The holiday sparkle is in the air, and while your team’s minds might be drifting toward festive parties and gift lists, this is actually the perfect time to plan activities that boost employee engagement.
After all, highly engaged employees are 18% more productive and can even boost profitability by 23%.
To help you create a positive and engaging atmosphere in your workplace during the festive season, we’ve put together some helpful hints and tips that will keep the team spirit high well into the new year.
Why Does Holiday Employee Engagement Matter?
The holiday season hits differently. People are naturally in a more social and festive mood, making them more receptive to bonding and celebrations.
While team activities can feel forced during other times, the holiday spirit tends to spark genuine enthusiasm and participation.
The business impact is clear:
- Engaged teams show up to 78% lower absenteeism and 23% higher profitability.
- Holiday engagement helps build the kind of connected culture that reduces turnover – by as much as 21% in high-turnover industries.
- Thoughtful recognition during this time reinforces company culture and values in a natural, festive context.
- Remote and hybrid teams particularly benefit from inclusive holiday programs that strengthen virtual connections.
Besides, the holiday season is one of the few times when professional and personal lives naturally overlap positively.
It gives leaders the opportunity to demonstrate they value employees as whole people, not just workers. Whether through flexible schedules to accommodate family traditions, thoughtful gifts that help with holiday expenses, or celebrations that meaningfully include all team members, the season allows for authentic appreciation.
But it has to be genuine – superficial holiday programs or generic mass emails can actually damage engagement. The key is meaningful recognition and activities that bring people together while respecting diverse traditions and personal boundaries. That said, let’s look at some good and fun festive activities.
Fun and Festive Activities
Now that we understand why holiday engagement matters, let’s explore eight creative activities that can energize your team while fostering genuine connections. Each activity is designed to be inclusive, adaptable for both in-person and remote teams, and, most importantly, fun!
1. Festive Fact Fusion Game
Break the ice and spark curiosity with a game that turns personal stories into team-building magic. Employees become storytellers, sharing memorable life moments that surprise and connect.
How to play?
- Each participant prepares a 30-second story about their most unexpected life achievement.
- Everyone shares their stories in a rapid-fire round.
- The team votes on the most surprising or inspiring narrative.
- The winner gets bragging rights and a small recognition.
Did You Know? Neuroscience suggests that sharing personal stories releases oxytocin, the “connection hormone,” which dramatically improves team bonding and collaborative potential.
2. Holiday Emoji Story Challenge
Add a dash of creativity and laughter to office communication by challenging employees to convey common scenarios or phrases using only emojis. This will get everyone thinking outside the box and spark fun interactions.
How to play?
- Create a list of office-related scenarios or popular phrases.
- Teams describe these scenarios using only emojis (e.g., the boss is coming, the team finished a project, etc.).
- Everyone else tries to guess what the emojis represent.
- The team with the most accurate or funniest emoji descriptions wins.
3. Create a Holiday Gratitude Tree
The Holiday Gratitude Tree is a collaborative and festive way to show employees that they are valued as individuals, not just as employees. It allows everyone to share gratitude, recognize each other’s contributions, and celebrate the holiday spirit together.
How Does It Work?
- Create a large decorative tree in a central office area or virtual representation for remote teams.
- Decorate the tree with lights and provide colorful tags shaped like ornaments, stars, or snowflakes.
- Encourage employees to stick notes (anonymous or signed) on the tree to express gratitude for their colleagues or highlight what they appreciate about their workplace.
- Managers and team leads can write personalized tags recognizing employees’ unique contributions or strengths.
- Set up a nearby board for employees to share holiday wishes or resolutions.
- Include a holiday-themed photo booth for added fun and memorable moments.
4. Tech & Treasures: A Nostalgic Bidding War
Remember when Snake was your biggest phone addiction? Or when floppy disks made actual floppy noises? Between deadlines and meetings, we rarely think about the gadgets that filled our teenage rooms. This auction lets millennials dust off their old tech while Gen Z discovers why their parents keep saying “hang up the phone” when ending calls.
How does it work?
- Each participant brings their most outdated tech device or office item.
- Put items on display with witty descriptions (“This calculator outlived three of my relationships”).
- Everyone gets virtual “nostalgia points” for bidding.
- Run an auction where people try to outbid each other.
