The holiday season is here! That festive time of year when we look forward to taking a much-deserved break from the day-to-day to kick back and celebrate our hard work with the team.

But if you’re tired of the same old ugly sweater party, you’re in the right place. We reached out to our community of employers and HR experts for out-of-the-box ideas to help you plan a holiday party that’s as fun and unique as your team. ❄️

Not just karaoke and escape rooms: 11 new and improved office party ideas

Whether you’re bored with the same old Secret Santa or just can’t bear the thought of being trapped in an escape room with Bob from accounting again, there are plenty of good reasons to want to level up your office holiday party.

Because it’s not just about the party. The work you do to establish a strong holiday spirit will help build the kind of culture that will help you attract and hire awesome talent long into the future.

1. Trade in the tired gift exchange for a charity auction

What beats a white elephant gift exchange? According to entrepreneurs like Alari Aho, CEO and Founder at time-tracking app Toggl Inc, a team-led charity auction is the perfect way to highlight the unique talents of every individual on the team.

“We once hosted a "Charity Auction" where employees donated unique talents or experiences—like a photography lesson, homemade desserts, or even a yoga session—and the proceeds went to a charity chosen by the team,” says Alari.

By letting the team donate prizes that reflect their personal passions and skills, the team at Toggl got to celebrate each other while coming together for a common cause.

“It's an inclusive and heartwarming way to give back during the holiday season, while also creating space for team bonding and light-hearted competition. It's fun to see what hidden talents people bring to the table and how creative everyone gets with their contributions. Plus, knowing it's for a good cause makes everyone feel good, even if you're not the one winning the auction,” Alari explains.

2. Host a Cultural Celebration Day

“I have seen my companies and my clients do things such as a Cultural Celebration Day,” explains Ellen Slane, VP HR Operations at Employers Advantage LLC.

By dedicating a whole day to the celebrations, you can offer a wide range of team activities. Here are just a few ideas to get you started:

• Holiday DIY craft area: Ellen did this one while at a former employer during their holiday luncheon. The employees and invited family members (great for the kids) were able to create holiday crafts like ornaments, cards, or wreaths. “It is fun to include craft supplies related to various winter celebrations like Hanukkah, Christmas, or Kwanzaa to make it welcoming to all backgrounds,” Ellen explains.
• Giant potluck: Invite employees to bring a special meal or dessert/treat from their own cultural or family holiday traditions for a big potluck. “It encourages employees to share about their heritage and others can learn personal stories about one another they may not otherwise share,” says Ellen.
• Cookie or gingerbread house decorating contest: Everyone loves a good baking competition! break employees into teams and provide them with a cookie decorating kit that includes themes that go beyond Christmas to include other holidays.

“It's always fun to have prizes for categories too to up the stakes, so to speak and provide another great opportunity for each other to share,” Ellen explains. “I think these ideas can create a great space for people to come together and engage regardless of background, while keeping a fun and festive atmosphere for all.”

3. Spread holiday cheer with a swap party

If you ask Dr. Maria Knobel, the Medical Director of health certification platform Medical Cert UK, she’ll tell you that one of the team’s most popular holiday traditions is a Swap Party. “This was actually suggested by one of our nurses,” says Maria. “At first, some of the team were a little unsure about the idea, but once we tried it, it quickly became a favorite, and now we do it every year.”

Here’s how she explains it:

“The concept is simple: instead of buying new holiday gifts, everyone brings something from home that they no longer need or use. It could be anything—a book, kitchen gadget, or even a quirky piece of decor—and we all exchange these items.”

What’s great about the Swap Party is that it’s different from the usual gift exchange. 

“There’s always an element of surprise, and the items that show up can be unexpected. One year, someone brought a vintage teapot, which sparked a lot of interest, and another time, a nurse brought in a set of unused cookbooks. It’s always fun to see who ends up with what, and it brings out a lot of laughter and conversation,” says Maria. 

She’s seen firsthand how it’s often the simplest gift ideas that bring the most connection.

“People enjoy sharing stories about why they’re passing along certain items, and it ends up being more personal than just buying a random gift.”

4. Put a new spin on the classic holiday-themed party

Not everyone loves a holiday happy hour. For Clare Jones, Outreach Manager, and the team at neon-sign design company Custom Neon, it’s all about activities that celebrate and nurture everyone on the team.

“I believe our company has it right when it comes to office parties,” says Clare. Her approach is all about carefully curated activities that support creativity and well-being.

“We steer away from the usual ugly jumpers, secret Santas and boozy nights and instead, we have activities such as creating your own LED neon sign, sound baths and yoga followed by dinner, paint and sip, or helping the homeless food drives. Not everyone in the team drinks, we have different cultures, so not everyone celebrates Christmas so we have activities that celebrate us,” Clare explains.

