One of the best office holiday parties I've ever been to involved a volunteering activity at our local food bank. We sorted donations, packed boxes, and even helped with some light cleaning. It was a great way to give back to the community during the holiday season and brought everyone together for a common cause. Plus, it felt good to do something meaningful instead of just another typical party. Another memorable party was a "Winter Olympics" theme. We set up different game stations around the office like mini curling, "ice" bowling (with plastic bottles and a rolled-up sock), and a snowball toss using cotton balls. We even had a makeshift podium with medals for the winners. It was a fun, active, and lighthearted way to celebrate the holidays and encourage some friendly competition. Both of these ideas were successful because they were inclusive and didn't require anyone to spend money or feel pressured to participate in a way that made them uncomfortable. They also provided a shared experience that people could talk about and bond over afterwards.
One of the most memorable holiday parties I organized involved partnering with Marpu Foundation, a NGO in India focused on community development. Instead of the usual Secret Santa, our team spent the day volunteering at a local shelter home, decorating spaces and organizing activities for the residents. This hands-on approach not only fostered a sense of camaraderie but also allowed us to give back meaningfully. Incorporating a cultural potluck afterward, where everyone shared dishes from their backgrounds, celebrated our diverse team and sparked engaging conversations. This blend of volunteering and inclusive celebration created a deeper connection among colleagues and highlighted the importance of corporate social responsibility. It's a unique way to celebrate the season while making a positive impact, ensuring everyone feels valued and involved.
I am Cody Jensen, the CEO of Searchbloom, an SEO and PPC marketing firm. One of our most fun holiday parties was a virtual lunch paired with some relaxed group games. We delivered meals to everyone's home from a local spot they liked, adding a personal touch. It felt like we were sharing something, even though we were all in different places. After that, we dove into some light virtual games-trivia, icebreakers, and other casual activities that got everyone laughing. It was low-key but inclusive, giving everyone a chance to connect without the usual holiday party pressure. It felt like a way to unwind together, no matter where we were, and it made the team feel more connected.
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. It's an inclusive and heartwarming way to give back during the holiday season, while also creating space for team bonding and lighthearted 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.
A great office holiday party theme we tried was a "Global Holiday Traditions Celebration," where team members shared holiday customs from their own cultures. We encouraged everyone to bring a dish, decoration, or story that represented a holiday they celebrate, creating a diverse spread of foods and stories. We also set up a gratitude wall where colleagues could write notes of appreciation for each other, adding a meaningful touch. This theme was inclusive and allowed everyone to learn about each other's backgrounds, making the celebration feel warm and community-driven. Another favorite was "The Great Holiday Bake-Off" Challenge, where we set up a cookie-decorating competition. Small teams had a set time to turn plain cookies into creative holiday-themed designs using frosting and toppings we provided. Categories like "Most Creative" and "Funniest" kept the competition light-hearted and inclusive, leading to lots of laughs and team bonding. This simple activity brought out everyone's creativity and didn't require much setup, making it a memorable and fun event for everyone.
We like to host a Merry Movie night yearly for team members. Before the event, we vote on which flick will be projected during the event, and since it's a costume party, people take their choices very seriously. It's less about watching the movie and more about seeing how well you can dress to match a character. There is a contest for best-dressed at the end of the night. Decor and catering match the film's theme as well. The key to making this enjoyable and inclusive is choosing movies with diverse ensemble casts, so everyone can get in on the fun.
My one of the best office holiday party ideas is something we called "Coworker Christmas Bingo." It's an inclusive twist on the traditional game and a total hit with everyone! In this game, we ask each team member to share a fun fact, quirky habit, or hidden talent before the party. We then put these fun facts into a custom bingo card. Throughout the party, employees mingle to find out who matches each fact and mark their cards. This activity encourages interaction and bonding, and because it's focused on getting to know one another beyond surface-level details, it's both inclusive and a great icebreaker for those who might be shy. Plus, it steers away from more commercialized holiday traditions, which might not resonate with everyone's background.
