Engage Your Team with Creative Christmas Icebreakers for Holiday Meetings

Icebreakers are fun team-building activities that can help overcome awkward silence, stimulate conversations, and make everyone feel comfortable during team meetings. Moreover, they foster workplace relations, increase the sense of belonging, and stimulate productivity and office culture. In this article, you will find holiday versions of icebreaker games that you can start your Christmas office party with.

What are the benefits of icebreakers in the workplace?

Allocating time for icebreaking activities can benefit your team in many ways:

1. Onboard new employees – fun icebreaker games help introduce new employees to the rest of the team and make them feel comfortable. Such activities will help everyone relax and stimulate a sense of camaraderie.
2. Create a fun atmosphere – Christmas icebreakers put everyone in a festive mood and encourage them to foster holiday cheer, which sets everyone up for success the next year.
3. Stimulate interaction – icebreakers encourage interaction between employees who might not know each other well. They help people socialize and also improve the sense of belonging and empathy towards their coworkers.

Also read:

An HR’s guide to an amazing Christmas party

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Fun Christmas icebreaker ideas for in-person team events

Here is our list of Christmas icebreaker activities for holiday team-building:

Secret Santa gift exchange

Secret Santa is a holiday classic that creates anticipation and surprise for everyone. Many companies use it to promote a sense of camaraderie and strengthen bonds between team members. Here’s how it works: all participants draw names and buy gifts for the assigned person, trying to get something that will appeal to their giftee.

Try our MySanta app

You can create wishlists, add exceptions, and track gifts so that everyone gets a present. Organize a memorable office Secret Santa event with ease.

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If Christmas is just around the corner and it’s too late to organize a corporate gift exchange, try the Quick Secret Santa activity. Participants draw names and in 10 minutes, they prepare a gift for their assigned coworker. You can get them a sweet treat from the vending, a fun doodle, a personalized AI-generated song, or any small item from your backpack.

Santa’s helper scavenger hunt

Hide the printouts or ornaments of Santa’s helpers (elves and reindeers) around the office. Split employees into teams and encourage them to find as many helpers as possible before the time limit runs out. It is a great active icebreaker game that encourages teamwork and lets everyone warm up, especially if players have been sitting for a while.

Gift wrap challenge

Players work in pairs to wrap the gift while one player’s left hand is tied to the right hand of the other. Thus, they communicate and coordinate their actions to wrap the gift faster than the others. The present has to be wrapped completely. The first team who wraps the present and puts a ribbon on it, wins.

Holiday Who Am I?

This is a popular icebreaker for team-building events and friendly gatherings. Each player writes the name of the Christmas character on a piece of paper and sticks it to another person’s forehead. The person shouldn’t see what’s written on it. Then, players try to guess what is written on their forehead by asking the other players Yes or No questions. The game continues until all participants guess who they are.

Name the tune

Prepare a playlist of Christmas songs and play them one by one. The player who guesses the name of the song first gets points. They can earn extra points by guessing the artist, and if they don’t know, then other players can earn extra points. The participant who scores the most points wins.

Christmas memory game

This is a perfect icebreaker to test your memory skills and compete with coworkers! The rules are simple: you need a tray full of various Christmas items (décor, ornaments, sweets, and more). Players have 30 seconds to look at all items and remember as many as possible. Then, cover the tray and ask everyone to write down all items they remember. You can award extra points for additional details.

Christmas phone charades

This game is great for large groups. All players stand in a line. The first player gets a clue and shows it to the player standing next in the line. No words! Then, the second player acts out the clue as they understand it on the next person in the line, and so on. The last person in the line guesses the clue and everyone sees if they guessed it right.

Christmas icebreakers for virtual teams

Use virtual icebreaker games to keep the remote teams entertained and encourage collaboration in distance. Here are some fun activities to try:

Christmas emoji quiz

Prepare a list of Christmas songs or movie titles, and then write them down using emojis only. All players see the emojis on the screen, and the first player who decodes the name right earns points. This is a fun way to stimulate creative thinking and encourage communication (Wait, what does the panda mean? Or is it a polar bear?).

Holiday photo contest

Before the video call, encourage everyone to use a festive photo they love most as a background. They can use a real picture from their childhood, their last year’s Christmas party, or their dream holiday destination. Encourage everyone to share why they used this photo and share Christmas memories.

“Never have I ever”

This fun party game is also appropriate for work-related gatherings. It is easy to set up: the host prepares a list of phrases starting with words “Never have I ever…”, and players who have done it raise hands. The game is a great icebreaker, as fun and unusual responses can provoke further conversations, and it can be played in-person and online.

Examples of Never Have I Ever statements
1. Never have I ever returned a gift to the store without telling to the gift-giver.
2. Never have I ever revealed my Secret Santa gift ahead of time.
3. Never have I ever watched Christmas movies all day long.
4. Never have I ever met a celebrity.
5. Never have I ever listened to Christmas songs outside of December.

Holiday Truth or Dare

This is a fun and insightful holiday icebreaker that lets you learn more about your coworkers. Here is how to set it up remotely. Players turn on their cameras and take turns to select truth or dare. Be sure to keep questions interesting but not too intrusive to follow the workplace etiquette. Each player answers the truth or completes a dare as instructed.

These fun icebreaker games can liven up your Christmas office party, encourage communication between employers, and let everyone unwind while bonding with other team members. Make sure to choose activities that appeal to everyone to keep your Christmas event inclusive.

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