12 Creative Ways to Count Down to Christmas at Work

Counting down the days before Christmas is a popular tradition in many families. Yet, it can be beneficial for your employees, too. Small, everyday Christmas rituals can spark joy, bring employees closer, and boost engagement during the busy holiday season.

From simple crafts and gifts to acts of kindness and advent calendars – browse exciting ways to count down to Christmas at work.

Why engage employees in the countdown to Christmas?

Introducing the countdown as a Christmas team-building activity has many benefits. Here are the main reasons to count down the days before the holiday at work:

1. Increase satisfaction – 80% of employees admit that team-building activities improve their overall job satisfaction, and 91% of them feel more engaged when managers facilitate team collaboration.
2. Start a new tradition – corporate traditions enhance teamwork and contribute to a positive impression about the employer. Introducing the 12 Days of Christmas or a similar activity can bring employees closer and increase loyalty.
3. Improve retention – companies with regular team-building activities have a 24% higher retention rate.
4. Unwind during the holiday season – introducing a group activity allows employees to communicate with each other more and engage in fun activities daily, which helps reduce pre-holiday stress.

How to plan your Christmas Countdown at work?

Organizing an office Christmas countdown doesn’t require major investments and resources – just a bit of planning and preparation. Here are the steps you need to take.

Decide on the duration

Depending on how busy your team is, you can celebrate the Christmas Spirit Week (7 days before Christmas), 12 Days of Christmas, or make the pre-Christmas festivities last all December. Think about how much time every day you can allocate to team-building activities so that the productivity doesn’t decline.

By celebrating each day with a fun game, a group activity, or a contest, you’ll mark days before Christmas and create lasting memories.

Plan your Christmas countdown

Print out the calendar and include one festive activity per day. To increase participation, run a survey asking the team what activities they prefer. Send the plan of the festivities to everyone to keep the team informed.

Plan the team-building activities after the lunch break or at the end of the day. However, make sure not to keep the activities too long, as your employees have a lot on their plates during the hectic Christmas season. The best strategy is to plan them during working hours.

Choose a theme

You can fill the Advent calendar with any activities that appeal to the team and are easy to organize. However, to add creativity, you can pick a theme for your 12 Days of Christmas activity. This is especially helpful if the team has shared interests as such an activity will increase engagement.

5 Themes for Christmas Advent Calendar at work

1. Festive foodie fun – think cooking contests, potlucks, pizza lunches, or gourmet tea tasting.
2. Giving back days – plan a food bank donation day, toy drive, donation day, or sponsoring a family for the holidays.
3. Crafty Christmas – office decoration contests, ornament making, and cookie decoration competitions.
4. Wellness and relaxation – guided meditations, desk yoga session, team walk, and aromatherapy will work great.
5. Dress-up fun – plan activities like Ugly Sweater Day, Pajama Day, exchange festive socks, and dress as reindeer.

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Gift Exchange Reinvented: 7 Fun Alternatives to Secret Santa at Work

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12 Ideas of Countdown to Christmas activities for work

To help you plan the 12 Days of Christmas with ease, we’ve gathered a list of activities that will work for any workplace.

Office Decoration Contest

Decorating the office is a traditional holiday activity that quickly makes everyone feel that the holiday is approaching. Let the team unleash their creativity and decorate the Christmas tree together, or run a desk decoration contest. Or, assign the teams to decorate designated areas in the office and vote for the best décor.

Employee appreciation day

Christmas is the perfect time to show appreciation, and the workplace is no exception. Employees can write notes to coworkers they appreciate and place them on the special “kudos” board. Or, they can express gratitude verbally during the group gathering.

A team leader or HR can contribute to this activity, preparing small employee rewards for everyone. Celebrating the contribution of each member of the team will increase morale and productivity.

Secret Santa gift exchange

Nothing can beat the classic – a well-organized Secret Santa exchange fosters communication, creates mystery, and lets everyone share the joy of giving and receiving gifts. With the MySanta service, you can set up the exchange even for 50+ employees.

Invite players, draw names, and create wishlists to help Santa choose a gift. The organizer can monitor game progress in the app, ensuring that everyone buys a gift on time.

