How to Choose Holiday Party Games for Work
The best office holiday party games have a simple setup and rules you can explain in one breath. Mix competitive games with relaxed ones so everybody finds something they want to join, and if two games fit equally well, pick the one with the shorter setup: it is the one you will actually run well.
Match the game to the headcount. In a small office everyone can play directly, so creative, low-key games work best. Bigger teams need high-energy games, team competitions or activity stations where many people play at once. Most of the ideas below stretch from 10 to several hundred people and take 15 to 45 minutes.
Check the space. Quizzes, charades and craft challenges fit any conference room. Scavenger hunts and relays need open floor, or an outdoor space when the weather allows. Clear walkways and use office-friendly props.
Set the budget early. Plenty of games need only paper, pens and a timer. Others need kits, props, food or a paid app. As a rough guide, the games themselves run about $5 to $50 per person, and a whole party with food and activities lands around $45 to $70 per person for 25 to 50 employees, $38 to $55 for 50 to 150, and $32 to $48 for 150 or more. Money is best spent on a professional game facilitator (worth it for groups over 75, roughly $500 to $1,500), good AV, memorable prizes and a photographer; save on DIY decorations, a potluck dessert bar, digital invitations and a volunteer committee.
Work back from the date. A typical timeline:
- 8 weeks out: lock in the venue and date (December dates book up early), form a planning committee and set the budget.
- 6 weeks out: survey employees, finalize the activities, order supplies and send a save-the-date.
- 4 weeks out: send invitations that describe the activities, coordinate with department heads and assign murder mystery roles if you are running one.
- 2 weeks out: confirm all vendors and volunteers, check the supply inventory and send reminders about parking and dress code.
- Day of: arrive two hours early to set up and brief your activity leaders.
Plan the evening, not just the games. Three to four hours is a comfortable length: about 30 minutes of arrival and mingling, two hours of activities, 30 minutes of awards and 30 to 60 minutes of open socializing. Inside that, a shape that works for most parties:
- As guests arrive: one light icebreaker for the first 20 minutes.
- After the main food service: one main game of about 20 to 30 minutes.
- Near the end: an optional low-key table game or the prize draw, then let the evening wind down.
Keep it comfortable. Make every game optional and let watching count as joining. Play in teams so nobody performs alone, avoid physical contact, keep alcohol out of the rules and the prizes, have a seated version of anything active and keep a calm, quieter corner open for anyone who needs a break. Short games fit between dinner and speeches; immersive ones like a murder mystery need their own time slot. Start planning several weeks ahead, and use the RSVP form to ask which games people would vote for.
Holiday Icebreaker Games and Questions for Work
Icebreakers help people from different departments talk to each other before the main game. Use one while guests arrive and drinks are poured.
1. People Bingo
Hand out bingo cards with light, work-safe squares about tastes, trivia and the season. Players find a colleague who matches a square and write that name in it. The first full line wins a small prize. Call time after about 15 minutes. For a seated version, play table bingo with your neighbors, and for remote staff, post a digital card and collect answers in chat.
2. Find Someone Who…
A sheet with 8 to 10 prompts, and a different coworker’s name for each one. The first complete sheet wins, or the most names when time runs out. Stick to tastes and trivia, not family, health or relationships.
3. Caption the Photo
Show a company-approved photo on the screen. Each table gets about two minutes to write one caption, the host reads them aloud and the room votes by applause. Ask the people in the picture first, and never caption anyone’s appearance.
4. Two-Sentence Holiday Story Swap
Tables of four to six draw a prompt card, such as favorite winter food, best holiday film or a song for tonight’s playlist. Anyone who wants to answers in two sentences, then the table draws a new card.
5. Two Truths and a Lie: Christmas Edition
Each person shares two true holiday memories and one made-up one, and the group guesses the lie. It is a calm warm-up before louder games.
6. What’s in the Bag?
Put small festive objects like jingle bells, candy canes and ornaments into opaque bags. Guests reach in and guess each item by feel, no peeking. The most correct guesses win a small prize. It is low-key and gets people mingling and laughing.
