Holiday Team Building Activities for a Fun & Festive Christmas Experience At Work
It’s the most wonderful time of the year again! Holiday decorations are up, carols are playing on stores’ speakers and it’s time to think about what you’ll do for your team’s holiday team building activity.
If the thought of planning Christmas team building activities makes you growl like Scrooge, don’t despair! It doesn’t have to be as elaborate as the Griswold family’s Christmas lights! Sometimes it’s the little things that will make your team’s hearts, like the Grinch, grow three sizes…
Here are some ideas to bring the festivities to your next corporate meeting or team event!
Holiday Treats
Of course, you can treat your team to a holiday meal, but if you’re looking for something simpler, you can organize a potluck where everyone brings in their favorite holiday dish to share. Consider hosting a cookie swap where everyone bakes a batch and then all get to make a plate with one from each tray. Or set up a hot chocolate bar with all the fixings – whipped cream, chocolate shavings, syrups, etc. for a switch from the typical coffee break!
Decorations
Host a holiday teambuilding competition where everyone decorates their cubicle for the holidays. Everyone votes for their favorite décor and you can award a prize for the one that earns the most. You can also help your team with decorations by bringing in items for them to make their own holiday ornament. Or ask your team to submit their sweater size and bring in plain sweaters, glue guns and festive décor for them to put together their own ugly Christmas sweater!
December Holiday Team Building Outings
You may be able to have your holiday team building activity already organized for you! Scout your area for festive December events such as ice skating, skiing, a holiday movie or light tours and get your team to go out and participate during office hours for a much-needed break. Better yet, reach out to a local charity to see if they need assistance in the lead up to the holidays and do a team outing to volunteer and help their cause.
Reindeer Games
You can organize an entire event around holiday-themed games, or take breaks throughout the month on different days to play just one game. You could host a holiday quiz, a Carol Karaoke, or there are many Minute To Win It-style games online you can choose from. For instance, you could race to see who can be the first to unwrap a gift wearing mittens, who can build the highest stack of hot chocolate marshmallows on the end of a popsicle stick, or determine who can hook together the longest strand of candy canes, Barrel of Monkeys-style before time is up!
Gift Giving
There are lots of ways you can make gift giving fun including the traditional Secret Santa or White Elephant gift swap. Other unique ideas are to hang stockings in each team member’s workspace and put small gifts in their stocking – candy, $5 gift cards, a small ornament – for them to find from day to day. Working on a budget? Have your team perform random acts of kindness for their Secret Santa instead of purchasing gifts!
Book a Professional Holiday Team Building Activity
Still wish that a jolly man in a red suit would show up and just make your holiday team building appear magically? You can always call on the elves at Wildly Different to make that happen! If you are looking for a virtual Christmas team building game that your remote and/or hybrid team can play together, we have everything from “Around The World-Festive Edition,” “Oh What Fun!” and “Jingle Mingle,” which offer a variety of holiday-themed challenges, to those with a winter feel to them such as our Escape The Arctic virtual escape room and Murder on The Slopes murder mystery.
For those looking for a December in-person holiday experience, our Winter Wonderland Game Show is always a hit, or consider hosting a charitable event where teams earn toys to donate to kids in need, such as Red Wagon Brigade or Toy Chest Challenge.