How to Strengthen Team Spirit Through Holiday Fun: Tips & Strategies
Holiday activities bring teams closer, reduce stress, and set the tone for the new year. Here’s how to plan winter team building, including assigning roles, picking the format, and analyzing team-building results.
Holiday activities can unite a team and ease tension — as long as you organize them thoughtfully.
This guide explains what to consider so your winter team building goes smoothly and truly benefits the group. Here, we focus on the key nuances to plan activities that meet organizers’ expectations and deliver real value to the team.
5 Reasons to Host a Christmas Team-Building Event
Holidays are busy for everyone, no matter your company’s size or industry. Small teams and large organizations are prepping for the office party, wrapping up the year, and planning work for January. Yet, there are five good reasons to add shared activities to the calendar:
- A motivation boost — small festive moments add energy to complete end-of-year tasks and enter the new year feeling lighter.
- Less tension across the team — activities can smooth over conflicts and shift attention to the positive.
- A stronger employer brand — holiday activities show the company values people and cares about their experience.
- Better day-to-day collaboration — events help colleagues learn about each other and make teamwork easier.
- A true Christmas atmosphere — games, scavenger hunts, and outdoor fun help everyone feel that the Christmas season is close.
How To Assign Roles So Everyone Feels Involved
To get real benefits, maximize participation. Use different types of motivation and split responsibilities so everyone becomes part of the process. Here’s how to do it based on team type and format.
Small Team (up to 15 people)
In a small team, everything is simpler and faster: everyone knows each other and blends in easily. When preparing activities for a compact group, emphasize each person’s personal contribution. Make sure planning doesn't fall on one person’s shoulders, plus, it’s easier to handle preparation together.
Assign responsibilities by experience — for instance, a manager can serve as an organizer, and HR as a coordinator. Or, simply let people pick tasks they enjoy.
Who you may need for a small team:
- Organizer — chooses the activity format and sets the budget.
- Coordinator — works with vendors and supports the organizer.
- Photographer — captures moments and shares them with the team.
- Host/MC — runs contests, plays music, and handles surprises.
Large Company (50+ people)
Big teams are often divided into departments or locations, so it’s best to involve people through leaders. Identify those who can spark interest — both formal managers and informal influencers colleagues respect.
In a large group, the circle of responsibilities is wider, so prepare early and split roles clearly. Two common approaches:
- By role groups:
- Coordinator group (2–3 people) — handles key logistics: format, schedule, transportation, and the run of show.
- Volunteer team (3–5 people) — supports with small tasks that don’t require constant attention.
- Technical specialists — set up audio, video, slides, and any other tech.
- By domain: (example below)
| Area of Responsibility | Scope of Work |
|---|---|
| Logistics & Timing | Find a venue, build the event schedule, arrange transportation |
| Program | Draft the run of show, book vendors, select contests and games |
| Atmosphere | Decorate the space, build the playlist, set up lighting |
| Communications | Inform the team, gather preferences, answer questions |
| Technical Support | Configure and monitor equipment |
| Service & Comfort | Organize catering and prepare lounge/rest areas |
Remote Teams
It’s harder to build cohesion remotely: day-to-day interaction is minimal and formats are limited. Look for something joyful that doesn’t demand extra effort — a quiz, a casual online gathering, or a fun game. Often one organizer is enough to pick the right activity and sort out the mechanics.
For remote team building, Secret Santa is a popular activity. It helps teammates get to know one another and feel as a part of the group by exchanging small personal gifts.
To organize the exchange at distance with ease, delegate the logistics to the MySanta service — you’ll save preparation time, draw names quickly, and track gift progress. Here’s what the service offers:
- Draw names in a second. Invite players and draw names so everyone is assigned to be someone's Santa. Even with an odd number of players, no one is left out.
- Wishlist. Share your own wishes and see your recipient’s — people get what they actually want instead of random trinkets.
- Anonymous chat. Learn more about your recipient without revealing your identity.
- Gift tracking. Follow the game from start to finish — the chance of anyone being left without a gift is close to zero.
Hybrid Teams
When part of the team is in the office and part is remote, pick activities that work both online and in person at the same time. You’ll need more than one organizer: assign a tech lead and an organizer who ensures both groups stay engaged and the experience feels unified.
Activities Before, During, and After the Holidays: How To Maximize Impact
Holiday programming works best with a systems approach. Here’s what to do, and when.
Before the Holidays
The goal now is to set the mood and build anticipation. Create the holiday atmosphere together: decorate the office, make a playlist, and discuss which activities to include.
During the Holidays
This time is busy: people are closing tasks, filing reports, and preparing for the holidays. Put specific activities on the calendar so participation stays high.
Choose something lively and unifying. Popular office activities include:
- Secret Santa
- Karaoke battle
- Creative workshop
- Holiday charades
- Gratitude circle
After the Holidays
The post-holiday period is ideal for reflection and a fresh start.
- Talk with colleagues about what worked and what to improve. An honest conversation helps evaluate impressions and reveals hidden issues.
- Leave a few days for a soft return to work. Schedule simple, low-pressure activities to carry the holiday positivity back into everyday workflows.
Signs Your Holiday Activities Brought the Team Together
You can gauge effectiveness through simple observation. Look for these signals that your activities did the job.
Colleagues Take Initiative and Share Ideas
Activities worked if people offer help, exchange ideas, and show readiness to collaborate. Don’t expect instant change — some may need time to warm up. Step back and watch the interactions in the team or department.
Informal Communication Continues
Activities create natural reasons to talk about interests and swap life stories. If that continues afterward, it means people feel comfortable and confident with each other.
How To Notice Ongoing Connection After Activities
- Joking in work chats
- Making plans together
- Eating lunch together
- Creating a shared post-party playlist
- Using nicknames instead of formal names
- Chatting across departments
- Saying “we” more than “I”
- Small gestures of appreciation toward each other
People Keep Recalling Shared Moments
If weeks later the team chat still has jokes and memes from the party, colleagues rewatch photos, and people compare highlights — the activities made their job. These stories become part of your culture and connect coworkers even across departments.
Meetings Feel Friendlier
After unifying activities, the overall tone eases. People can crack a light joke in a stand-up or speak openly in a planning session. These small cues signal that colleagues now see themselves as one team.
Teammates Want To Do It Again
A simple but telling indicator — coworkers speak positively about what you did and ask when you’ll do it next. You may hear, “Will we repeat this next year?” or “Let’s run the same format again.” That feedback shows genuine engagement and enjoyment.
Conclusion
Pick a format that fits your team, choose the right time, and split responsibilities clearly. With that, team building starts uniting people even before the event begins. Set a few simple success markers, then check whether you reached them.
FAQs
How do we pick holiday activities that fit our company culture?
Start with a quick poll asking what people enjoy: games, food, music, charity, or learning. Choose two formats that align with your values (for example, a focus on giving might suggest a donation drive plus Secret Santa) and keep segments short so participation feels easy.
What holiday activities work well for hybrid teams?
Run mixed formats: an in-room contest with a simultaneous online equivalent (charades on stage and on camera, or a live quiz with app voting). Assign a tech lead to manage sound, slides, and breakout rooms so remote employees feel included.
What’s a simple way to measure whether holiday activities improved morale?
Track opt-in rates, use post-event survey scores (e.g., “Would you join again?”), and the number of cross-team interactions the following week (shared lunches, new project chats). A quick pulse check two weeks later shows whether the positive effect lasted.