7. Christmas This or That and Would You Rather
Ask the room to choose between two holiday options: real tree or artificial, Santa’s sleigh or a reindeer ride, Christmas movies or Christmas music. No setup, so it also works as a filler between activities. The Would You Rather game lets everyone vote from their own phone.
8. Share Your Traditions
Ask staff ahead of time what makes their holidays special, from a family dish to spending the day in pajamas, and work at least one of those traditions into the party. Colleagues learn something about each other, and people who celebrate different holidays feel included.
Holiday Icebreaker Questions for Work
Read one or two per round, go around the table or post them in the team chat, and let anyone pass. Questions about food, weather and decorations work for everyone, including people who celebrate other holidays or none.
- Which winter holidays do you celebrate?
- What’s a holiday tradition you look forward to every year?
- What’s the best gift you’ve ever received during the holidays?
- What’s the worst holiday gift you’ve ever received?
- What’s one gift you’re secretly hoping to receive this year?
- What’s your favorite holiday movie or guilty pleasure watch?
- Ugly sweaters: are you in or out?
- What seasonal food or dessert do you look forward to every year?
- What holiday food deserves more hype?
- What song instantly puts you in a holiday mood?
- Hot chocolate or apple cider?
- What’s your favorite outdoor winter activity?
- What’s your favorite indoor activity when it’s too cold to go outside?
- Snow days or cozy rainy days?
- What’s your ideal way to spend a holiday weekend?
- What’s your favorite winter comfort food?
- What’s your go-to holiday snack while watching movies?
- What’s your favorite thing about winter?
- What’s your favorite holiday decoration?
- Where is your favorite place to spend the holidays?
- What’s your most memorable New Year’s Eve?
- What’s your favorite holiday scent: cookies, pine, fireplace or peppermint?
- If you could celebrate the holidays anywhere in the world, where would it be?
- What’s the earliest holiday decorations should go up?
- What’s one holiday tradition you would gladly skip forever?
- Real Christmas tree or artificial? Defend your choice.
- White lights or multicolored lights?
- Twinkling lights or static lights?
- Icicle lights: festive or tacky?
- When do you officially start listening to Christmas music?
- What’s your favorite Christmas song?
- What’s one holiday song you absolutely cannot stand?
- If there were only one thing under the tree for you this year, what would you hope it would be?
- Eggnog: delicious or absolutely not?
- Have you ever made hot cider at home?
- Have you ever roasted chestnuts on an open fire?
- Mistletoe: festive tradition or awkward tradition?
- Candy canes: overrated or iconic?
- Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer?
- If you were one of Santa’s reindeer, which would you be and why?
- Which character from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer do you relate to the most?
- Could our team name all 12 Days of Christmas together?
- Are you great at wrapping gifts, or do you rely on gift bags?
- If Santa didn’t have a sleigh, what would he drive instead?
- If you were one of Santa’s elves, what toy would you make?
- If you were Santa, would you give coal to the naughty list or something more creative?
- What’s your favorite Christmas cookie?
- What’s your favorite thing to do on Christmas Eve?
- What’s your favorite Christmas movie quote?
- What’s the most chaotic thing that has happened at one of your holiday celebrations?
Easy Office Holiday Party Games
Low-prep games you can run with paper, a whiteboard and a timer. They fit a small office, a lunch break or a last-minute party.
9. Holiday ABC Game
Everyone, or every department, gets a printed sheet and writes one holiday word for each letter from A to Z. The most creative list takes first place and the funniest list takes second.
10. Holiday Last Letter Game
Pick a category, such as presents, decorations or Christmas songs. The first player names something in it, and each next answer has to start with the last letter of the previous one: “Christmas tree” leads to “Elf on the Shelf.” Every answer has to fit the category.
11. Who Am I? Christmas Edition
Tape a card to each forehead naming a Christmas character, a movie icon or a silly idea like “overworked elf.” Players mingle and ask yes-or-no questions until they figure out who they are.
12. Christmas Charades
Write festive words, movie titles, songs and holiday activities on slips of paper: Frosty the Snowman, Home Alone, The Grinch, Elf, Santa’s workshop, wrapping gifts in a hurry, Santa stuck in a chimney. Players act them out silently while their team guesses. It needs almost no equipment, and bigger crowds make for louder guessing.
