20 Unique Work Christmas Party Ideas for a Fun-Filled Celebration
Being in charge of planning the office Christmas party can be exciting, but it’s also a little daunting because you want everyone to have a memorable experience. This year, level up your holiday event with these work Christmas party ideas.
There’s something for every crowd — whether you want a relaxed traditional dinner or a more upbeat, unique Christmas party. Dive into our favorite holiday party ideas for the workplace, along with some matching party invites to help you kick off the celebration.
20 of the Best Work Christmas Party Ideas to Try This Year
Looking for a fun way to add some festive joy to a team bonding experience? Or maybe you’re looking for inspiration on how you can brighten up the office space? Here are all our go-to work Christmas party ideas.
To bring the ideas to life even more, we’ve included some matching digital invitations. They’re so easy to use — all you need is to choose your favorite design, customize the way it looks, add your own wording, and hit send!
1. Choose a Party Theme
An easy way to improve a holiday event is to add a Christmas party theme, but what are good themes for a festive work get-together? Here are some we love:
- Vintage Christmas
- Winter wonderland
- Retro holiday vibes
- Boho and rustic
- Pastel wonderland
- Bright and bold
- Santa’s workshop
- Elegant and traditional
- Cute winter animals
- Mischievous elves
- Holiday music and movies
All these are great ways to get your team in the holiday spirit — just choose the one that’s the best match for the people you work with, or you could even send ideas to everyone in advance and ask them to vote on the one they love the most.
2. Throw an Ugly Sweater Party
Design: Becky Nimoy Stationery
Matching invitation: Festive Ugly Sweater Invitation
Most of us have a Christmas sweater lying around somewhere that we dig out every season. Now’s the chance to let it shine with an ugly sweater holiday party.
Invite everyone to show up in their favorite holiday sweater for some festive party games, a buffet lunch, and a holiday playlist on repeat all day long.
3. Host a Cookie Decorating Competition
Sweet treats are always a win over the holiday season, and here’s one way you can guarantee you end up with plenty in the office.
Host either a cookie bake and bring competition or have some plain cookies available in the office for everyone to decorate. Hand out token prizes to everyone that gets involved, with a grand prize of some baking goodies for the best (or funniest) entry.
4. Unveil a Festive Display
For a fun Christmas tradition, start a routine where every year you create and reveal a holiday display within your office or workplace. It could be a gathering of handmade trees and figurines on a spare worktop or a display of lights and garlands for your reception desk.
An alternative idea is to have a desk decorating contest. Clusters of people who sit near each other can compete as a team and turn their corner of the office into a winter wonderland — bonus points for themed or humorous setups. Provide a stipend or one-off budget for everyone to buy supplies to style their space.
Not only is this a great way to make sure there’s plenty of festive cheer at your in-office Christmas party, but it also helps get everyone in the holiday spirit — and spreads some of that joy to any visitors you get over the season too.
5. Decorate Gingerbread Houses
Design: Lisa Travis
Matching invitation: Watercolor Gingerbread House Invitation
Decorating gingerbread houses isn’t just for kids. Bring a few kits into the office and encourage individuals or teams to build and decorate them together.
This is a sweet way to get people into the Christmas spirit, and you end up with some delicious treats to enjoy in the end. Until then, they work as temporary decorations for your holiday celebrations.
6. Plan a Traditional Holiday Dinner
You don’t have to reinvent the wheel for your corporate Christmas party. Sometimes the best choice is a traditional holiday dinner at a local restaurant.
Ask everyone for their thoughts on which restaurant or menu they prefer, and book the place that’s most popular. Invite everyone along for a Christmas lunch, with an afterparty to follow if they want to stay out longer.
7. Plan a Festive Murder Mystery Experience
Murder mystery events are great for team building, and with a festive twist, they can work well as an alternative to a traditional work Christmas party.
Book a hosted experience for your team, or put together your own DIY murder mystery party in the office. You can get as creative with this as you want, with costumes, props, scripts, and drama.
For a team of remote employees, plan an online murder mystery or escape room experience.
8. Try a Team Sport
If a team building activity is what you’re looking for, try a team sport like baseball, netball, soccer, or have a pickleball tournament.
You can make the team sport match the season by dressing up in holiday-themed outfits, adding festive team names, or handing out seasonal prizes to the winners.
9. Host a Holiday Trivia Quiz
For anyone that loves putting together quizzes, this work Christmas party idea is for you. Create the ultimate holiday trivia quiz and challenge your coworkers to see who knows the most.
