It requires time, thorough knowledge of inside jokes, and a pretty lenient HR department. But it will so be worth it. Merry Extinction Illustration by Teo Zirinis. Before the party starts, hide a bunch of jingle bells around the office the way you would for an Easter egg hunt. At the party, give players ten minutes to find as many bells as they can, and the one who finds to most wins.
Before the party, decide on what holiday-related events make sense for your office stuff like carrying an ornament on a spoon, hiding something in a pile of wrapped presents, and carrying a gingerbread man on your head and get them set up.
When the party starts, have everyone separate into teams and then explain the events. Whichever team is completes the events fastest wins some serious bragging rights. Before the party, the host should come up with a list of holiday words. It should start off with easy ones e. Ask each participant to spell a word on their turn, and if they spell it incorrectly, they get eliminated. Keep it up until only the winner is left. There are certain topics that feel pretty unavoidable during an office holiday party: Christmas plans, visiting family, food, travel, and the weather.
This game however, will force you to change up these standard conversational topics through some holly jolly bloodthirsty competition. Start out the game by giving every participant a jingle bell necklace and a list of taboo words. By the end of the party, the one with the most necklaces wins. And is also very jingle-y. Avo Merry Christmas Illustration by daisy-beatrice.
And victory is what this holiday is all about. First, set up a workspace with all kinds of decorations: fabric paint, sparkles, glitter-glue, pom-poms, rhinestones, etc. Then, give every participant a blank holiday stocking and give them 30 minutes to decorate their stocking. That coworker with all the suspicious sick days. Two of these facts should be true, and one should be false. You get a point for everyone you fool with your facts, and everyone gets a point who guesses correctly.
The player at the end of the game with the most points wins. The person with the fastest time through the obstacle course wins.
The Struggle Illustration by Rebekie Bennington. Shameless re-gifting, theft, and manipulation. In order to play, all participants need to bring a wrapped, unlabeled gift of predetermined value on the day of the party.
At the beginning of the game, players will draw numbers to establish their order. The person who draws the number one gets to go up and choose the first gift out of the gift pile. They then unwrap it so everyone can see what they got. If they choose to steal the gift, the person who was robbed can then select another gift.
This process goes on until all gifts from the pile have been unwrapped and someone chooses not to steal when it becomes their turn. To start the game, separate players into teams and have each team assign a scribe someone to write down the answers.
The host will then read out the questions one at a time, giving teams about 30 seconds to discuss the answer and then write it down on their sheet of paper. When the minute is up, each team will hold up their sheet of paper displaying the answer. The host will then award points to whoever got it right. At the end of game, whoever has the most points wins. All you need to do is create as many sticky notes as you have players and write down a holiday person, place, or thing on each one.
You can do a version of this where everyone makes a casual graham cracker house or you can go extra as hell with a nice big gingerbread one. Gingerbread Unicorn Illustration by JessieSima. And if you need some inspiration for prizes or gifts for your office Christmas party games, check out these gifting ideas on Redbubble. Setting up a gift wrapping table is one of the more unique corporate Christmas party ideas.
Your employees are busy, and handling present-wrapping crosses off one item on a seemingly endless holiday to-do list. By providing gift wrapping services, you can save your staff time and stress. You can book a professional wrapper, or recruit an acquaintance that packages presents nicely. However, do not assign or ask employees to volunteer for the gift wrap table, as staff should be free to enjoy their own party.
To set up the table, lay out fancy paper, bows, bags, and gift tags, and stock plenty of scissors and tape. Attendees can RSVP for this service and sign up for slots to make the process more organized. After getting the presents wrapped, participants can either check the presents in a coat-check style room or take the boxes out to their cars, if the lot has security. Or, if this system seems like too much of a hassle, then you could simply pay for gift wrapping services to be done at their leisure as an employee perk.
Photo booths are special touches that make parties more fun. Holiday themed photo booths are especially amusing because of the potential for Christmas props. These items tend to be inexpensive, and you can buy the bulk of your props from the dollar store. You can also rig up a wintery background by stringing lights or garland or hanging a few snowflakes or ornaments.
