20 Fun and Festive Office Christmas Party Ideas

This fun post by Nadia at Hello Sensible runs through some great ideas for your office Christmas party. We’ve been given permission to republish the post here.

Christmas will be here before you know it, so it’s time to start thinking about your office Christmas party. Not sure where to start? We’ve got you covered!

If you love throwing office parties during the holiday season, here are some fun and festive ideas.

1. Have an Ugly Sweater Contest

Who doesn’t love wearing ugly sweaters when the temperatures drop? Encourage your employees to get into the holiday spirit by having an ugly sweater contest. The person with the ugliest sweater will win a prize.

You could even make a team competition by seeing which department can make the most creative ugly sweaters. You can also give bonus points to anyone who creates their ugly sweater.

2. Set up a Hot Chocolate Bar

What’s more festive than hot chocolate? Set up a hot chocolate bar with all the fixings, and let your employees customize their cups of cocoa.

You can include toppings like marshmallows, whipped cream, chocolate chips, and peppermint sticks. For an extra special touch, you can even make your hot chocolate from scratch.

3. Have a Gingerbread House Decorating Contest

Gingerbread houses are a classic Christmas tradition. Set up a gingerbread house decorating contest and see who can create the most creative design.

You can provide all the supplies or even have a gingerbread house-making party a few days before the contest. It’ll be a great way to get everyone in the office into the holiday spirit.

4. Play Holiday-Themed Games

There are plenty of fun holiday-themed games that you can play at your office Christmas party. A few ideas include Christmas charades, a gift-wrapping relay race, and holiday trivia.

You can even have a white elephant gift exchange or Secret Santa. It’s a great way to add festive fun to your party while getting everyone involved.

5. Play Christmas Bingo With Special Prizes

Christmas bingo is always a hit! You can easily make your bingo cards or purchase them online. Make sure to give out special prizes for the winners.

Bingo is a simple but fun game that everyone can enjoy. It’s the perfect way to add some competition to your office Christmas party.

You can also hire a professional bingo caller to make things fun. You can easily find them at local church bingo functions; they’re usually inexpensive.

6. Hire a Comedian To Host the Party

Hiring a comedian is a great way to add laughter to your office Christmas party. They can help break the ice and get everyone involved.

Just make sure to hire a comedian that is appropriate for your office. You don’t want to offend anyone with offensive jokes. Sometimes, hiring a clean comedian specializing in corporate events is best.

7. Host a Virtual Party Online

Many still work from home, so why not host a virtual office Christmas party? It’s a great way to include everyone, even if they can’t physically be there.

There are many different ways to host a virtual party. For example, you can use Zoom, Skype, or Facebook Live. Just make sure to get everyone’s permission before you start streaming.

8. Buy and Wrap Toys To Donate To Underprivileged Children

Have you ever thought about turning your Christmas party into something that will spread goodwill and cheer? This year, do just that by collecting toys such as stuffed animals or puzzles for kids to donate to underprivileged children in your area.

The holiday spirit is all about giving, so this is a great way to get everyone involved. You can have a toy drive leading up to the party, or you can have everyone bring a wrapped toy to the party.

A wonderful idea to teach your employees the true meaning of Christmas. It’s also a great way to give back to the community.

9. Have a Masquerade Party

Who doesn’t love dressing up for a party? This year, add a masquerade element to your office Christmas party. Everyone can dress up in their best holiday-themed costume.

You can even have a contest for the best costume. Everyone will have a blast dressing up, and you’ll get some great photos for the office Christmas party album.

10. Have a Tree Decorating Competition

A fun way to do this is by buying little artificial Christmas trees that everyone can decorate and take home with them. You can have a contest for the best-decorated tree and give out prizes.

Something magical happens when people come together to decorate a Christmas tree. Everyone will have a blast decorating their tree, and you’ll end up with some beautiful trees for the office.

11. Have a Gift Exchange

You’ll want to limit how much people can spend on gifts. This way, no one feels left out or like they have to spend a lot of money. A good rule of thumb is to set the limit at $20.

You can have people pull out names from a hat or bring wrapped gifts suitable for women or men. Then, everyone can take turns opening their presents.

The whole point is to have fun with your co-workers and this can be done with inexpensive gifts. No one is going to be too worried about getting the best gift.

12. Rent a Bar for the Evening

If you want to go all out, you can rent a bar for the evening. It’ll make a unique office Christmas party. You can even hire bartenders to make sure everyone is taken care of.

Just make sure to book the bar in advance so you don’t have to worry about it at the last minute. If the people in your office enjoy drinking, this is the way to go.

13. Take a Field Trip To See the Christmas Lights

Here’s a great way to get everyone out of the office and into the Christmas spirit. You can pile everyone into a few cars and go for a drive to look at all the Christmas lights.

You can even make a game out of it by seeing who can find the best-decorated house. Christmas lights can make everyone feel happy and festive.

14. Throw an International-themed Christmas Party

You can educate people while having a great time by throwing an international-themed Christmas party. You can have different stations set up with food from other countries.

People will enjoy seeing how others from around the world celebrate Christmas. You can even have a few people dress up in traditional clothing from different countries.

15. Surprise Everyone by Inviting Santa With Plenty of Gifts

You don’t have to be a kid to enjoy seeing Santa. Everyone will love getting a visit from Santa at the office Christmas party.

Make sure that Santa has plenty of Christmas gifts for everyone. You can even have a few elves help Santa hand out. Take this theme further by decorating the whole office like the North Pole.

16. Have a Snowball Fight Inside

Yes, you read that right. You can have a snowball fight inside the office. It’s a great way to let off steam and have fun.

You’ll want to use white paper balls for the snowball fight. This way, no one gets hurt, and there’s no mess to clean up afterward.

Also, it’s best to ensure no one takes this too seriously. Things could get out of hand if someone has too much to drink and gets too competitive.

17. Play Holiday Trivia

See how much everyone in the office knows about Christmas with a holiday trivia game. You can have people work in teams or go head-to-head.

The trivia questions can be about anything Christmas-related. You can even make up your questions if you can’t find any good ones online.

18. Hire a Professional Chef To Come In and Cook

Talk about a great way to add some class to the office Christmas party. You can hire a professional chef to come in and cook a few festive dishes.

It’ll surely impress everyone in the office. Just make sure to let the chef know in advance how many people will be attending the party.

19. Play a Christmas-themed Game of Charades

Who doesn’t love a good game of charades? This classic party game can be made even better by making it Christmas-themed.

Christmas movies, songs, and books make great charades ideas. Charades are one of those games that, no matter how many times you play it, it’s always fun.

20. Set up a Christmas Card Station

You could send these cards to people in the military, nursing homes, or anyone needing a little holiday cheer. It’s a great way to spread Christmas cheer and involve everyone in the office.

Everyone will feel like they’re doing something good by making these cards. Plus, it’s a lot of fun to be creative and make your own Christmas card designs.

Final Thoughts

These office Christmas party ideas will surely get everyone in the holiday spirit. Everyone will indeed have a great time no matter what party you throw.

Just remember to have fun and be safe. And don’t forget to take plenty of pictures to document the event. After all, everyone will be talking about the office Christmas party for years to come.