Try our MySanta app

You can create wishlists, add exclusions, and communicate with your gifree secretly. Moreover, there is an option to track gifts and ensure that everyone buys a present on time.

Start

Play holiday Trivia

Prepare a list of Trivia questions related to Christmas movies, songs, and traditions around the world. Play in teams and reward the winners with small prizes. Trivia works as an ice-breaker and can be done between departments as well to strengthen ties and improve communication.

Pajamas day

Create a relaxed environment in the office and invite everyone to show up in their pajamas. Treat everyone to a hot cocoa with marshmallows to make the atmosphere cozier.

Give back to the community

It’s hard to imagine Christmas without charity activities. Pick the activity that appeals more to your team, and spend the day helping others and making Christmas brighter for those around you.

Christmas socks exchange

The team draws names and participants give each Christmas socks filled with treats and holiday goodies. You can exchange socks for Secret Santa or run it as a separate activity. Be sure to set the budget (say, $5 or $10) to keep the game equal.

Movie night

Vote for the favorite holiday movie and organize a small movie theater right in the office. Provide snacks, popcorn, and refreshments for employees. After the movie, have a little discussion about the favorite character and beloved Christmas traditions.

Christmas Around the World

Take the time to present Christmas traditions around the world to employees and create a learning experience. People work in small teams, presenting the cuisine, costumes, and customs of one designated country to their coworkers. To simplify this activity (for example, if you have a small team), host a Christmas Around the World dinner, with each participant bringing a dish representing one of the world’s cuisines.

Ideas for Christmas Around the World dinner at work

1. Panettone (Italy): A sweet bread loaf filled with candied fruits and raisins, often served as a Christmas dessert.
2. Tamales (Mexico): Corn husk-wrapped bundles filled with savory or sweet fillings, a traditional Christmas Eve dish.
3. Lechon (Philippines): Roasted pig, a celebratory dish often served during Christmas feasts ("Noche Buena").
4. Bûche de Noël (France): A chocolate sponge cake shaped like a log, decorated with cream and chocolate shavings.
5. Melomakarona (Greece): Honey-drenched cookies spiced with cinnamon and cloves, topped with chopped walnuts.

New Year’s Resolutions Day

As the year approaches its end, it’s time to set goals and make resolutions for the next year. Why not set professional goals in a supportive workplace environment?

Schedule a meeting and encourage everyone to share the biggest achievements they’ve had this year, and then discuss goals for the next year. By the way, it’s a great opportunity to align individual goals with the department’s goals.

Group yoga session

Find a spacious area, such as a conference room or common space, and hire a yoga instructor to guide a relaxing yoga lesion for the team. Combine it with guided meditation and healthy beverages to create a well-being experience and help everyone relieve holiday stress.

Christmas outfit competition

Set the theme and organize a contest for the best Christmas costume. The theme can be whatever you like, from Winter Wonderland and Harry Potter characters to ugly sweaters, old Hollywood style, or Christmas accessories. Reward the best outfit and also choose extra categories, such as Funniest Outfit or Most Creative.

Christmas countdown activities for a remote team

If you have a hybrid or remote team, it’s not a reason to give up on the Christmas fun. Here are the Christmas Countdown activities you can do remotely:

1. Virtual holiday bingo. Send a link to an online bingo card and play with the team. Try free bingo cards or generate your own bingo.
2. Holiday photo challenge. During a group meeting, encourage everyone to share their childhood Christmas photos and share a story associated with them.
3. Online movie night. Schedule a virtual movie night using a screen-sharing platform or extension. Choose a classic holiday movie and enjoy it together while chatting via text or voice chat.
4. Virtual Secret Santa. With the MySanta generator, you can easily set up an online gift exchange. Participants share their shipping address and exchange boxes or digital gifts. Host a virtual gift opening session via video call.
5. Background contest. Encourage everyone to create and share their holiday-themed backgrounds.
6. Create a holiday playlist. Create a collaborative playlist on Spotify or Apple Music and invite employees to add their favorite holiday songs.

Christmas team-building activities strengthen the ties within the team, put everyone in the holiday mood, and make the holiday anticipation special. By introducing a small festive activity every day, you’ll strengthen team bonds and promote employee loyalty.

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