13. Holiday Pictionary Relay
Teams of four to six take turns drawing prompts like a gingerbread house, carolers or Santa on vacation on a whiteboard or pad, with one minute to guess. In the relay version, the next player draws only after the team guesses the current phrase. Enthusiasm beats artistic skill, and nobody should be forced to draw: teams pick their own artists. For a phone version, try our Pictionary game.
14. Guess the Gift
One person thinks of a present. Everyone else takes turns asking yes-or-no questions, 20 Questions style, to narrow it down. For extra fun, the leader sends the real gift to whoever guesses it.
15. Christmas Plot or Not
Read a vague synopsis of a Christmas movie. The group decides whether the film is real or made up. The vaguer the synopsis, the harder the call.
16. Christmas Riddle Race
Give each team a stack of riddles about carols, festive objects and characters like Santa and Rudolph, and see who solves the most before time runs out. It needs little space and no craft supplies, so it suits tight venues.
17. Guess the Number Jar
Fill a jar with candy canes, marshmallows or mini ornaments. Guests write down their guesses, and the closest one wins a prize. A no-stress filler between bigger activities.
18. Santa Hat Hot Potato
Players stand in a circle and pass a Santa hat while holiday music plays. When the music stops, whoever holds the hat does a quick festive task, like a quick Jingle Bells dance, a Santa impression or naming three holiday movies in under five seconds.
Christmas Trivia Games for the Office
Team trivia is the easiest main game to run well. Seat teams of four to six that mix departments, project the questions, keep a visible scoreboard and announce the winner with some ceremony.
19. Holiday Trivia in Rounds
Run three or four short rounds of about ten questions each:
- General knowledge: winter around the world, traditions and fun facts about the season.
- Holiday films and music: classics plus a few new releases.
- Picture round: images teams have to identify.
- The company’s year: launches, moves and fun facts about the office.
Mix easy and hard questions. Keep the company round free of in-jokes so new hires can win, and add winter traditions beyond Christmas, such as Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, New Year and the winter solstice. In a big room, check the host has a working mic.
20. Christmas Movie Emoji Quiz
Show 15 to 20 emoji strings that spell out films like Elf, Home Alone or The Grinch, about 30 seconds each. Teams write their answers and you reveal them at the end. Mix in a few non-holiday films so everyone has a chance.
21. Guess the Year: Company Timeline
Show company moments such as the first office, a product launch or an old team photo. Teams write the year: exact answers score highest, near misses score less. Fact-check every date before the party, and keep the focus on the company rather than singling out long-tenure colleagues.
22. Name the Christmas Movie
Describe a scene or quote a line from a holiday film, and teams name the movie. Add songs and TV specials for variety. The top scorer wins a holiday prize.
To skip writing the questions, use the AI Quiz mode in the RoomPlay Quiz: each player suggests a topic, such as Christmas movies or winter traditions, the AI writes questions on them, and everyone answers on their own phone.
Everyone suggests a holiday topic, the AI writes the questions and players answer on their phones.
Christmas Music Games for the Office Party
Music games set the holiday mood fast. Keep the volume comfortable, skip explicit lyrics and do not play the same carols all night: not everybody loves them.
23. Guess the Christmas Song
Play 15 to 20 short intros, three to five seconds each, from songs like “All I Want for Christmas Is You,” “Jingle Bells” and “Little Drummer Boy.” Teams write down the title and the artist: one point for each, plus a bonus for the release year. For laughs, throw in jazz, metal or elevator-music versions. You can also have people guess from a few lines of lyrics or from someone humming.
24. Christmas Song Scramble
Scramble the letters of popular Christmas song titles and put them on the screen. The first correct answer earns a point. It works with movie titles and other holiday words too.
25. Random Carol Karaoke
Split guests into small groups and assign each a random holiday carol. Give them a few minutes to rehearse, then every group performs for the room. A classic karaoke contest with a DJ or karaoke versions from YouTube works too.
26. Holiday Lip Sync Battle
Volunteers pick a popular holiday song and lip-sync it on stage with Santa hats and hairbrush microphones. Bonus points for full commitment.
27. Carol Mashup Challenge
Give each team two classic carols and some time to combine their lyrics and melodies into one new song. Teams perform, and the room votes for the funniest or most creative.