Photo Booths are easy to DIY. You can set up a camera, smartphone, or tablet with a timer or trigger, or have an event staff member man the camera. There are apps that can add frames and effects, and you can send the photos in your thank you emails or have a mini photo printer handy to print instant copies.
If you would rather not go through the effort, then you can go the professional route and hire a photo booth company as a party vendor. Chances are, these entertainers have holiday props on hand. Corporate Christmas parties are known for their bars. You can help staff get in the holiday spirit by mixing up holiday spirits.
First, decide on a few seasonal cocktails such as peppermint martinis, spiked gingerbread eggnog, and gin poinsettia punch. Then, book a bartender to demonstrate how to make the drinks. Mixology lessons are more hands-on than just having a seasonal-themed bar. As an added plus, employees learn how to recreate the drinks so that they can wow their friends and relatives at other Christmas cocktail parties.
Plus, the activity is a shared experience that can help team members bond. Christmas Carnivals are one of the most interactive office Christmas party ideas, and are especially fun if kids are in attendance at the event. First, set up Christmas-themed game booths. For example, throwing snowballs to knock over milk jugs, wreath ring toss, and tossing darts at balloon Christmas ornaments.
Be sure to offer festive prizes such as giant candy canes, stuffed reindeer, and bedazzled Santa hats. You can also rent a moon bounce and rig up simple rides such as a Christmas train or Santa sleigh ride on a tractor. Petting zoos make a fine addition, especially if you stock them with seasonal animals like donkeys and reindeer.
You can also build a North-pole-style funhouse and a Christmas village out of plywood or cardboard. Another fun touch is to create photo-stand-in boards where guests can become snowmen, elves, or Santa. Silent Night Discos are one of the most unexpected alternative office Christmas party ideas. To do this activity, provide employees with headphones.
However, if you do not have access to this kind of equipment or have limited funds, then you can also ask attendees to provide their own music to listen to via smartphone or iPod.
When this segment of the event begins, participants don the headphones and dance to different songs. To outside observers, the room is completely silent, however participants groove to their favorite holiday tunes. This approach means that no guest has to endure a Christmas carol they simply cannot stand to hear one more time this year.
Plus, this exercise works well as a midday dance party to relieve stress. Pro tip: To make the event extra festive, make the headphones look like earmuffs by adding fake fur. Simply encourage attendees to wear seasonal-themed pajamas, or the most fuzzy set they own.
You can award a prize for the best dressed. Also, serve Christmas-breakfast foods like gingerbread French Toast and omelettes with red and green peppers. Be sure there is plenty of seasonally-flavored coffee and hot cocoa available as well. Never Have I Ever is an icebreaker game that encourages players to fess up to past deeds. Never ho-ho-have I Ever is a Christmas-themed version of the game. The game continues until only one player remains, or, if playing with a larger group, after a certain number of rounds.
Check out this list of Never Have I Ever questions for work and more fun question games. Corporate holiday parties tend to have awesome dessert options. To take your Christmas party to the next level, instead of merely putting out a great spread of sweets, show guests how to create delightful desserts. To arrange this activity, book a professional baker or chef to give decorating demonstrations.
For instance, frosting an ice cream cone to look like a Christmas tree, truffle towers or cake pops, or making candy snowflakes. Be sure to provide ingredients so that guests can practice, and have bags or boxes handy so participants can bring the treats home.
Entertaining lessons make great entertainment for holiday parties. Christmastime requires tons of preparation. To arrange this entertainment, book a chef to lead a quick demonstration. These lessons should include hands-on cooking practice as well as tastings. You can also DIY this event by having each of your employees submit a favorite recipe, then compiling the instructions into a team holiday cookbook to distribute as a party favor.
For more hands-on culinary activities, check out this list of online group cooking courses. To kick off the merry mingling at your holiday party, you can provide guests with icebreaker questions. You can also use these prompts to start meetings throughout the holiday season.
