Celebrating the holidays at work helps boost morale, strengthen team connections, and create a more inclusive, human-centered workplace. This blog shares eight festive and flexible ideas—such as Secret Santa, desk decorating contests, ugly sweater days, potlucks, movie marathons, scavenger hunts, sharing family traditions, and a New Year countdown—that work for both in-office and remote teams. By encouraging participation, recognition, and personal connection, holiday celebrations can reduce end-of-year stress and leave employees feeling valued, engaged, and connected beyond the season.
It's that magical time of the year when the air is crisp, and the office is buzzing with excitement. Your employees are gearing up to celebrate this season and we’re here to help you spread holiday cheer and create a winter work wonderland where everyone feels connected. No matter what your employees may celebrate, finding ways to come together as a team will make this Christmas season one to remember. Get ready to deck the halls and boost team spirit with these eight creative and festive ways to celebrate winter holidays of all kinds at the office.
Kick off Christmas with a Secret Santa gift exchange! Set a budget, draw names, and let the gift-giving magic begin. Encourage employees to get to know each other beyond the normal day-to-day work monotony and, if needed, even survey your team members to find out what their favorite things are. This is a great way to help employees break down barriers and create relationships across different teams!
Motivosity User Tip: Use pulse surveys in our Employee Insights add-on to create and send an employee preference survey. You can find that template here!
Transform the office into a festive spectacle with a desk decorating contest. Challenge teams to deck their desks with tinsel, lights, and holiday cheer. Judges can rate each workspace on creativity, enthusiasm, and overall holiday spirit. The winning team earns bragging rights and a trophy for the most festive workspace.
For remote teams, encourage employees to find the best, most festive Zoom background. Make meetings more entertaining and spread holiday cheer to every member of the team, no matter where they may be.
Motivosity User Tip: Use Highlights and Awards to post nominations, have employees vote for their favorites, and give out awards for the winner(s) of your annual desk decorating showdown.
Embrace the tacky and outrageous with an ugly sweater day. Encourage employees to don their most festive and eye-catching sweaters, from cute and cozy to horrendously tacky. We love holiday sweaters in all shapes and sizes.
Host a parade or fashion show, complete with awards for categories like 'Most Outrageous' and 'Tackiest Turtleneck.' It's a lighthearted way to celebrate the season and showcase everyone's unique style, while also giving the team an opportunity to laugh together and create relationships away from their desks.
Motivosity User Tip: For the month of December, have your employees change their profile photos to include their ugly sweaters, festive headbands, and fun backgrounds. It’s sure to bring a festive feel to Motivosity!
Celebrate the season with a potluck feast. Encourage employees to bring in their favorite holiday dishes to share, especially if their recipes are steeped in tradition. From classic roasts to Christmas cookies and holiday baklava, it's a delicious way to savor the flavors of the season together. Don't forget to include a hot cocoa station for an extra touch of warmth.
Not only does food bring people together, but sharing traditions and cultural treats can help create bridges between employees and create a foundation for friendship. Embracing the different backgrounds of all your employees takes the next step in humanizing your workplace.
Motivosity User Tip: Share recipes using highlights in Motivosity and encourage employees to try at least one recipe this holiday season and share a photo of their finished product with their peers on the home feed.
Host a festive movie marathon day where employees can enjoy classic holiday films together. Set up a cozy movie corner complete with snacks and comfy chairs. Take a vote on which movies to feature, and let the laughter and cheer fill the office.
It’s fantastic way to encourage work-life balance and unwind as a team. The holiday season and end of the year can be a stressful time for some of your team members. Giving them an outlet at work to relax and focus on something other than deadlines, finances, or whatever else may be bothering them shows that you care about your people as humans, not just cogs in the work wheel.
Motivosity User Tip: Use surveys in Motivosity using our Employee Insights add-on to let your team members vote on the movies you feature in the office.
Turn the office into a winter workplace wonderland with an interactive scavenger hunt. Hide snowflakes around the workspace, each leading to the next clue. The final destination? A treasure trove of holiday treats for the whole team to enjoy. It's a fun and festive way to encourage teamwork and exploration.
Plus, if you make the scavenger hunt and clues focused around getting to know different employees around the office, it becomes a fun game of get-to-know-you and, who knows, you might even see employees become friends along the way.
Motivosity User Tip: For remote teams, set up a scavenger hunt in Motivosity! Have your employees scour their peers’ personality profiles, the home feed, and the org chart to find clues and then send out an award for the team members that complete the hunt!
The Christmas season is the perfect time to reminisce about positive memories, important traditions, and what makes these winter months special to you. Encourage your employees to share their favorite memories, traditions, and celebrations with the team.
When your employees connect beyond office small talk and day-to-day work, you’re more likely to see deeper friendships and relationships that go beyond their desks. If you want a more connected, synchronized workforce, encourage your employees to be more human at work!
Motivosity User Tip: Have your employees use the ‘My History’ section on their personal profiles to add their favorite memory or tradition. Not only will you be able to learn more about your employees on their profile, but those new additions will show up on the social feed for their peers to read!
Wrap up the winter celebrations with a countdown to the new year. (Except not actually on New Year’s Eve! That time should be reserved for your employees to spend with family, friends, and loved ones!) Deck out the office with glittering decorations and festive lights. Host a countdown with last year’s ball drop, complete with a toast and cheers to new beginnings. It's a fantastic way to usher in the new year with positivity and enthusiasm.
Motivosity User Tip: Encourage your employees to share their New Year’s resolutions with the team with a highlight in Motivosity. If you really want to support your team in the new year, you can have them set their resolution as a personal goal in Motivosity with the goal tracking feature in our Manager Development add-on!
There you have it! Eight delightful ways to turn your office into a winter wonderland this holiday season.
At Motivosity, we believe in the power of connection and recognition to boost morale and strengthen team bonds. So, take advantage of the opportunities this holiday season brings and get your employees together to create festive memories that will be a highlight of their careers. Cheers to creating lasting memories and a workplace filled with happiness that extends beyond the holidays.
Merry Christmas, happy Hanukkah, have a blessed Kwanzaa, or whatever else you may celebrate—we hope you have a wonderful holiday filled with love, light, and joy.
