15 epic ideas to bring Xmas magic to your office party
Christmas is coming. You can almost hear Santa’s bells just around the corner, so it’s a high time to bring some Xmas magic to your office. Learn how to do it and get excited for this jolly season of the year!
Here come Santa Claus and the most awaited season of the year. When the dust of Halloween excitement has settled, it’s time to let yourself go crazy with the winter holiday season. Christmas trees, fairy lights, and coffee breaks with gingerbread army are there to put your employees into a holly jolly mood. Don’t let your Grinch side to win – hitch the reindeers and transform your workspace. I’m here, as a friendly elf, to give you 15 awesome ideas for Christmas party, the office decorations and other ways that will let your employees feel the Xmas vibe!
Why bother with Christmas office themes and team parties anyway?
Internal events are becoming the most popular way to enhance an employer brand. So are the initiatives that we can’t really call a regular party. Everything that is an aberration from the normal day-to-day work and shows that you care about employees mood supports your employer image. Holidays and popular seasonal occasions are always there to help you find a good pretext for such actions. Moreover, it has many other benefits for you! Let’s see what it has for you!
Reason #1 Team’s integration
Informal occasions to meet and talk over a beer (or a good old mulled wine in this case) are always a better opportunity to really befriend your colleagues than everyday meeting next to the coffee maker. Indoor office party games, often organized while hosting internal events, are also a great way to create bonds in your team. Long story short – if you decide to throw an occasional party you’ll get the chance to integrate your employees, which in most cases contribute to improving the team’s efficiency.
Reason #2 Vital information and employees’ feedback
Feedback and first-hand information are two crucial factors that drive development and positive changes in the company. Not every employee is willing to share their genuine thoughts with a boss, but an office party where the boundaries fade can be a situation where they will tell you what they think about the company and its work. Also, while being among your team, you can always hear some of your team members’ interesting views.
Moreover, if you still want to give your team anonymity you can go for an event app, such as Eventory, and carry an open poll. Employees softened by not so soft drinks and positive atmosphere and encouraged by the non-direct method will tell you what you want to know the most – how to improve your workplace!
Reason #3 You, as a boss, will get to know your team
I mentioned that internal parties are a great way to integrate the team but it also goes the other way around. They’re your best chance to really get to know people who are working for you. In everyday conditions, you don’t have time to listen to what they’re saying, what they like and so on. Here you mingle through the crowd and meet fantastic and passionate people. That ’strengthens their bonds with a company and gives you a chance to adjust your actions to your team’s preferences. Trust me, they’ll love it!
Christmas party – the office ideas to put everyone in the holly jolly mood
But enough of the theory! After a Halloween season, where spooking up the office was playing the lead, it’s time to cheer the atmosphere up. Let’s go through ideas of some Christmas office themes, indoor office party games and other attractions you can serve your team!
#1 Traditional Christmas dinner
One of the most obvious options you can go for. Organize a fine dining for your whole team. You can book a special venue where the Christmas spirit will flourish or stay at the office and for a one night transform it into a winter wonderland. Take care of the proper decorations and the best catering you can find.
Also, a nice alternative is to ask your employees to bring their homemade Christmas treats. It’s a nice way to learn each other’s personal traditions. This way you can create a really warm homely atmosphere and will bring your team closer together.
#2 Christmas cocktail party
More spicy alternative for a Christmas dinner. Tell your employees to bring their favorite Xmas buzz specials. You can be surprised how many different liqueurs and cocktails can be mixed within the holly jolly theme!
You and your team will have the chance to try the craziest tastes like Gingerbread Whiskey drink or simply the mulled wine with different twists. It’s a great option for an open-minded team that likes to have good fun. Not only the atmosphere will be hot and merry but also it’s a great icebreaker to talk with a drink in your hand!
Alternatively, combine option #1 with a cocktail party! If you can’t be sure your team will bring treats with them prepare a cocktail making lesson as a form of indoor office party games. Your team will be grateful for learning something new and, believe me, it will be fun! Here are some ideas:
#3 A grand Xmas cookie bake-off
Staying in the area of Christmas treats and food goodies, you can organize an after-work contest and some baking sessions. Remind your employees those times when they spent winter evenings preparing gingerbread men with their grandmas. It’s a great option when it comes to office party games for large groups.
To even the chances provide one recipe for all and watch as your team releases its creativity decorating the cookies. Let it be festive! Also, a Christmas music soundtrack will be a cool addition.
Speaking of Xmas music…
#4 Bring Mariah to the office – an ultimate karaoke session
Nothing puts in the festive jolly mood better than good Christmas hits. One of the most popular work party games is a karaoke session. Raise a hand who never ended up smashing this Whitney Huston piece standing on the table. Now, give your employees a chance to do it but while singing “Last Christmas” or “All I want for Christmas is You” from the bottom of their heart. Let them discover their inner Mariah Carey and prepare for winter holidays.
If that doesn’t sound like fun, I don’t know what is!
#5 Secret Santa
What is the most Christmasy thing? Gifts, obviously. You can either prepare small presents for all team members or ensure that they’ll do it on their own.
Organize a Secret Santa game. How does it work? Employees draw lots with their names on it. Every person has one colleague to gift. Set a maximum sum to spend on a gift, determine a deadline. When the day zero comes, run a special giveaway and treat your team with drinks and treats.
We already had our Secret Santa fun at Eventory, trust me – Xmas spirit was on point that day!