Check out our list of the best icebreaker questions for work and this list of Christmas icebreaker questions. Snowball fights are one of the most fun seasonal activities. First, buy indoor snowball fight kits that consist of plush cloth balls to pelt at other players. Then, split the group into teams. Next, give each player a set amount of snowballs. Finally, blow the whistle and let the games begin. The game resembles dodgeball.
Players who get hit by a snowball are out. When participants run out of ammo, you can call a timeout and reset. The game continues until only one snow pitcher remains. Pro tip: Make sure you have a wide, open space to play in and that there are no breakables nearby. Christmas is a season not only for getting, but also for giving. Holiday parties are a time to give back to employees for a year of hard work, as well as a time for staff to practice gratitude and give back to the wider community.
There are many ways to include philanthropy in a company Christmas party. You could also hold a toy or winter clothing drive, or encourage teams to adopt families to purchase presents for through a program like Toys for Tots. You can also plan a volunteering event for half of a workday in December.
For instance, visiting seniors in retirement homes, writing cards for soldiers overseas, or organizing donations at a food pantry. For more, philanthropy tips, check out this list of online volunteering ideas and this guide to virtual fundraising.
When decorating for your party, hide snowmen shapes in various spots. Make some easy to spot, and others more hidden. Examples of hiding spots include platters on the buffet table, balloons near the entrance, floral center-pieces, and presents under the tree.
Since the symbol consists of three circles, hiding the shapes is simple. At the party, give attendees a piece of paper and let them know how many snow folk exist in total.
We recommend hiding at least one dozen. Participants can jot down the locations of the snowmen as they spot them. Upon finding all hidden shapes, players can exchange the paper for a prize. If nobody finds all the hidden Frostys, then towards the end of the party collect the slips and award prizes to the folks who found the most snowmen.
Holiday movies are a standalone film genre. Screening movies at the party is a low-key activity that is social but not too high-pressure, which makes an ideal environment for more introverted staff. Not to mention, holiday films can bring about a sense of nostalgia and aid in team bonding.
To watch holiday movies, set up a projector and a large screen, then broadcast the festive film of choice. Snacks like reindeer chow, popcorn with red and green sprinkles, and cookies help to complete the holiday atmosphere. If interest for these events seems high, then you could even host a series of movie nights throughout the month of December.
Each week, you can screen a different holiday film, and encourage staff to attend with families in tow. If you live in a warmer climate and have access to speakers, then you can even do outdoor movies and project on the side of the building or a sheet. For more film-related fun, check out this list of team building movies. Elf on the Shelf quickly became a modern Christmas tradition. Other folks have co-opted this exercise and posted pictures of the elf in hilarious positions.
In this same vein, you and your teammates can do this game as an office activity. At the party, split the group into teams, and give each team an elf. Then, send the teams off into the building to stage a work-themed photo shoot with the elf.
Participants may snap photos of the elf photocopying its face, intimidating the work mascot plush with a stapler, or stealing lunches from the office fridge, for example. It is a good idea to show a few examples to help spark creative juices.
If you do not want to devote so much party time to this game, then you can have entrants take and submit the photos before the event and show the results in a slideshow during the party. White Elephant Exchanges are one of the most fun Christmas activities for work. Unlike the more traditional Secret Santa gift swaps, at White Elephant exchanges, participants give each other funny and gag gifts.
Participants also have the option of stealing gifts from other players. The basic rules involve players picking an order to exchange presents in. Participants either receive a present from an assigned partner, or pick a random present from the pile. The next player in line can either pick a new present, or steal the present from the previous player. The last participant to unwrap a gift can steal an object from any player.
Check out more tips for white elephant exchanges online. This or That is a game that asks players to choose between two related, but typically opposite options. Your Christmas party activities can include memory games, trivia, physical activities, and more. These large group Christmas games are more inclusive and are great for office and church Christmas parties.