After over 20 years in the corporate world, I've attended my fair share of office holiday parties. While there's nothing wrong with the tried-and-true favorites like Secret Santa gift exchanges or tacky sweater contests, I've found that the most memorable events are those with creative twists that bring people together in new ways. One of my favorite holiday party ideas was a "gingerbread house-building contest." Rather than just buying premade kits, the company purchased blank gingerbread houses and lots of candy decorations. Employees signed up in teams of 4-5 and were given an hour to decorate their houses with all the fixings. Not only was it fun to tap into everyone's inner child and artistic side, but it also encouraged collaboration across departments in a lighthearted spirit of friendly competition. Plus, we got to eat our creations after! It was a huge hit and something folks still chat about years later. Moments of levity like that, which celebrate our shared humanity versus just our professional roles, is what builds an inclusive culture. The holiday party is a chance to unite diverse backgrounds and personalities through universal themes of joy, gratitude, and a little silliness. Experiences like the gingerbread contest are what I try to recommend to leaders looking to send their teams into the new year feeling seen, valued, and part of something special.
In my experience hosting an Online Cooking Class for a remote team was a great way to get everyone together during the holiday season. We hired a chef to walk us through several dishes from different cultures and sent out ingredient kits ahead of time. The breakout rooms allowed us to chat in smaller groups while cooking, so it felt more personal even though we were virtual. We had a friendly competition for best presentation and ended with a casual "virtual dinner" where everyone shared their dishes and stories. It was interactive and inclusive and a great team bonding experience.
Our holiday celebration is filled with fun, generosity, and 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. Our celebration starts on December 1st, when we begin a daily raffle for home goods and electronics. Each employee receives two chances a day to win, bringing vibrant excitement into the building during the workday. However, the grand event is our 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. The fun twist? If an employee is lucky enough to win two prizes, they must choose between them. At the end of the raffle, we circle back and raffle off the returned prizes. We typically budget around $10,000 for the event, ensuring 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!
One office holiday party idea I highly recommend is a "Winter Wonderland" theme where employees can immerse themselves in a magical and festive atmosphere. Decorate the venue with twinkling lights, faux snow, and snowflakes. Offer seasonal treats like hot cocoa, gingerbread cookies, and candy canes. Encourage everyone to dress in winter-themed attire or festive colors. To make it more inclusive of diverse backgrounds, incorporate elements from various winter celebrations around the world like Diwali, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa, and Lunar New Year. Organize a cultural ornament exchange where team members can share decorations that represent their heritage or traditions. I've organized a Winter Wonderland party where we had a mix of decorations from different winter celebrations, and it was heartwarming to see everyone coming together to share their cultural backgrounds through ornaments and stories. This theme not only fosters unity and inclusivity but also creates a memorable and engaging experience for all team members.
Secret Santa is overrated and outdated. Making a holiday party with a real Santa, having presents for all the employee kids, making the party around the family values, if office facilities allow decorating one room and filling it with playground like activities. Instead of employees exchanging gifts with each other, focus on making it special for their families. Provide personalized presents for each employee's children, tailored to their age and interests. You can collect information beforehand to ensure every child receives something meaningful. This is not only fun but also shows genuine care for employees and values that matter, it is way better then secret Santa or getting boys and girls presents that are the same for every child.
I've hosted team scavenger hunts for group get-togethers. We break the group into teams of 3-5 and give them a list of things to find and do. On the list of things to find, it varies from simple items like "something red" to slightly more challenging things like "an employee name tag." On the list of things to do, it has two sections - things you photo document and things you video document. For example, "the entire team singing Sweet Caroline, one team member doing a cartwheel, or two team members create a secret handshake." The checklist can be catered to the venue (hotel, restaurant, office, or other offsite 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. Set a 45-minute to 1-hour time limit and award prizes for the finishers and winners.
A great idea is to have potluck from a specific country. Do a poll and find out where everyone is from. Do a drawing to determine the winning country. Ask everyone to go on the internet and find a recipe from that country to make. At the potluck everyone can share what it was like to create a food dish outside their comfort zone and share what the experience was like for them. I have found this idea to always be a winner and fun for people to do. Everyone likes to eat, and food brings people together. Have fun with this idea!
Our last office holiday party was Casino-themed and was a lot of fun. There were various table games set up and everyone was given a certain amount of fake currency for the night that could be exchange for prizes at the end. There was a costume award for best themed-outfit. Overall kept everything very upbeat and there were other activities and areas for those that didn't want to play casino games all evening. A lot of laughs and good times were had by all and most people went home with fun prizes. Would recommend to companies looking to switch things up!
