 12 January icebreaker questions use him, and the month itself: on average the coldest of the year across most of the Northern Hemisphere.
Tips
No snow where you are? Skip Out in the snow. "Is soup a meal or only a starter?" works at any temperature.
South of the equator, winter runs June to August: deal the 60 season cards mid-year and the new year groups in January.
The shortest day falls on December 20, 21 or 22 in the north. That week, deal "How do you feel about the sun setting before dinner?"
Questions and answers
Do these winter icebreaker questions mention any holidays?
The five season groups do not: 60 cards with no festival, gift or decoration. The other three cover January and the new year, a date on every calendar, and none mentions a toast or a party. December festivals have their own deck in this family.
Which cards suit the first team meeting of the year?
Tap New year at work. "Have you written the wrong year on anything yet?" gets a laugh in five seconds. Do not ask anyone to announce a resolution: common ones are about weight, exercise or smoking, which nobody should have to share with colleagues.
Do the winter cards work with a class?
The season groups do: snowmen, sledding and a surprise snow day suit third graders as well as adults, and Easy cards need one word. Skip New year at work, which is written for colleagues. Nothing in the deck is about bodies, money or relationships.
Would You Rather Questions With a Vote Count300 all-ages cards on money, time travel, odd powers and hard trade-offs, with Weird and Icebreakers chips and a vote count on every card.
20 Questions Game: 431 Secret Things to Guess431 secret things to guess in seven groups, from animals to things you cannot touch, with easy, medium and hard levels and a scoreboard.
2000s Trivia Team Names Generator: 154 Clean Ideas154 clean 2000s trivia team names in 8 groups: flip phones, chat-speak, burnt CDs, the aughts and Y2K, the family computer, fashion, DVDs and consoles, school and the mall.
A surprise snow day: build something outside, cook, watch films or go back to bed?
Do you make resolutions: every year, sometimes, never or only secret ones?
Hardest part of January: waking up, going outside or staying off the couch?
How do you feel about snow: love it, fine from indoors, over it or never seen it?
How long does a resolution last for you: a day, a week, a month or all year?
How long until you felt back at work: an hour, a day, a week or still waiting?
How many blankets is right in midwinter: one, two, three or a whole pile?
Mittens or gloves: mittens, gloves, whichever I can find or bare hands?
Pick a hot chocolate topping: marshmallows, whipped cream, cinnamon or plain?
Pick a soup for a freezing night: tomato, chicken noodle, chili or potato?
Pick a way down a snowy hill: sled, skis, snowboard or no thanks?
Pick a winter sport to watch: ice hockey, figure skating, ski jumping or curling?
What keeps you warmest: a big coat, thick socks, a good hat or staying inside?
When do you stop saying happy new year: January 2, the first week, mid-month or never?
When does winter start to feel long: December, January, February or March?
Which is worst: icy sidewalks, dark mornings, static shocks or a frozen car seat?
Which winter chore is worst: shoveling, scraping ice, salting steps or wet boots?
Snow and cold 12
How cold is too cold to go outside?
Icicles, frost on a window or fresh snow: which is the prettiest?
Snowball fight or snowman: which side are you on?
What goes wrong in your town the moment it snows?
What is one thing that is only fun when it is freezing out?
What is the coldest you have ever been, in one sentence?
What is the first thing you do when you come in from the cold?
What is the most snow you have ever seen in one place?
What is your trick for warming up cold hands fast?
What would you name a snowstorm if you got to pick?
Which is better: the first snowfall or the first warm day after winter?
Which sound says winter to you?
Cozy indoors 12
Fireplace, space heater or a pile of blankets: how do you warm up?
How do you feel about the sun setting before dinner?
Snowed in for a weekend: books, films or games?
Thick socks or slippers?
What do you watch or read when it is dark by five?
What goes in a snowed-in kit, apart from food?
What is a good indoor hobby for a long winter?
What is the coziest thing you own?
What time does it feel like bedtime in the middle of winter?
Where is the warmest seat in this building?
Which board game or puzzle suits a snowed-in afternoon?
Which is better on a dark evening: candles, string lights or every lamp on?
Warm food and drinks 12
Chili: beans or no beans?