Some games can support more players than others, so keep that in mind while browsing for the perfect holiday game. Split into teams, setup a relay course with or without obstacles. With an ornament on their spoon, the first person will go through the course and return to pass it on. You can only use your spoons when passing the ornament. If someone ever drops the ornament, that person needs to do the course again.
Once the ornament is successfully passed off, it's the next person's turn until everyone has completed the course. This game works a variety of group size, 5 to 50 people. Write down a famous Christmas character on a post it note, then stick them on each other's forehead. Once everyone has a post-it note on their forehead they try to guess what character they are by asking other people yes or no questions. The goal is to not be the last person to correctly guess who they are. This is a hilarious and fun game that calls for 2 to 3 representatives to serve as figurative Christmas trees.
Have everyone whether coworkers, family members, or friends guess how many ornaments are hung up on the Christmas tree. Give each person a piece of paper so they can write down their guess. Once everyone has submitted their guesses, the closest guess wins! Distribute papers with the alphabet written vertically on each paper. Teams must then compete to fill in the entire alphabet list with a holiday word for each letter.
The first team to complete their list wins. This game requires at least two teams with an equal number of participants. Set up two tables per team about 20 feet apart with an equal amount of players at each table. Place five gifts on each table. One team member grabs a gift and carries it across the room to the other table. The next team member will stack a second gift onto the first gift and head back across the room to hand their stack to the third team member.
This continues until a team has successfully stacked and carried all 10 gifts across the room, without dropping any. Divide into teams to conquer this quiz. Award one point for every correct answer. The team with the most number of points wins! You can break the trivia into rounds, go through it all at once or make it a race. In the race, every wrong answer results in a 10 second penalty. After grading the trivia and applying any penalties, the team with the shortest time wins.
Separate into teams of three or more. Set up cones 15 to 25 feet apart for each team. The first player puts a balloon between their knees and waddles like a penguin down to the cone and back.
Then they pass the balloon to the next team member so they can go. If any team member drops the balloon, they have to restart! The first team to complete the relay wins. This is preferably played with co-workers or non-family members. Go around the room, having each person state their name and the funniest Christmas presents they ever received.
As players announce their gifts, write down their name and whether you believe it is true or not. The person who guesses the most correct answers is the winner. You must create a list of hobbies and interests and give every participant the list. Participants have to walk around the room and find other members who resonate with items on the list and check them off. The winner is the person who fills in their list the fastest with a different employee name for each item. If your company is having a holiday party at the office, gather everyone for a quick and fun game to liven up the office atmosphere.
Company holiday cards and holiday office party games should be appropriate and simple, as well as brief since most office parties only last a few hours. You should also consider the personality of your office and be mindful of different religious and cultural practices. Here are a few additional tips to keep in mind when planning an office holiday party:. An office holiday party is a chance for colleagues to celebrate the past year of hard work while using the time to get to know each other outside of their daily tasks.
Changing up the usual groups will bring the office together. Every winning staff member will love to win company wearables like laptop cases, T-shirts, notepads or other personalized prizes. Play Jeopardy with bible verses that focus on the birth of Jesus Christ.
Divide into two teams and try to name where each verse can be found in the bible. Bible Replay involves dividing members into at least two teams and giving each group a bible scene or a verse to act out. The teams only have 15 minutes to put together a skit before acting out their scene. You can have a small panel of judges decide who the winner is after each team performs their skit. Christmas party games for a church group should be focused on their shared faith. Christmas games for a church group can involve bible games such as guessing popular Christmas bible verses to add a fun Christmas twist.
When planning your church group Christmas party games, keep these tips in mind:. Encourage members of your church group to express themselves with games that let everyone exhibit their creative ideas. If your church group has many younger children or new members, make sure to modify the rules to apply to them as well. If not every younger or new member has memorized most bible verses, put them in a group with more experienced members so they can have help and learn during the game.
To go the extra mile, consider providing personalized holiday gifts as party favors or prizes. The greatest joy of the Christmas season comes from gathering loved ones and making cherished memories. Shutterfly Community is here to help capture and share life's most important moments.
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