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Christmas activities are fun, enjoyable, and heartwarming, and now it’s time for your team to discover the best holiday activities to strengthen morale, boost employee engagement, and promote team bonding inside the office.
This in-detail guide will bring you the 20 best Christmas team building activities for both in-office and remote teams.
Benefits & Advantages of Christmas Team Building Games
Christmas party games foster teamwork while also making all team members have a wonderful time with their coworkers.
The statistics show that 85% of employees believe that Christmas parties have a positive impact on the team’s morale and motivation, so holiday parties are widely embraced and acknowledged as a prominent team-building activity.
A study by Travel Perk shows that most employees are into the Christmas spirit - 60% of employees prefer seasonal events (such as Christmas parties) over standard team building activities.
On top of that, it is worth noting that Christmas-themed activities don't always have to be expensive.
On average, in-office Christmas parties cost from $3,000 to $4,000, and over 70% of team members say that their employer should pay for food and drink, according to a survey by TTF.
However, there are tens of different activities to celebrate the holidays that are not as expensive as companies expect.
Furthermore, implementing Holiday games into the office brings several benefits to both in-person and remote teams.
To summarize, Christmas team building activities are a fun way to promote team bonding, improve team productivity, and make the whole team come closer together as they forget about work-related stress and focus on having extra fun with their coworkers.
20 Christmas Team Building Activities that Spark Joy in the Holiday Season
Some Christmas team building activities last for a few hours, whereas others can be completed in one hour or less.
When choosing a Christmas-themed team building game, it is important to consider many different factors, such as duration and timing.
Since most companies have time off during the peak holiday season (from December 22 to December 31), timing is important.
That’s why celebrating Christmas any day of December will bring the joyful spark that your team needs. Let’s go over the best 20 Christmas-team building activities and game ideas to bring more fun into the office.
1. Christmas-themed Office Holiday Party
It’s time to throw an in-office Christmas party! Christmas parties are a classic in the holiday season, and as mentioned above, employees generally have a stronger preference for Christmas-themed parties over regular team-building activities.
Hot chocolate, Christmas decorations, and fun game activities to enjoy together will create the perfect setting to celebrate the holidays together as a united team.
Make sure to pick the right time to celebrate this activity. Friday nights are ideal as team members can rest over the weekend.
- Group Type: Small groups and big groups.
- Activity Duration: From 2 to 3 hours.
2. Virtual Holiday Party
Companies with a remote team can also immerse into the holiday spirit with virtual holiday parties.
Teamland’s virtual holiday party activity brings people working remotely closer together so no one misses the fun of the Christmas season.
The activity consists of many different activities so team members laugh together and enjoy a nice time before heading over into the milestones to reach the next year.
- Group Type: Smaller and larger team (remote teams).
- Activity Duration: From 1.5 to 3 hours.
3. Virtual Christmas Trivia Time
Holiday trivia is always a fun game to play to test the knowledge of your team members as they work together to become the Christmas champions.
Teamland’s Trivia Team, with a Christmas twist, includes general knowledge questions about Christmas Eve, the origins of this celebration, Santa Claus, and more.
The event is hosted via video call (Zoom Meeting or Teamland’s proprietary app), and each team member participates as they demonstrate their knowledge while promoting team bonding and celebrating milestones.
- Group Type: Remote teams (medium-sized and smaller groups).
- Activity Duration: From 30 minutes to 1 hour.
4. Make Christmas Cookies Together
National Cookie Day takes place on December 4, and there’s no better way to celebrate it than engaging in some Holiday-themed baking classes!
From sweet desserts to different types of bread, team members will learn how to bake various foods with the help of baking professionals.
This Teamland activity is meant to have a sweet time in-person or remotely, which makes it one of the best hybrid setting Christmas team building activities around.
- Group Type: All team sizes and settings (hybrid).
- Activity Duration: From 45 minutes to 2 hours.
5. White Elephant Gift Exchange
If you have played Secret Santa, then you’ll love White Elephant Gift Exchanges.
White Elephant Gift Exchanges consist of bringing humorous gifts into the office to exchange them with other team members.
Instead of choosing standard gifts, make sure to bring quirky and fun gifts that will surprise everyone in the office. Since White Elephant Gift Exchanges have lower expectations compared to a classic gift swap, they guarantee plenty of laughs and amusement for all participants.
- Group Type: Medium-sized in-office groups.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 1.5 hours.
6. Virtual Secret Santa
Virtual Secret Santa is a little more complex than in-office gift swaps as coordination is required so each team member gets their presents on time.
Create a list of secret names, define the participants, set a budget, and make all team members ship their gifts to each other.
Then, organize a team meeting so they can unwrap presents in front of each other. This remote team building activity fosters connections among remote workers, which is necessary to prevent isolation and burnout.
- Group Type: Small and medium-sized remote teams.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 2 hours.
7. Edible Paint Night with a Christmas Twist
It’s time to combine the fun of the holiday season with edible paints. Edible paint nights by Teamland are tasty, fun, and artistic, and they are suited for all types of work teams.
Cocoa butter-based paints are used to create memorable works of art to remember the Christmas season forever.
December 8 is International Artists Day, so it is a nice day to celebrate by engaging in this holiday team building activity.
- Group Type: All group types (hybrid event).
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 1.5 hours.
8. Holiday Season Virtual Happy Hour
Happy hours are all about feeling comfortable and sharing experiences with team members while relaxing and talking about things outside work.
Teamland’s virtual happy hour can include a holiday twist to match the vibe of the Christmas season. This way, remote workers can feel more united as they share their experiences while having a relaxing drink together.
- Group Type: Remote teams.
- Activity Duration: From 45 minutes to 1 hour.
9. Christmas-themed Around the World Cooking
Around the World Cooking is a hybrid event by Teamland that promotes the flavors and dishes of different cultures worldwide.