The team at Custom Neon leans into activities that feel supportive and nurturing on multiple levels. “Sound baths and yoga are incredible for the mind, and giving back to our community is awesome for the soul,” says Clare.

To wrap up a fun day of party games and activities, Clare and the team have a dinner or lunch where they celebrate the team’s achievements for the year and get excited about future goals. For her, the magic is in combining reward and celebration. ✨

“We're all in such a positive headspace that ideas and enthusiasm flows.”

5. Build a gingerbread house together remotely

At digital marketing and design agency Online Optimism, team activities don’t just happen once per year. They make connection a reality through daily, monthly, and annual activities – and they’re not afraid to deviate from the traditional if it means providing a better experience for their remote staff.

“This year, we held our annual company retreat in October instead of December, making it easier for our employees to balance work and family during the holiday season,” explains Sara Bandurian, Operations Supervisor for Online Optimism.

To keep the festive spirit alive, Sara and the team transformed their traditional Secret Santa into a fun Spooky Santa gift exchange, complete with a Halloween-themed tree and plenty of Monster Mash tunes.

“We kicked off the retreat by volunteering as a team, grounding ourselves in community and giving back. Afterward, we headed to a local escape room for some playful, team-building fun—perfect for our curious, challenge-loving crew,” says Sara.

With offices in New Orleans and employees located across the country, she and the team are always looking for ways to accommodate their distributed workforce while maintaining a strong feeling of togetherness.

“Although we shifted the timing of our retreat this year, we’re still keeping December special by sending gingerbread house kits to team members across the country for a remote happy hour event.” 

Nothing says you care like literally meeting employees where they are with convenient holiday activities that work for their schedules.

“Sharing this creative activity over Slack helps keep us connected and makes the holiday season feel festive, even from afar. Whether in-person or remote, we always look for new ways to bring our team together and celebrate.”

6. Host a digital holiday cards showcase

Dominic Monn is the Founder of MentorCruise, a mentorship platform that connects IT professionals with over 2,500 mentors in tech, design, and career development. Last year, Dominic and the team hosted a Digital Greeting Card Showcase for their annual holiday party – here’s how it went:

“Each team member used Canva to design a holiday greeting card reflecting their native culture and language. One colleague from Ireland created a card featuring the iconic colors of the Irish flag—green, white, and orange. They incorporated traditional Celtic patterns and imagery, like shamrocks and harps, symbolizing Irish heritage. Another colleague from Thailand designed a card that featured elements like lotus flowers and elephants, which hold cultural significance.”

Even for team members without any design experience, a visual and user-friendly platform like Canva makes it easy for everyone to get involved.

“Overall, it was a fun activity that got everyone’s creativity rolling and opened up conversations about our diverse backgrounds. It was a great way to build cultural awareness within the team!”

7. Host a virtual happy hour (with gifts! 🎁)

For Deanna Baumgardner, who runs the remote-first team powering HR consulting company Employers Advantage, celebrating together is important.

One of her favorite ways to do that? Send each team member a gift and host a virtual team happy hour for a live unwrapping party. Here’s how she explains it:

“Each person opened their gift during the team happy hour and then we played a game in which each person ahead of time gave me 2-3 fun facts about themselves that nobody on the team would know and then as I went through each fun fact, the team had to try and figure out who the person was that the fun fact belonged to,” says Deanna.

Everyone loves gifts and getting the opportunity to learn more about each other in a relaxed remote setting makes it even better.

8. Organize a holiday scavenger hunt

Cecilia Gorman is a Management Training Consultant at online training company Manager Boot Camp. She’s also a big fan of thinking outside the box when it comes to the traditional team scavenger hunt.

“The list of things to find varies from simple items like something red to slightly more challenging things like an employee name tag,” says Cecilia. The list she gives teams is split into two sections: 1.) things you photo-document and 2.) things you video-document. 

Here’s how it works:

"For example, the entire team singing Sweet Caroline, one team member doing a cartwheel, or two team members creating a secret handshake. The checklist can be catered to the venue (hotel, restaurant, office, or other off-site location). It stretches people out of their comfort zone and is a fun way to get people who don't normally interact to work together.”

She recommends setting a 45-minute to 1-hour time limit, with prizes for the finishers and winners. 🏆

9. Skip the holiday trivia for a full-fledged game show night

The team at Metal Marker Manufacturing are experts in crafting high-quality custom metal tags. 

“Every year, we put a lot of thought into coming up with fresh and exciting holiday party ideas for our staff. We always pick a different theme to keep things fresh and ensure everyone feels included,” says President David Primrose.

One of their favorites is a simplified Holiday Game Show. Here’s how it works:

“We use our office projector to display questions and keep score, with our HR manager hosting. Teams compete in holiday-themed challenges, creating an exciting atmosphere that gets everyone involved.”