Want the song round without the playlist prep? The Name That Tune game plays the clips and keeps score for you.
Short song clips, guesses on every phone and points for the fastest ear.
Funny Christmas Games for the Office Party
These are the ones people take pictures of. Keep them PG, give shy people a supporting role, and reward effort more than talent.
28. Ugly Sweater Contest and Runway Walk
Guests walk a runway in their ugliest Christmas sweaters, antlers and Santa hats while holiday music plays. Award categories like Funniest Sweater, Most Creative DIY, Most Festive Spirit, Best Team Coordination, Eco-Friendly/Upcycled, Best Use of Unnecessary Glitter and Executive’s Choice. Keep a box of loaner sweaters and decorating supplies for last-minute entries, and let the room vote from their phones.
29. Human Christmas Tree
Each team picks a volunteer who loves the spotlight and decorates them with tinsel, bows, garlands and battery fairy lights. The finished trees walk the runway.
30. Dress Like an Elf, Santa or a Reindeer
Ask managers, or the whole office, to come dressed as Santa. Less adventurous guests can wear an elf hat or reindeer ears. It breaks the ice before any game starts.
31. Christmas Minute to Win It
Set up four to six stations with 60-second challenges and let teams rotate. Ideas that work at the office:
- Stack plastic cups into a Christmas tree.
- Move marshmallows from bowl to bowl with chopsticks.
- Balance ornaments on popsicle sticks or build the tallest ornament tower.
- Move cotton balls with a spoon.
- Wrap a teammate as a snowman in toilet paper.
- Decorate a cookie blindfolded.
- Unscramble holiday phrases, including company terms.
Score on speed and accuracy. Teams choose who plays each station, so nobody is pushed into one. For hygiene, skip mouth-based versions (straws, spoons held in teeth) at work, and include a few one-handed challenges that can be played seated and score the same. Remote players can join with household items.
32. Reindeer Ring Toss
One player wears inflatable reindeer antlers, and teammates take turns tossing rings onto them. Great for photos.
33. Snowball Toss
Toss soft white balls, cotton balls or balled-up paper into buckets set at different distances, or run it as a relay while the team cheers.
34. Candy Cane Relay
Two teams line up, each player holding a candy cane. Players hook the next cane onto theirs and pass it down the line until each team has one long chain. Use hands, not mouths, to keep it work-appropriate, or pass a single cane using only spoons.
35. Stocking Stuffing Relay
Teams race back and forth across the room carrying candy canes, tiny ornaments, tinsel and mini Santa hats to fill stockings on the far wall.
36. Festive Photo Booth Challenge
Stock a booth with oversized candy canes, elf hats, silly glasses and fake snow. Teams compete for Most Festive, Funniest Group Shot and Best Use of a Random Prop. For a self-service booth, add a winter backdrop, a ring light, props sorted into labeled bins, a full-length mirror and phone tripods, plus a QR code for instant sharing and a digital gallery after the event.
37. Holiday Photo Scavenger Hunt
Give teams a list of photo prompts, such as “someone in the most sparkly outfit” or “recreate a scene from a holiday movie,” and let them race around the party.
38. Santa’s Workshop Pitch
A holiday version of Shark Tank. Teams pitch a new toy to judges playing Santa, Mrs. Claus and the head elf, who decide whether it gets made. The best idea wins.
39. The Naughty List
A holiday take on Never Have I Ever. Everyone holds up five fingers, and players take turns naming something about gifts or holiday habits they have never done. Anyone who has done it lowers a finger, and the last person with fingers up wins.
40. Guess the Christmas Baby
Collect baby photos, ideally Christmas ones, before the party. Show them one by one and let everyone guess who is who. Most correct guesses wins.
41. Holiday Superlatives
Create lighthearted award categories like Best Holiday Outfit or Most Likely to Bust a Move on the Dance Floor, collect anonymous votes and hand out the awards in a short ceremony. Keep categories flattering: roasts that single people out tend to backfire at work.
Team Building Christmas Games for Work
Challenges where a team has to plan, split tasks and talk to each other. Divide people into balanced teams that mix departments and personalities, and pair quieter people with enthusiastic teammates.