Workers from other cultures, races, and ethnicities can feel integrated into the whole team by bringing their favorite holiday recipe into the office and cooking it together. Expert hosts will show everyone how to make a nice holiday dish, which ends in a delicious Christmas dinner for everyone.
- Group Type: Hybrid teams (medium-sized).
- Activity Duration: From 30 minutes to 1.5 hours.
10. Gingerbread of Greatness
Gingerbread of Greatness is a gingerbread house decorating competition where team members are divided into different teams to create the most wonderful and unique house in the office.
All the materials are provided by Teamland, which makes it easy to enjoy this holiday team building activity inside the workplace.
On top of that, this event can combine with holiday trivia, which makes things even more fun for everyone.
- Group Type: In-office small, medium, and big-sized teams.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 1.5 hours.
11. Build a Christmas Tree
Building a Christmas tree for the office is a classic during the holidays. Play some Christmas music, find the ornaments for the tree, and add some Christmas presents under the tree once it’s ready.
Christmas trees bring holiday cheer to the office, so don’t hesitate to gather the required materials to build a tree that will fill the workplace with the magic of this season.
- Group Type: All in-office group types.
- Activity Duration: From 1.5 to 3 hours.
12. Virtual Gingerbread Builder
Remote team members can also join the joy of building gingerbread houses with Virtual Gingerbread Builder.
Expert bakers lead remote team members into a magical holiday task: creating a beautiful gingerbread cookie house at home. This event fosters unity and strengthens bonds among people who work remotely.
- Group Type: Small and medium-sized remote teams.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 1.5 hours.
13. Holiday Spirit Charity Activity
Volunteering, giving charitable donations, or helping the community in some way is one of the best holiday team building activities to boost morale among the team.
By choosing a Christmas-related charity activity, it is possible to feel the joy of giving to others in need. This fosters better communication among team members and greatly reduces work-related stress inside the office.
- Group Type: All group types.
- Activity Duration: From 2 to 3 hours, depending on the activity..
14. Holiday Origami Class
Origami activities foster patience, precision, and perseverance. Taking an Origami class during the holiday season helps team members to feel more relaxed inside the office.
Expert hosts will teach everyone how to build Christmas-related Origami figures, such as reindeer and Christmas trees.
- Group Type: Small, medium, and big-sized in-office teams.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 1.5 hours.
15. Seasonal Scavenger Hunt
Scavenger hunts are a classic among team building activities, and now, it’s possible to give it a Christmas twist by integrating Christmas-related items into the hunt.
Santa hats, candy canes, and Christmas angels are some of the items that could be hidden in the office before the seasonal scavenger hunt starts!
- Group Type: Small and medium-sized in-office teams.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 1.5 hours.
16. Make a Video Christmas Card
Remember the great time your team members had together during the Christmas season is possible by making a video Christmas card.
Select a theme for the card, practice the script, and record it together while integrating the magic of holiday parties into the office.
Then, watch the card together - the game ends when everyone feels they contributed to their own in-office Christmas story!
- Group Type: All in-office group types.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 3 hours.
17. Stocking Stuffers
Stocking Stuffers is another gift exchange activity that consists of putting small gifts inside each other's stockings.
The gifts should be small and representative, such as a short letter or a bar of chocolate. This event promotes team bonding, and it’s very simple to integrate into the office.
- Group Type: All in-person group types.
- Activity Duration: All month long.
18. Office Decorating
Turning your workplace into a Christmas fairytale is possible with the help of all team members.
Divide team members into smaller teams and make them decorate certain areas of the office.
This event can turn into a friendly competition as teams work to deliver the best Christmas-themed decoration for their section of the office.
- Group Type: Small and medium-sized teams.
- Activity Duration: From 2 to 3 hours.
19. Virtual Murder Mystery with a Holiday Twist
Virtual Murder Mystery is a remote game that consists of finding the secret murderer while having fun at a holiday-themed party.
Team members are assigned a role and character to follow, and there’s only one murderer, so all remote workers need to boost their teamwork abilities to catch the murderer before they run out of time.
- Group Type: Small and medium-sized remote teams.
- Activity Duration: From 30 minutes to 2 hours.
20. Christmas Wellness Programs
Christmas time is about appreciating what we have and showing love to the people who we care about.
Mental health is important, so participating in a wellness program is a wonderful way to promote the importance of self-care inside the office.
Celebrate all this year’s milestones before the new year starts, and thank your workers by showing appreciation and love.
- Group Type: All group types.
- Activity Duration: From 1 to 2 hours.
Summary: 20 Best Christmas Games to Celebrate the Holiday Spirit
Your team is prepared to enjoy the wonders of the Christmas season alongside their coworkers, whether they work in-office or remotely.
Remember to send holiday gift boxes to your team members, a wrapped gift that works as a gesture to celebrate milestones and show appreciation for their hard work.
Teamland will continue to bring you more ideas to foster productivity, mental health, and teamwork in different seasons. These are the top 20 Christmas team building activities to try this year:
- Christmas-themed Office Holiday Party
- Virtual Holiday Party
- Virtual Christmas Trivia Time
- Make Christmas Cookies Together
- White Elephant Gift Exchange
- Virtual Secret Santa
- Edible Paint Night with a Christmas Twist
- Holiday Season Virtual Happy Hour
- Christmas-themed Around the World Cooking
- Gingerbread of Greatness
- Virtual Gingerbread Builder
- Holiday Spirit Charity Activity
- Holiday Origami Class
- Seasonal Scavenger Hunt
- Make a Video Christmas Card
- Build a Christmas Tree
- Stocking Stuffers
- Office Decorating
- Virtual Murder Mystery with a Holiday Twist
- Christmas Wellness Programs