But the fun doesn’t stop there. David’s Christmas Minute to Win It game was also a big hit, with different stations set up around the office – each with a festive challenge that must be completed in 60 seconds, like stacking candy canes or wrapping small gifts while wearing oven mitts.

“These events have helped us move beyond typical office parties, creating enjoyable experiences that appeal to all employees, regardless of their background or holiday traditions,” says David.

10. Try a Secret Snowflake (instead of a Secret Santa gift exchange)

Spencer Romenco is the Chief Growth Strategist at video marketing platform Growth Spurt – and he’s had it with the same old Secret Santas. 

“We used to do the usual Secret Santa for our holiday parties, but after a few years, it started to feel a little stale,” says Spencer. “So, we decided to switch things up and try something different that still had the same fun spirit but with a twist. That’s when we introduced Secret Snowflake.”

The idea behind Secret Snowflake is similar to Secret Santa, but instead of a single gift, you give small, anonymous gifts throughout the week leading up to the party. Every day, you leave little surprises for the person you’re matched with like a snack, or a funny note – something small but thoughtful. 

“The fun part is that it builds anticipation all week as people try to figure out who’s been leaving them these little gifts. It makes things more interesting and mysterious, which keeps everyone talking,” says Spencer.

For him, the thing that makes this work is that it isn’t just about a big reveal at the end. 

“The ongoing nature of it created more connections between people, especially those who might not interact much day-to-day. Plus, the variety of gifts allowed for more creativity and personalization without the pressure of finding the perfect ‘big’ gift,” Spencer explains. “It also felt more inclusive because people could give smaller, thoughtful items that didn’t have to be tied to any specific holiday tradition.”

11. Set up a giving tree and raffle

Tammy Cohen is the Founder & Chief Visionary Officer at employee background check platform InfoMart. She’s also big on fun, generosity, and a little friendly competition.

“One of the highlights is our Giving Tree, where employees post the needs of local families in late November, including gift suggestions based on age, and employees “adopt” those families for gift donations,” says Tammy.

The celebration starts on December 1st with a daily raffle for prizes like home goods and electronics. Each employee gets two chances per day to win. But the grand event is the team’s much-anticipated Ugly-Sweater, Cookie-Exchange, and Gift Raffle. 

“Employees come dressed in their most festive ugly sweaters and bring a sweet treat to share. Everyone is given a string of raffle tickets. They walk the line of possible prizes, which range from $50 gift certificates to big-ticket items like a television, and drop their tickets where they hope to win,” says Tammy.

The fun twist? If an employee is lucky enough to win two prizes, they have to choose between them. At the end of the raffle, they circle back and raffle off the returned prizes. Tammy typically budgets around $10,000 for the event to make sure it's a memorable and festive experience for everyone involved. “However, companies with smaller budgets could certainly replicate it with simpler prizes and still have a jolly time!” 

Tips for planning your office holiday party

Now that you’re brimming with new ideas, let’s set some simple ground rules to make sure everyone feels included at your next office holiday party:

• Spread out celebrations throughout the year. As you may already know, December isn’t the only time of the year when religious or cultural celebrations happen. Make an effort throughout the year to acknowledge other holidays so employees from other backgrounds don’t feel excluded.
• ‍Holiday party attendance should NOT be mandatory. And that goes for both your virtual holiday parties and in-person events. Employees may have different reasons for not being able to attend an event, especially if it’s outside working hours. If an employee can’t attend, grant them the choice without fear of being labeled as “not a team player”.
• ‍Choose activities that interest everyone. Make sure the party games you choose don’t only appeal to a single cultural or religious subset of your team. With a little creativity, you can choose activities everyone can feel comfortable participating in.
• ‍Choose a neutral date for the party. As most employees will be busy or off work on the actual day of the holiday, make sure to choose a date that leaves plenty of time for rest and time off.
• ‍Create a suggestion box. Kick off your party planning by asking employees what they’d like to see or do during the celebration – this party is for them after all. A quick anonymous survey can reveal favorite activities, food, and other themes to help your HR team make sure the celebration checks all the right boxes.
• ‍Share the joy. Why not sprinkle some extra cheer into your holiday party by encouraging everyone to bring a donation for a local charity? Or even better, organize some fun group volunteering to spread goodwill during the festive season and strengthen team spirit. It’s a win-win!
• ‍Check in after the party. Once the festivities wind down, consider sending a thank-you message or survey to employees. Asking for feedback is a great way to find out what hit the mark and what could use a little sprucing up next time.

Take your team-building activities up a notch

From wine tastings to workplace winter wonderlands and beyond, there’s no limit to the ways you can uplevel your holiday office party.

No matter which party themes and activities you go with, the best ideas lead to the kind of culture that embraces teamwork, generosity, and the importance of taking a little time to celebrate our shared wins. 🌟

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