42. Holiday Scavenger Hunt
Hide ornaments, candy canes, paper Christmas trees and clues around the office, each clue leading to the next spot. Add live tasks like “find someone singing a carol” or “spot the ugliest sweater.” Hide a few bonus canes in odd places, under monitors or in drawers. The winning team gets festive prizes or first dibs at the hot cocoa bar.
43. Gift-Wrap Relay
Each team gets an empty box or a random awkward object, wrapping paper or newspaper, string, ribbon and tape, and a timer. Judge on neatness and security, or give a prize for the most memorably awful job.
44. Gingerbread Build
Teams of three to five get a kit, a theme and 30 minutes. Judge on design, structure and teamwork, then display the houses, or have everyone collaborate on one gingerbread town. Check kits for allergens (milk, eggs, fish, shellfish, tree nuts, peanuts, wheat, soy and sesame) and offer a non-food option. For low-mobility guests, use pre-assembled bases; for remote teams, ship mini kits ahead so they build on camera at the same time.
45. Mini Tree Decorating Contest
Give each team a small artificial tree, a theme card and a basic decoration kit. Allow 15 minutes to plan, 20 to decorate and 10 for presentations and judging, ideally by guest judges from leadership. Award Most Festive, Most Creative and Funniest Theme.
46. Ornament Making Challenge
Stock each table with plain or clear ornaments, paint pens, ribbon, beads and glue. Teams decorate, then present their ornaments with a made-up backstory.
47. Desk Decorating Competition
Assign themes such as Winter Wonderland, Santa’s Workshop, Candy Cane Lane or Chaotic Christmas. Judges tour the desks and score creativity, originality and festive impact. The office stays cheerful all season.
48. Cookie Decorating Contest
Each player gets a plain gingerbread man or sugar cookie, icing, sprinkles and ten minutes. Judge Most Creative and Most Christmassy, then everyone eats their entry.
49. Marshmallow Tower
Teams build the tallest freestanding tower they can from marshmallows and candy canes against a strict time limit.
50. Holiday Escape Box
Turn a conference room into an escape room, or hand each team of four to six a tabletop escape kit. Hide a puzzle inside a stocking, offer hints at set times and test the kit yourself first. The first team to open the final lock wins.
51. Christmas Murder Mystery
Assign character roles and release clues throughout the night until the teams name the culprit. Two themes that suit an office: “Death by Eggnog,” a beginner-friendly office party mystery for 8 to 10 characters that runs 45 to 60 minutes, and “The Case of the Missing Bonus,” an intermediate 90-minute mystery set at North Pole headquarters with Santa’s management team as the suspects. Send roles at least two weeks ahead with backstories and optional costume ideas, and print physical clue cards. On the night, let someone other than the party host be the game master, run timed reveal rounds, set up prop and evidence stations and finish with a grand reveal.
52. Survey Showdown
Send an anonymous survey a week before the party and tally the top answers. At the party, two teams take turns guessing the most popular answers, Family Feud style, with scores on the screen. Ask about tastes and trivia only, never about coworkers.
Ready-made survey questions with the top answers already counted. No survey to send.
53. Build a Reindeer
Teams hunt the room for listed items like antlers, red ribbon and bells, then race to assemble the most creative reindeer from what they found.
54. Ugly Sweater Design Challenge
Hand out plain sweaters and craft supplies. Teams have a set time to make the most outrageous festive sweater, and the room or a panel of judges picks winners.
55. Holiday Food Art
Give each team a platter of cookies, pretzels and candy canes to turn into an edible winter scene. Award prizes for creativity, presentation and taste.
56. Paper Snowflake or Wreath Design-Off
Paper, scissors, glue, ribbon and a 15 to 20 minute timer. Judge categories like Most Detailed and Most Creative, and hang the results as decor. Easy-grip or safety scissors and pre-cut shapes make it work for everyone, and skip glitter unless the venue allows it.
57. Wish Tree
Set up a tree and blank ornaments. Guests write a holiday wish on each, then teams decorate the tree together.
58. Human Candy Cane Forest
Blindfolded teammates stand in a circle holding each other’s shoulders and try to untangle without letting go or peeking. It takes trust and clear communication, so keep the floor clear.