5. Appreciation Station
Encourage thoughtfulness and personal connections by having employees create meaningful gifts for each other. This fun twist on gift-giving lets everyone reflect on their relationships and share something personal and creative.
How to play?
- Employees prepare small, creative gifts or gestures (e.g., handwritten notes, office crafts, or shared experiences).
- Instead of random allocations, participants choose who to give their gift to based on their relationship or the message they want to share.
- After exchanging gifts, the recipient of each gift will try to guess who gave it.
6. Human Algorithm: The Office ChatGPT
As real chatbots take over the workplace, this game flips the script by turning humans into hilariously glitchy chatbots. With a deck of random phrases spanning from corporate buzzwords to social media slang, watch as your “human AI” struggles to have coherent conversations using only their limited vocabulary.
How does it work?
- Create three sets of cards: corporate buzzwords, social media speak, and random daily phrases.
- Pick one person to be the “ChatBot.”
- They draw 7 cards – these are the only phrases they can use to answer.
- Teams take turns asking the ChatBot work-related questions.
- ChatBot must construct responses using ONLY words/phrases from their cards.
- Teams get points when they successfully decode the ChatBot’s bizarre answers.
- Switch ChatBot every few rounds to give everyone a chance.
7. Mystery Lunch Group
Make lunch breaks more social and fun by organizing mystery lunch groups. It gives employees a chance to meet new colleagues and bond over a meal.
How to play?
- Employees sign up anonymously, specifying any dietary preferences or restrictions (optional).
- HR randomly pairs up participants into small lunch groups, ensuring a mix of teams and departments.
- Employees won’t know who they’ll be lunching with until they meet at the designated spot.
- The goal is to share something personal, talk about roles, or enjoy a casual conversation over lunch.
Breaking bread together creates natural opportunities for conversation and bonding. 70% of employees say that shared meals help build stronger connections.
8. Two Truths and a Lie Holiday Edition
This holiday-themed spin on the classic game brings out fun, unexpected facts about colleagues and sparks laughter with festive surprises.
How to play?
- Each participant prepares three holiday-related statements about themselves: two that are true and one that is a lie. Examples could include:
- I once spent Christmas in the snow
- I’ve never had a holiday dinner without turkey
- I can sing every Christmas carol by heart.
- Statements are shared, and everyone guesses which one is the lie.
- After the guesses are made, the truth is revealed, and the next participant takes their turn.
- The person who guesses the most correct answers wins bragging rights or a fun prize.
Wrapping Up
The holiday season offers the perfect chance to strengthen team bonds and build genuine connections. Whether you choose to create a gratitude tree, run a tech auction, or organize mystery lunch groups, the best results come from authentic activities that respect your team’s diverse preferences.
A comprehensive HR platform like Keka plays a crucial role during this time by helping manage holiday time-off requests fairly while maintaining clear communication across teams. Moreover, with Keka’s rewards and recognition features, you can amplify these engagement activities by celebrating team successes and milestones with social shout-outs.
FAQs
1. How can we maintain productivity while still celebrating the holiday season?
Schedule activities during natural breaks like lunch hours or end-of-day periods. Mix quick, engaging activities with longer team events to maintain workflow. When planned thoughtfully, holiday activities create positive energy that enhances team performance and productivity.
2. What are inclusive ways to celebrate holidays with a diverse workforce?
Focus on universal themes like gratitude, team appreciation, and end-of-year reflections. Activities like the Gratitude Tree and Appreciation Station welcome all traditions while fostering connection. However, let employees choose their level of participation in seasonal activities.
3. How can we manage holiday time-off requests fairly while maintaining operations?
Create a transparent rotation system for popular holiday dates. Encourage teams to coordinate coverage among themselves. Also, consider split shifts or flexible hours to accommodate different holiday traditions and personal commitments.
4. What are cost-effective ways to show employee appreciation during the holidays?
Focus on meaningful recognition through activities like the Gratitude Tree or peer appreciation notes. Host virtual team games and creative challenges that emphasize connection over cost. Simple, thoughtful gestures often have more impact than expensive celebrations.
5. How can we maintain team cohesion with hybrid/remote workers during holiday celebrations?
Design activities that seamlessly blend in-person and virtual participation, like digital versions of the Emoji Challenge or Virtual ChatBot game. Use collaborative platforms for shared experiences and ensure remote team members can fully participate in all celebrations.