#6 Pin the nose on Rudolph or the heart to Grinch
If you decided that this year your company is hosting a Christmas party, the office needs to provide some indoor office party games. One of those can be Pin the nose on Rudolph game.
Prepare a full-scale drawing of a reindeer and a separate red nose. Blind your attendees and tell them to try to attach the nose on the reindeer. The rest of the team watches as they struggle to choose the right place – much fun for everybody. You can also change the theme of the game and instead of Rudolph get a Grinch to give him his heart back!
Alternatively, organize quick game breaks during a regular workday to relax your employees!
#7 Decorate the office party
There’s nothing that can put one in the Christmas mood more than festive decorations. Usually, most people find it relaxing to decorate their surroundings with fairy lights and merry attributes. Make a use of it and throw an evening office decorating session!
Take care of the proper mood. Provide themed snacks, put some Xmas music on and get the work done. Afterward, you can stay a while longer to integrate and simply spend time in a merrier than hours before atmosphere.!
#8 Run a competition for the most Christmas spirit desk
When you decide to leave the decoration of the office for your employees, you can still create some fun around it. Two weeks before Christmas Eve announce a competition for the most festive desk in the office. Then watch how the whole office transforms into a Santa’s factory with your elves behind Christmas desks.
When the time comes, choose the best of them all. However, remember to prepare some present for all participants to minimalize the competition between team members and maintain a good spirit.
#9 Ugly Sweater Day
Ok, it’s time for the Christmas classic. Organize a day when you all come to work breaking all the rules of dress code. Tell your team to put on the ugliest Christmas sweaters possible. Watch how the joy spreads with every employer walking into the office, even at 8 a.m.
During the day you can throw a quick catwalk to let everyone present their outfits. It will be a great distraction from regular duties which sets the mood for the rest of the day.
#10 Xmass Movie Night
Next to the “Last Christmas” on the radio, there are Christmas related movies. Organize an evening with the Xmass movie hits such as Home Alone or even Bridget Jones (do you remember Mr. Darcy’s sweater?). Provide snacks, popcorn will do but think of the festive specials like cinnamon rolls or candy sticks. Take care of decorations as well and the comfy interior. Invite your employees, let them come with families and friends. This way the atmosphere will be even more Christmasy and the brand image will spread!
#11 Craftsvaganza
People like when the party has interesting attractions. In the Christmas session, you can offer your employees Christmas decorations workshops. Provide proper materials (yes, glitter included) and some instructions. You can prepare different workstations with different types of decorations – one for making tinsels, other for creating festive candelabrums and so on.
It’s a great option when you want to wake a creative side of your employees. Also, it’s a nice way to spend time with fellow workers. Later, you can use created beauties to merry up your workspace!
#12 Wrap things up
Here’s another idea for one of the indoor office party games. When the Mariah is singing in the background, people are getting tired from eating too much Christmas tree shaped cookies and drinking warm and spiced up cocktails gather them in the circle and hand them a gift.
However, prepare it before and wrap the box with multiple layers of the wrapping paper. You can leave a funny comment on each. Then, you passing the gift around the circle where every person rips off one layer. The person to take off the last layer wins the gift!
#13 Carol singing meeting
I have already mentioned that the karaoke session is always a good idea. Christmas is also known of its own, more traditional songs – the Christmas carols. This type of event should be more traditional than the Xmas hit session. Invite your employees with families to make it homier.
Remember to provide snacks, decorations and, most importantly, lyrics to the carols you want to sing. It’s best to combine such work party games with other attractions, for example, organize it during a Christmas dinner.
#14 Fancy dress party with the Christmas twist
With Halloween long gone you can still create an occasion to dress up. Organize a party and tell your employees to come in costumes. Choose from many available Christmas office themes. For example, you can dress up as Christmas movies characters.
A fancy dress party is always a good choice. It’s a great way to quit everyday routine for a while so your team will enjoy becoming Grinch, Snowman or an Elf for a moment.
#15 Become Santa Claus
Christmas is also about helping each other. If your company doesn’t support charity organizations it’s the best time to start. If it already does, go for engaging the entire team in the initiative.
One idea is to raise money and buy presents for a chosen organization such as shelters or orphanages. Then you can all dress up as Santas and not only put yourself in the Christmas mood but also make other’s holidays a happier time.
Also, you can organize an office charity party. There are a couple of options. A regular party with the fundraising purpose or, for instance, an auction. To make it more personal ask your employees to create Christmas decorations that will later be put on auction.
Trust me, your employees will feel the Christmas spirit all the way and you will be able to show your good side and do more good than just improving the employer branding.
Wrap up
Winter holidays are one of the most atmospheric parts of the whole year. It’s good to use this time to cut your employees some slack and boost your employer branding by throwing some office party.
You have many Christmas office themes to choose from. You can go for a Winter Wonderland or implement some references to hit Xmas movies and so on. Then, there are many indoor office party games and activities that can put your whole team into a holly jolly mood for the rest of the month. Ugly sweaters, decorating the office will bring some merry vibe to your workspace.
Internal events are a great opportunity to integrate your team, bring it closer and strengthen its bonds, and occasions like Christmas even boost their effectiveness. Knowing this, don’t be Ebenezer Scrooge of your company and put your resources to bring some Xmas magic into your office.
Do you plan to celebrate Christmas with your team this year? Tell us more!