Bonus: Charity Games
The holiday season is a natural time to give back, so turn one challenge into a charity activity, with teams working toward a donation or a community cause instead of a prize.
Christmas Party Games for Large Groups at the Office
With 80 or more guests, run games from the stage or screen, let each table play as a team and show the scores to the room. For 10 to 30 people, play tournament style; for 30 to 75, rotate teams through stations every 10 minutes; for 75 and up, set up several identical stations.
59. Christmas Office Bingo
Print cards with festive words and moments: reindeer, mistletoe, ugly sweater, “someone hums a carol.” Call items as the night goes on, and the first full line wins a mini gingerbread kit or a gag gift. Let the winner ring jingle bells so the whole room hears it.
60. Live Phone Quiz on the Big Screen
Display a join code, run 10 to 15 questions and show the leaderboard after each round. It handles 30 to 500 players. Load-test the venue Wi-Fi beforehand and keep paper answer sheets for anyone without a phone.
61. True or False Cards
Read a statement about the season or the company year. Everyone raises one of two colored cards or a hand, the host reveals the truth, and players keep their own score. Nobody has to stand up.
62. Table vs. Table Trivia
The trivia rounds from above, scaled up: each table is a team, answers go on one sheet, and totals are shown on screen between rounds.
63. Christmas Carnival
Set up carnival stations around the room: ring toss onto mini Christmas trees, a cotton snowball throw and a spin-the-wheel for holiday prizes. Guests drift between them at their own pace.
64. Team Leaderboard Night
Split the whole company into teams that earn points for every game, puzzle or task of the evening, then reveal the final leaderboard at the end.
65. Prize Draw Tied to the Games
Hand out a ticket for each game a guest takes part in, watching included, and draw winners at the end. Keep entry free, never sell tickets and check your state and local rules on raffles and prize draws.
66. Christmas Talent Show
Volunteers sing, dance, do comedy or tell a story. Keep it strictly voluntary, and coworkers may discover a hidden talent or two.
Free Virtual Holiday Party Ideas for Work
These holiday virtual team building activities keep remote and hybrid teams part of the celebration, and many of them need nothing but a video call. They help remote colleagues build relationships, get people who rarely interact talking, give everyone a say and lift morale at the end of the year. For prizes, use e-gift cards or holiday surprises shipped to the winners. If the budget allows, ship activity boxes to remote workers, offer digital photo booth backgrounds, livestream the in-office contests and record highlights for anyone who cannot attend. Give remote players their own team instead of attaching them to a table in the room, test the link with a remote colleague first, pick a time that works across time zones and keep cameras optional.
67. Virtual White Elephant
One person shares a screen while an online white elephant tool walks everyone through picking numbers, opening, stealing and swapping. Winners get their gifts shipped after the game.
68. Jingle Mingle Bingo
Make bingo cards with a free generator. In the mingle version, players can mark a square only after finding a colleague who matches it. For a big call, split into breakout rooms with one winner per room.
69. At-Home Scavenger Hunt
Share a list of holiday items to find at home or around the office. Whoever finds the most within the time limit wins. It is short and simple, so it is a good mood-setter at the start of the call.
70. Online Quiz with Breakout Huddles
Ask each question in the main room, send teams to breakouts for about a minute to agree, and collect answers in a quiz app. Show scores between rounds. Streamed audio can lag, so remote teams answer music rounds in chat and are scored separately.
71. Virtual Charades and Whiteboard Pictionary
Spotlight the performer’s video so everyone watches the same person, or send the drawer a private prompt and use the shared whiteboard. Teams guess aloud or in chat. Allow typing or emoji instead of drawing for anyone who prefers it.
72. Show Something Festive
Volunteers show one festive object on their desk, such as a mug, a plant or a card, for a few seconds each. A festive virtual background counts. Mention it in the invite so people come prepared.
73. Virtual Secret Santa
Use a gift exchange site to draw names and share wish lists under a set budget. Plan the timeline so gifts arrive before the party, then everyone opens theirs on camera and guesses who their Secret Santa was.
74. Christmas Costume Competition
Announce it in advance to build excitement. Everyone dresses as a Christmas icon, character or object, explains the costume on camera, and the team votes for a winner.
