25 Office Christmas Party Ideas People Actually Enjoy

By Cedar & Ledger

A good office Christmas party is short, optional-feeling and easy for quiet people to join. These 25 ideas work for a conference room, a restaurant back room or a video call, and most cost little or nothing. Pick one food idea, one or two games and one small closing moment, and you have a 60 to 90 minute party.

Low-effort party formats

1. Holiday potluck lunch. Put up a sign-up sheet by category (mains, sides, desserts, drinks) so you don't end up with nine bags of chips.
2. Hot cocoa or coffee bar. One urn, a tray of toppings and a sign. Great for a mid-afternoon break instead of a full party.
3. Breakfast party. Bagels and fruit at 9 AM are cheaper than dinner and nobody has to stay late.
4. Cookie swap. Everyone brings one dozen and leaves with a mixed dozen. Ask people to label nuts and allergens.
5. Ugly sweater day. No party budget needed; give a paper ribbon for the funniest one.
6. Lunch out on the company. Book a long table at noon on a weekday; it is often cheaper than an evening event.
7. Volunteer hour. Pack donation boxes or write cards for a local shelter together.
8. Virtual party. Keep it to 45 minutes with cameras optional and one game everyone can play from their desk.

Games that work with coworkers

Choose games where nobody has to perform alone unless they want to, and where teams can mix departments.

1. Holiday trivia by teams. 4 rounds of 5 questions, tables as teams, a scoreboard on the whiteboard.
2. Left right gift pass. Read a short story aloud; everyone passes a wrapped gift each time they hear "left" or "right." Whoever holds a gift at the end keeps it. Our left right story guide has a free one you can read.
3. Emoji carol quiz. Show carol titles as emoji and have teams write the answers. Try the free emoji quiz with answers.
4. Categories race. Call a letter and a category ("C, something on a tree") and teams race to write the most answers in 60 seconds.
5. Christmas charades. Teams act out holiday words; see Christmas charades ideas.
6. Draw it relay. One person per team draws a word on a whiteboard; teammates guess. Our drawing game word list has 75 words.
7. Two truths and a holiday lie. Each person shares three holiday facts about themselves; others guess the fake.
8. Name that carol. Hum the first line of a classic carol; first team to name it scores.
9. Would you rather. Light, quick and works on a call. See Christmas would you rather questions.
10. Desk decorating contest. Judge at the party; the winner picks the next playlist.

Gift exchange ideas

1. Secret Santa with a clear limit. $15 to $25 is the usual range. Ideas: secret Santa gifts under $20.
2. White elephant. Steal rules keep it lively; see white elephant rules and gift ideas under $25.
3. Book or snack swap. Lower pressure than gifts; everyone brings one favorite.
4. No-gift option. Pool the money for a charity donation and announce the total at the party.

Closing moments

1. Shout-outs jar. People drop in short thank-you notes all week; read a few at the end.
2. Year-in-photos slideshow. Five minutes of team photos makes a warm ending.
3. Small raffle. A gift card or extra half day off, drawn by ticket.

A simple 75-minute plan

• 0:00 Food and drinks, music on.
• 0:20 Game 1 by tables (trivia or emoji quiz, 15 minutes).
• 0:35 Gift exchange (20 minutes).
• 0:55 Game 2, fast and loud (left right pass or charades, 10 minutes).
• 1:05 Shout-outs and raffle, then done on time.

Tips that keep it inclusive

• Hold it during work hours if you can, so caregivers can come.
• Offer non-alcoholic drinks that are as nice as the alcoholic ones.
• Make games team-based and keep each one under 15 minutes.
• Say "holiday party" in the invite if your team celebrates different holidays.

Printable games so you don't have to prep

If you'd rather not write questions and score sheets yourself, Christmas Party Games for Adults & Office Parties is a ready-to-print set built for coworkers. For a bigger mix that covers kids and adults, the Christmas Party Games Mega Pack bundles 5 printable games in one download.

Related template: the christmas party games adults template. Also see: Ugly Christmas Sweater Party Kit · Christmas Party Games Mega Pack · Left Right Gift Games

See all Cedar & Ledger templates

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