Deck the Cubicles: 20 Fun Office Holiday Party Ideas

The holiday season is once again upon us, and that means decking halls, jingling bells, and hearing a lot of Mariah Carrey.

At work, the holidays are a wonderful time to celebrate with employees, recognize them for a year of hard work, and give gifts that show the company’s appreciation. This post is straightforward—we’ll provide you with 20 creative, fun, and unique holiday party ideas for work that you can take and adjust to fit your people and culture.

Make your holiday party at work more effective, fun, and rewarding for everyone with these ideas.

20 Fun Holiday Party Ideas for Work

1. Interactive Cooking Class

Interactive parties are always fun because they get everyone involved, and what better way to get involved than to create a delicious treat? For this party, prepare a few different stations with different food/snack options, and let employees choose which item they want to make. Then let everyone cook/bake together!

2. Gingerbread House Decorating Contest

For the more competitive-minded, a decorating contest is a great idea. Provide each employee (or team) with a gingerbread construction kit and plenty of candy, then let everyone build and decorate as they see fit! Employees could vote on their favorite afterward.

3. Holiday Movie Bingo

Holiday movies are all the rage, so make a game that everyone can enjoy! Create custom bingo cards with boxes like:

• Busy city girl runs into handsome smalltown boy
• Misunderstanding leads to girl returning home
• Kiss under the mistletoe

Pass these cards out to employees as they watch the movie, and offer prizes for those who get bingo!

4. Gift Exchange

Whether you call it a white elephant, a secret santa, a secret elephant, or anything else, giving gifts to coworkers is always fun. The key is to have everyone fill out a survey explaining their favorite things, hobbies, and interests so that everyone actually gets a gift they’ll enjoy.

Another option is a “favorite things” exchange, where everyone brings something they love to give to someone else. This is great for ensuring everyone gets an item with thought behind it.

(If the company is providing the gifts, check out this guide for choosing the best gifts for employees.)

5. Office Decorating

For teams working in-person, an office decorating activity can be great for team building and fun. Let each team decorate their area in whatever holiday theme they want. Then, if desired, let everyone vote on their favorite area.

6. Global Potluck

Instead of a stuffy traditional dinner, try a global potluck by allowing everyone to bring their own dishes. Encourage employees of different backgrounds and cultures to bring traditional food so that everyone can enjoy a more diverse meal together!

7. Service Activity

Allow employees to give back this year with a service activity. Plan a local service project during the work day and encourage employees to sign up. Incentives, such as a free lunch, could help get more people involved, too.

8. Day at the Mall

Shopping for gifts is stressful enough, but it’s even harder for busy employees. Give everyone a break by scheduling a day for employees to carpool to the nearest shopping center to get their holiday shopping done on the clock. This shows that the company values the employees’ time and recognizes they have a life outside of work.

9. Scavenger Hunt

Hide holiday-themed items around the office (ornaments, pumpkins, turkeys, etc. sugar skulls, etc.) and then give employees time to search for them. Offer prizes to really build excitement.

10. Holiday Raffle

Nothing is more exciting than a good raffle. Set up a long table and fill it with awesome prizes, such as tech, outdoor items, swag, fitness equipment, etc. Then, give each employee a set amount of tickets and let them put those tickets near the items they want. Then, draw out the winning tickets! Make sure to have small gifts for those who don’t win, too.

11. End-of-Year Bonus

Stop right there! Don’t assume this has to be a large chunk of cash for everyone. If your organization has the means, then yes, money is a great bonus. But you can also give out an extra day or two of PTO as a holiday bonus. Or, survey employees on their favorite restaurants/stores and then give them gift cards to those places.

If you’re doing a non-cash bonus, make sure to communicate why and how it’s happening. Remember, most employees will only care that their organization is thinking of them, not how big the bonus is.

12. Family Activity Night

It’s always great to let employees bring their families to the office or to other local attractions. Host a trunk-or-treat, buy everyone tickets to a corn maze, host a dinner, or bring in a Santa actor for the kids. Find ways to show your support for employees AND their families.

13. Inclusive Holiday Celebrations

Not everyone celebrates the common holidays. To that end, think of ways to celebrate more diverse days so that everyone feels included:

• Talk to your employees to find out which holidays they want to celebrate, which they’d like to have off, and which days/events are meaningful to them.
• Add diverse holidays to the company calendar, including Rosh Hashanah, Day of the Dead, Diwali, Hanukkah, and more.
• Plan inclusive activities for the lesser-known holidays, including thematic food, decorations, and trivia.

14. Murder Mystery Party

Imagine letting employees assume they’re attending a regular holiday party. Then, when everyone is seated enjoying dinner, bam! The lights go out! When they come back on, one of the executives is “dead” and it’s up to the employees to solve the mystery!

15. Arts and Crafts Activity

Do a Bob Ross paint-along, go to a pottery class, make fancy chocolates, host a DIY wreath-making party, or find other local creative activities. These types of parties can help refresh employees’ minds and keep their creative juices flowing.

16. Talent Show

It’s always fun to learn more about your coworkers. Dave from Accounting doesn’t just crunch numbers—he also shreds the guitar! Susan in Marketing isn’t just an events whizz—she also does magic tricks! This is a great activity to let employees relax and share their passions.

17. Game Night

Host a casino corner, a board game room, or a video game competition. Better yet, do all three so that everyone has games they can enjoy!

18. 12 Days of (Blank)

Whether counting down the seconds to midnight on New Year’s Eve or counting the days to Christmas, everyone loves the excitement of counting down to something. Create your own countdown to an event or party with games, treats, or other gifts each day.

19. Holiday Card Creation

Let employees create their own holiday cards with art supplies the company supplies. They can be for other coworkers, family members, or friends—each employee can make as many as they want to spread more of the holiday joy.

20. Wrapping Relay Race for Charity

Donate wrapped boxes to charity, but don’t stop there. Make it more fun by splitting employees into teams, giving them a number of boxes, wrapping paper, and tape, and then seeing who can wrap them all the fastest (and neatest)!

Plan the Best Office Holiday Party Ever

Holiday parties are some of the best ways to build culture, boost engagement, and increase happiness for employees. Plan something fun and creative this year instead of settling for the usual turkey dinner. Many of these ideas can be used for virtual holiday parties, too (for more virtual office holiday party ideas, read this).