Improving Office Culture: The Power of Secret Santa for Team Building

Christmas office party is a great way to celebrate the holiday season, relieve stress after a year of hard work, and foster team bonding. Secret Santa is a popular team-building activity that can bring your teammates closer and improve collaboration between different departments. Keep reading to explore the benefits of Secret Santa and organize a memorable event this year.

Benefits of organizing a gift exchange for a team

Organizing Secret Santa, White Elephant, and other gift exchange games is a popular tradition in many offices. Yet, you may not have heard that using Secret Santa as a team-building activity has numerous benefits. Here are some of them:

1. Get to know your coworkers better – as people choose gifts for their assigned coworkers, they learn more about them and build connections on a personal level. Strong workplace relations increase employee well-being, which results in better performance at work.
2. Improve social bonds – one study found that gift-giving activates goodwill between the gift-giver and recipient. Plus, when the gift matches the interests and values of the recipient, it promotes gratitude and leads to better relations.
3. Welcome new employees on board – organizing a Secret Santa gift exchange brings new employees with those who have worked with you for many years. As all participants laugh and have fun guessing their Secret Santa, this holiday experience helps them cooperate better next year.
4. Increase retention – 85% of employees think that Christmas parties are a great team-building activity that has a positive impact on motivation.

Including the Secret Santa exchange in your Christmas team-building event can have a tremendous effect on creating a better workplace culture and strengthening relationships. Plus, it creates a sense of mystery and is easy to organize.

How to organize Secret Santa in the office?

There are two ways to organize a Secret Santa for team-building in your office: in-person with the box and using an online generator. Let’s explore both ways.

An old-fashioned way with a hat

The simplest way to organize a Secret Santa in your office is to write everyone’s name on paper and put them in the box. Each player writes a few gift suggestions next to their name. Then, everyone draws names from the box and secretly prepares a gift for the assigned person. At the Christmas party, people unwrap their gifts and guess their Secret Santa, which is always enjoyable and fun.

This method has its downsides, as you cannot set exceptions. Plus, if you draw a coworker you barely know, there is no way to find out what gift they would want to get. Also, it is not possible to save the results of the draw and someone can forget their giftee’s name. That’s why we recommend using an online generator.

Using a Secret Santa organizer

With an online generator, it is easier to organize your Secret Santa exchange. You can set a budget and deadline for gifts, and each player creates a wishlist to help their Secret Santa choose a good present. Here is how it works:

1. Invite players using a special link. Set gift budget, theme, and deadline when everyone should buy a gift.
2. When everyone joins the game, draw names to assign a Secret Santa to each player randomly.
3. Each player writes what they want for Christmas and can create personalized wishlists.
4. You can chat with your giftee anonymously without revealing yourself.
5. On the gift exchange day, everyone brings a wrapped present to the office. Players take turns to pick a gift and guess who their Secret Santa is.

Another advantage of using the generator is that the results of the draw are saved and you can set exceptions. Plus, the game host can see who bought a present and who hasn’t, and send reminders.

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.

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Enhance your Secret Santa event with these activities

To create a better Secret Santa experience and keep the employees entertained, you can integrate more team-building exercises with the traditional Secret Santa. Here are more fun office team-building activities that will create amazing memories:

Office decorating contest

To spark festive creativity and teamwork, try this traditional Christmas team-building activity. Provide employees with ornaments, LED lights, and garlands, and assign each team a space to decorate. Display the results and have everyone vote for the best design. Thus, you will put everyone in a festive mood and foster collaboration and friendly competition.

Secret Santa with clues

Guessing your Secret Santa is the most exciting part of the gift exchange. You can make it more fun by incorporating clues and hints. Here is how it works: each giftee brings a gift with a note or a picture that has clues about the Secret Santa’s identity. This simple activity promotes problem-solving and adds a sense of surprise.  

Also read:

White Elephant Gift Exchange Ideas & Game Rules

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Gingerbread decorating contest

This fun group activity adds a competitive spirit and enables everyone to get creative. All employees get icing and sprinkles and try to create the most amazing Christmas cookie design. You can add festive themes and challenges, such as time limits and specific colors.  

Team-building board games

A board game night is a popular activity if you play in the office. Choose a board game that appeals to most players or opt for one of the holiday classics. Playing board games not only helps everyone unwind and have a good time, but also stimulates strategic thinking, teamwork, and healthy competition.  

In-office scavenger hunt

If the team prefers to stay active, a scavenger hunt is your best bet. Create a set of clues and have the teams find them in the office while solving puzzles and engaging in other brain-stimulating activities. This interactive game helps improve communication and teamwork while adding a sense of adventure to create great memories for the entire team.

Also read:

An HR’s guide to an amazing Christmas party

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Organizing the Secret Santa gift exchange is a great way to improve collaboration, and teamwork, and help the team members bond with each other. When exchanging gifts and participating in group holiday activities, people will know each other better and create amazing memories, which lays the foundation for productive work the next year.

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