Grilled cheese with tomato soup: dunk or no dunk?
Is soup a meal or only a starter?
Oatmeal or pancakes on a cold morning?
Stew, casserole or pot pie?
What is one thing you only cook or bake when it is cold out?
What is the best thing to eat straight from the oven on a cold day?
What is the first warm drink you reach for on a freezing morning?
What would you pour into a thermos for a day in the snow?
Which meal tastes better in winter than in any other season?
Which smells most like winter: cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg or clove?
Which soup would you eat every week until spring?
Out in the snow 12
Dog sled, snowmobile or snowshoes: how do you cross the frozen lake?
Have you ever been ice skating, and how did it go?
How long can you last outside in the snow before you want to go in?
Skiing: cross-country, downhill or watching from the lodge?
Sledding, skating or skiing: which would you do this weekend?
What animal would you most like to spot in the snow?
What goes on a snowman's face when there is no carrot?
What is the tallest snowman you have ever seen or built?
What would you build if the snow was perfect and you had all day?
Which winter sport would you be worst at?
Would you sleep in an ice hotel for one night?
Would you try ice fishing?
January 11
If January were a color, what color would it be?
In the Southern Hemisphere January is midsummer. Would you swap?January is on average the coldest month in most of the Northern Hemisphere and the warmest in most of the Southern.
Is January a fresh start or just more winter?
January has 31 days. Does it feel longer or shorter than that?January is one of the seven months with 31 days.
January is named for Janus, the Roman god of beginnings. What are you beginning?Janus is the Roman god of beginnings and transitions, and the month takes its name from him.
What is a good reason to leave the house in January?
What is one thing you clear out or tidy up every January?
What is the best thing about January?
What is the worst thing about January?
What is your January mood in one word?
What would you rename January if you could?
New year 20
If this year had a theme song, what would it be?
What did you finally finish last year?
What did you learn to do last year?
What did you try for the first time last year?
What is a resolution you kept for longer than you expected?
What is one small win from last year you are still pleased with?
What is one thing from last year you would happily do again?
What is one thing you want to learn this year?
What is one thing you want to make, build or grow this year?
What is one word for the year just gone?
What is one word you want this year to be about?
What is the best meal you ate last year?
What is the first thing on your calendar that you are excited about?
What was the best book, film or show you found last year?
What will you say yes to more often this year?
What would you like to get better at by December?
Which habit from last year is worth keeping?
Which month of last year went by the fastest?
Which place would you like to see before next January?
Which song will always remind you of last year?
New year at work 10
Did you reset your desk for the new year, or is last year still on it?
Have you written the wrong year on anything yet?
What is one small thing that would make your workday better this year?
What is one thing this team did last year that we should do again?
What is one tool or shortcut you want to learn at work this year?
What is one word for how you want this work year to feel?
What should this team celebrate more often this year?
What was your first task back after the break?
Which project from last year are you proudest of?
Which work habit are you keeping this year?
How this list was compiled: Written by the Game Night Generator editors for this page on 2026-09-18; no list was copied. Every question was screened line by line against the site's clean-deck rules (nothing sexual, no alcohol or drugs, no self-harm, no bullying, nothing about bodies, money or relationships, nothing aimed at a protected group) and against the ten-second rule: anyone can answer without preparing and without sharing personal information. The first five groups (60 cards) name no holiday. The new-year cards ask about plans and the year just gone, never about weight, health or money, and none mentions a toast. Multiple-choice cards carry their options in x.options as well as in the card text. Season and month facts in the one-line notes and the page copy were checked on 2026-09-18: meteorological winter is December to February in the Northern Hemisphere and June to August in the Southern, and astronomical winter begins at the winter solstice, the shortest day (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winter); January has 31 days, is named after Janus, the Roman god of beginnings and transitions, and is on average the coldest month in most of the Northern Hemisphere and the warmest in most of the Southern (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/January); Babylonians made new-year promises to return borrowed farm equipment and pay debts during the Akitu festival, and Romans made promises to Janus at the start of each year (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Year%27s_resolution). The deck was compared with data/icebreaker-questions.json and data/icebreaker-generator.json on 2026-09-18 for exact and near matches. Licence: own work