I've learned that holiday parties need to balance fun with sensitivity, especially given our mission working with cancer patients. Here's what worked exceptionally well for us: Our best event was Craft for a Cause - we turned our holiday party into a headwear design workshop. Teams created prototypes for new comfort-focused designs while enjoying festive food. The winning design went into production, and we donated the first batch to local cancer centers. Another successful format was our global cookout celebration. Team members shared dishes that represented their holiday traditions, and we learned about different celebrations around the world. This naturally included everyone while keeping the focus on connection rather than any specific holiday. These events worked because they tied back to our mission while creating genuine bonds between team members.
Head of North American Sales and Strategic Partnerships at ReadyCloud
Answered a year ago
One of the most fun and inclusive office holiday parties I've been part of was an "Ugly Sweater & Karaoke" party. Everyone came decked out in their best (or worst) ugly holiday sweaters, which created an instant sense of fun and laughter. We took it up a notch with a karaoke setup, where people could perform holiday songs or just their favorite tunes. The combination of ugly sweaters and impromptu karaoke performances broke down any barriers and made the event super relaxed and enjoyable for everyone, no matter their background or holiday tradition. Another great idea we tried was a "Holiday Potluck & Cultural Exchange." Each person brought a dish or dessert that was tied to their culture or holiday traditions. It wasn't just about food; people shared the stories behind the dishes, which opened up conversations and allowed everyone to learn a bit more about each other's backgrounds. It was a simple, yet meaningful way to make everyone feel included while keeping the holiday spirit alive. These types of parties bring the team closer and create lasting memories.
One of our most successful and inclusive office holiday parties centered around a "Global Winter Traditions" theme. We transformed our workspace into a mini world tour, with different areas representing holiday customs from various cultures. We set up interactive stations where team members could learn to make traditional crafts, sample international holiday treats, and participate in games from different countries. For example, we had a station for creating Diwali-inspired rangoli art, another for decorating Hanukkah dreidels, and one for learning about and participating in the Japanese New Year's game of hanetsuki. The highlight was a "Festive Fusion" potluck where employees brought dishes representing their heritage or a culture they admired. This not only celebrated diversity but also sparked conversations and cultural exchange. To keep things lively, we organized a global music playlist and had impromptu dance lessons for traditional dances from around the world. The party fostered genuine connections, cultural appreciation, and created lasting memories beyond the typical office celebration.
Having executed holiday events for clients like Netflix, Pinterest, and major tech companies, I've found that interactive culinary experiences create the most memorable celebrations. One standout concept involves setting up multiple themed food and beverage stations, each featuring a different global holiday tradition, with our trained staff leading interactive demonstrations and tastings. This approach naturally encourages mingling while being culturally inclusive. For example, at a recent tech company event, we created stations featuring everything from traditional European mulled wine crafting to Asian dumpling making, with our professionally trained mixologists and culinary staff guiding small group activities. This format keeps energy high while ensuring everyone can participate regardless of their background or dietary restrictions.
Here are some inclusive, fun, and memorable holiday party ideas that I've experienced, perfect for diverse teams and guaranteed to create a festive atmosphere beyond the usual Secret Santa. 1. International Potluck Party An international potluck allows team members to bring a dish representing their cultural background or family tradition. It's an engaging way for employees to share a piece of their heritage while bonding over food. To enhance the experience, have each dish labeled with a story about its cultural significance. This event fosters inclusivity, respect, and open conversation. At one of our previous holiday parties, this was an incredible success as everyone took pride in explaining the dish they brought. It not only helped us appreciate different cultures but also strengthened connections across the team by learning more about one another's backgrounds. 2. Charity Drive & Volunteering Day Instead of focusing solely on internal celebrations, incorporate giving back to the community through a charity drive or a volunteering day. The team can collectively choose a cause-whether it's donating toys, organizing a coat drive, or volunteering at a local charity. This creates a deeper sense of fulfillment while also uniting the team under a shared cause. We once partnered with a local food bank, and the experience brought our team closer together as we worked side by side, giving back to those in need. This meaningful approach resonated with everyone and made the holiday celebration even more special. 3. DIY Ornament Making or Gingerbread House Decorating For a creative and interactive holiday party, consider a DIY ornament-making station or a gingerbread house decorating contest. These activities are light-hearted and inclusive since participants can personalize their creations to reflect their culture or holiday preferences. It's perfect for both in-person and remote teams (with kits sent in advance). At one event, we hosted a gingerbread house competition, and the variety of designs reflected each person's personality. The creativity it sparked, coupled with the relaxed atmosphere, made this a standout event.