Encourage teamwork by competing in small groups. Play for attractive prizes like gift cards or an extra day of vacation time.
10. Plan a Holiday Gift Exchange
Design: Annie Montgomery Design
Matching invitation: Painted Presents Invitation
Holiday gift exchanges are always a popular activity for work Christmas parties. There’s no pressure to buy a Christmas gift for everyone, you can set a small budget, and it keeps things simple and joyful.
Plan a Secret Santa gift exchange where everyone is paired up with a person to buy a small gift for, or try a white elephant exchange where you each bring a wrapped gift for others to choose from and can “steal” from others.
11. Set Up a Photo Booth
People will be taking photos at your work Christmas party, so give them the perfect place to do it.
Set up a DIY photo booth with a glitzy backdrop, holiday-themed oversized props, and plenty of elf and Santa hats. Collect all the photos you can afterward and create a digital gallery to share.
12. Host a Festive Game Show
Liven up the office party with a Christmas-themed version of one of your favorite game shows.
Create your own version of Jeopardy, Family Feud, Name That Tune, Wheel of Fortune, or The Price Is Right. This Christmas party game idea is perfect if you have lots of extroverted team members who love to join in with the drama and suspense, but for anyone that doesn’t want to be center stage you can invite them to be part of the audience.
13. Go for a Holiday Brunch Together
Swap the traditional Christmas lunch or dinner for brunch — bringing everyone together at the start of the day instead.
This corporate holiday party idea is perfect for when you’ve had enough of the classic holiday dinner dishes and want to enjoy pancakes, waffles, coffee, and hot chocolate instead.
14. Serve Hot Cocoa
Design: Becky Nimoy Stationery
Matching invitation: Cozy Cocoa Invitation
Bring some festive cheer to your in-office holiday party with a luxury hot cocoa bar.
Set up a DIY station with cocoa powder, milk, sprinkles, marshmallows, syrups, and plenty of festive toppings. If you don’t want to go the DIY route, look for a caterer that can come in and take care of it all for you.
15. Host a Holiday Potluck
We love a cozy work Christmas party idea, and a holiday-themed potluck dinner is one of the best out there. Instead of a sophisticated sit-down dinner, host a bring-and-share party in your office space.
The company can supply a main dish, such as honey-baked ham or party subs, and employees can bring in side dishes and desserts. Encourage partygoers to bake at home and bring something in, or pick up a ready-made treat from a store to share with coworkers.
16. Watch a Christmas Movie
Create the Christmas mood by watching a holiday movie together in the office, complete with popcorn, candy, and soda.
This Christmas party activity is great if you have lots of movie lovers in your group, and you have the space to create a cozy place to watch with beanbags, blankets, and warm lighting.
17. Go on a Holiday Scavenger Hunt
For another fun in-person holiday tradition, create your own workplace holiday-themed scavenger hunt.
Send people on a hunt around your workplace or extend it further into your local area and community. Award prizes to everyone that returns with everything checked off their list.
18. Host a Wreath-Making Party
Design: Laura Bolter Design
Matching invitation: Playful Wreath Invitation
If you have a team that loves holiday crafts, bring some of that joy to the workplace with this cozy office Christmas party idea.
Supply some basic holiday wreaths and all the supplies you need to decorate them, like bows, ribbons, pinecones, and bells. Not only is this a fun activity for your work holiday party, but your team members can take home their wreath at the end too.
19. Sing Along to Holiday Karaoke
Fill your workspace with Christmas carols and holiday cheer with your very own karaoke setup.
Create your own DIY karaoke experience or borrow one from a rental company, and amp up the vibe with stage lights, a mirrorball, and a mini stage. See who can do the best rendition of Jingle Bells or All I Want For Christmas Is You, and crown someone the winner of your holiday karaoke.
20. Plan a Holiday Costume Party
If your office is full of people that can’t wait to dress up, why not host a holiday costume party?
This holiday work party will give you plenty of laughs and great photos to look back on as you find out who makes the best candy cane, Santa, elf, or snowman.
Host a Memorable Work Christmas Party
Everyone remembers a work Christmas party, and you want yours to be treasured for all the right reasons. Use these work Christmas party ideas to plan an incredible get-together based on what your team members would love.
Once you’ve planned your party essentials, use our Christmas party invitations to spread the word. Find the perfect design, personalize it, and send it out to everyone in your workplace so they know what to expect at this year’s holiday celebration.