75. Holiday Paint and Sip
Ship small canvases, paints and brushes ahead of time. One person leads a painting tutorial while the rest paint and sip, then everyone shows off their work.
76. Gingerbread Workshop or DIY Ornaments
Send kits or craft supplies in advance and build together on the call. Hold up the results, vote for a favorite and give the winner a prize.
77. Design a Holiday Card
In breakout rooms, teams use the whiteboard to design the best, the worst or a themed holiday card within a time limit. Back in the main room, the card that best meets the brief wins.
78. Holiday Make a Story
Pick a theme, like Santa’s workshop going wrong, with elves shrinking the decorations or reindeer going on strike. Participants take numbered turns adding a sentence each, and the story gets sillier as it goes.
79. Recipe Exchange, Movie Night and Karaoke
Swap Christmas recipes before the party and cook them together on camera. Or let the team vote on a holiday movie and watch it together with snacks, or share a list of Christmas karaoke tracks and take turns performing, with a prize for the best act.
Secret Santa and White Elephant at Work
A gift exchange is the classic holiday party game for work, and it keeps the excitement going all evening.
80. Secret Santa or White Elephant
Secret Santa: each person draws a coworker’s name and buys a gift within a shared price limit. Make the reveal a mini ceremony where givers drop hints, or hold a “guess your Santa” round. Themes like homemade gifts, desk accessories or funny office supplies make shopping easier.
White Elephant: everyone brings one wrapped gift. In turn, players either unwrap a new present or steal one that has already been opened, so the best gifts change hands all night. Office supplies, mugs, desk decor and small gadgets are safe picks.
Office rules for both: make participation optional, since some people would rather not be told to buy gifts. Set a clear budget, keep gifts PG and workplace-appropriate, and consider banning food and alcohol as gifts to avoid problems.
Tips for Hosting Office Holiday Party Games
Before the party. Choose the game list, gather materials and map out the schedule. Use a short questionnaire in the registration form to see what your team wants and tie games to the party theme. Use email for fun, not just logistics: eye-catching flyers and invites, a short teaser video, a simple email game like a “what would you look like as a snowman” avatar creator or a snowball or snow-plow cursor game, printable coloring sheets that become party decor (with an award for creativity), paper snowflake instructions so guests bring snowflakes to hang, and a vote on award categories like Best Department to Work In.
Teams. Random teams work better than department teams. Sort people by birthday month or favorite holiday movie, hand out color-coded name tags, or draw team names at the door.
Food. Offer gluten-free, vegan and nut-free options, label everything clearly and make non-food activities the main events. For a potluck, ask people to bring Christmas cuisine like hot chocolate, plum cake or gingerbread, or stick to a red, green and white color theme.
Opt-in, not mandatory. Set up opt-in stations rather than whole-group activities, offer observer roles in team games and keep a quiet area with board games or space for conversation.
During the party. Announce each game, explain the rules in a sentence or two, use a timer and keep score where everyone can see it. Use a designated host or volunteers to keep things moving. Cheer every attempt, keep games to about 30 minutes, and have a backup game ready in case one ends early or the room needs more energy. Between games, extras like Christmas carol karaoke, a dessert action station, a magician, make-your-own stations or a live band or string quartet keep the room busy.
Prizes. Small, useful and non-alcoholic works best: mini gingerbread kits, ornaments, gift cards or gag gifts. Team prizes, like breakfast delivered to the winning table, avoid singling anyone out.
Games to skip. Drinking games and alcohol forfeits, anything with physical contact for people who did not opt in, roasts and “most likely to” rounds that target individuals, personal-disclosure questions without a pass, and gambling with real money.
Common mistakes. Excluding people, skipping clear instructions, underestimating setup time and forgetting the festive props.
After the party. Send a quick survey asking for the favorite activity and ideas for next year, frame a group photo for the office and share the award winners in the team chat. Digital awards can go on LinkedIn or into email signature banners.
Looking for more? Our list of Christmas party games for office parties has more Xmas games for the office, our guide to icebreaker games has work-friendly openers for any time of year, and the RoomPlay games catalog lists every party game you can run from a browser.