12 Days of Christmas
The holidays is the most wonderful time of the year. A perfect time to boost morale in the office with your employees and/or co-workers. Exchanging gifts, fun surprises, and gingerbread house building are some of the few ways to reward everyone for all of their hard work during the year. Today, we took the time to curate a “12 Days of Christmas” list that you can use!
Day 1: Decorate the Office. Start things off with a cubicle, desk, or office decorating contest! Lights, custom Christmas ornaments, and lights are just a few of the things needed to transform your office space into your personal Winter Wonderland. Make it a friendly competition or come together as a department to decorate the entire space. Offer prizes such as tech accessories, or a personal gift that members of the winning team would like on their Secret Santa list.
Day 2: Ugly Sweater Day. One of my favorite days and also one of the most memorable! Host an ugly sweater competition where employees can show their sweaters in their most craziest colors. Having categories such as “Ugliest Sweater” and “Most Festive” and “Most Creative”. The prizes you can offer includes beanies, holiday gift boxes, and/or fashionable apparel or accessories.
Day 3: Hot Chocolate Bar. It’s time to bring out the marshmallows, cocoa powder, candy canes, and whipped cream. Hosting a hot chocolate party is always a sweet time! To make things even more interesting, gift your co-workers custom mugs they can use and take home as a keepsake. Christmas cookies pairs well with hot chocolate.
Day 4: Donate to Charity. Take the time to donate toys to a local non-profit or donate food to the local pantry. Every year Toys for Tots open their applications and locations for toys to be donated during the holidays. Find your nearest drop-off location and be a blessing to somebody during the holidays!
Day 5: Decorate Gingerbread Houses. Gingerbread house decorating competitions are joyous and quite friendly. Table setups should include sprinkles, icing, candy toppings, and gingerbread. Categories should include “Most Creative” or “Most Jolly”.
Day 6: Pajama Day. Of course we have to make sure the pajama fits are still appropriate for the work place. Pajama Day is a day where everyone is very comfortable. A great day to enjoy the first 5 days thus far. Get yourself some hot chocolate and enjoy!
Day 7: Holiday Trivia Challenge. Have everyone split into teams and quiz them on different holiday movie quotes, traditions, and holiday songs. Another engaging way to bring some friendly competition to the office. And you can customize the holiday movie trivia games according to the culture of your office. Also offer prizes like holiday gift baskets, custom journals, etc.
Day 8: Secret Santa Gift Exchange. Secret Santa is a classic way to bring some excitement to the holiday season. Set a budget that works for everyone and have everyone to draw random names for the exchanging of gifts. Gifts include new phone chargers, cufflinks, stanley cups, or holiday-themed treats. These are some great ways that boost the comradery in the office. Great surprises bringing great laughter and fun.
Day 9: Stocking Fillings. Everybody needs to have Christmas stockings that are stuffed with small treats, and you can either exchange them or surprise one another with even more treats inside throughout the day. Make sure the gifts are budget friendly so that everyone can enjoy. a good 5-6 treats should make everybody’s day a bit brighter!
Day 10: Christmas Caroling. There are so many ways to handle this day! Break everyone up into groups or departments and have “Christmas Choir Competitions” and you can also see who’s the best solo performer. And you can use Christmas songs from different era’s and artists based on the culture of your office.
Day 11: Ornament Exchange. When it comes to the ornament exchange, everyone needs to bring their own. Art supplies need to be provided, which will allow everyone to get creative! Arrange an ornament decorating station in the break room. And once that is done, have everyone to place them on the tree. Take turns selecting them at random.
Day 12: Christmas Party/ Reception. Ending the 12 days of Christmas with an office holiday party is the only way to wrap things up! It doesn’t matter if the party is formal, semi formal, or even a casual potluck. This is the best time to reflect on the year and look forward to the future. Hand out different treat bags, custom calendars for the upcoming year, or notebooks to show your appreciation. End the holiday season on a high note!
Photo Credit: PicMe Photobooth - @picme_atl