Get Festive With These 12 Days Of Christmas Ideas For Employees

According to statistics, 85% of Americans celebrate Christmas. With this holiday being a big part of many people’s lives, planning unique festivities at the office can be challenging. After all, haven’t we pretty much “seen it all” when it comes to celebrations?‍

However, don’t think about scrapping your end-of-the-year office party! We’ll help you get festive with these 12 days of Christmas ideas for employees. They are sure to help you boost morale and lift your employees’ jolly spirits as your office winds down for the holidays.‍

Importantly, our 12 days of Christmas ideas will make your employees feel rewarded and appreciated for their hard work during the year.

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When Should You Start The 12 Days Of Christmas At The Office?

Traditionally, the 12 days of Christmas start on Christmas day and continue until 6 January. However, it may not be easy to celebrate the 12 days in a work situation unless you work through the festive season.‍

Instead of starting on Christmas day, you could begin 12 days before the company's closing date. It’ll ensure that you end the year off on a festive bang.

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12 Days Of Christmas Ideas For Employees: How To Celebrate

If you would like to spoil your employees this festive season but are unsure how to do it, we've got you covered. Have a look at our ideas for 12 days of Christmas for employees. Be prepared to organize some of these tasks well before the actual day. 

Day 1: Office Desk Decoration

Start getting your employees into the festive season by letting them decorate their workspace. They can use whatever decorations they want, from ornaments to lights to candy canes. Let their creativity shine with this inspiring Christmas activity.

Day 2: Festive Messages

On day two, let your employees spread their festive cheer to everyone around them. Spray your windows with snow spray and let your team write cheerful Christmas messages to each other.

Day 3: Decorate Cookies

Nothing beats the smell of freshly baked cookies during the holiday season. Bake cookies together if you have an equipped kitchen at work. If not, arrange a zoom session where everyone logs in from home to bake and share the experience online.  ‍

If possible, provide a bunch of festive decorating ingredients and tools, from icing to sprinkles and piping tools, so that everyone can get creative. 

Day 4: Ugly Sweater Day

Laugh with your employees and encourage them to wear the ugliest Christmas sweater they can find. Those ugly sweaters are conversation starters and are guaranteed to create photo-worthy memories.

Day 5: Snowman Building

If you are lucky enough to have a snowy day, try building your coworkers as snowmen. Gather some accessories and ask employees to bring their favorite tie or jacket and let their colleagues recreate them as snowmen. ‍

Take group or solo photos of your employees with their snowmen counterparts.‍

This task is a guaranteed team builder.

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Related: What To Write In Employee Christmas Cards?

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Day 6: Christmas In It To Win It

Play a little Christmas-themed game guaranteed to get the competitiveness rolling like a snowball. It’s straightforward to set up. Here are some Christmas-themed ideas to get your creative eggnogs flowing:

Snowball Toss 

Throw a snowball through a Christmas wreath to earn points.

Reindeer Ring Toss

Take turns nominating someone to wear the reindeer horns. Each person takes a turn to toss a ring onto the horns. They receive a point for each successful throw.

Day 7: Christmas For The Community

Christmas is a time of giving; unfortunately, some people could use the help, whether it’s food or clothing. It’ll be an excellent opportunity for your team to bond while giving back to the community.‍

Choose a charity beforehand that means a lot to you and your team. Set up a box or a space where everyone can place their donated items.‍

Organize a day when you can drop off the collected goods at your charity of choice. Go as a group. Feel the love as you witness the smiles on the faces of those who received your gifts.

Day 8: Christmas Photo Booth

What better way to show off your company culture than to arrange a Christmas photo booth? Arrange a few costumes and props, perhaps even a selfie frame. Here are some prop ideas to get you started:

• Santa hats

• Santa beards

• Elf ears

• Reindeer hats

• Fake presents‍

Employees will jump at the chance to take funny photos with their favorite colleagues. Don't forget to post them on social media!

Day 9: Ornament Exchange

Get your employees to wrap and bring an ornament. Bonus points if the decoration is a funny one. ‍

There are so many ways you can choose to do this. One way is to number each gift. An employee comes up and draws a number and unwraps that gift. Let them draw again if they pick their own gift.

Day 10: Christmas With The Family

A great way to show employee appreciation in a smaller company is to treat their children. Invite employees to bring their kids to work. Find out how many will be attending so you can prepare. Organize a Santa to hand out small gifts to them.‍

It is a great way to encourage a family vibe over Christmas time. Your employees will appreciate your effort.

Day 11: Hot Chocolate Bar

Who doesn't love good old hot chocolate during the snowy winter months? The sweet tooths in the office will appreciate this. Gather a whole bunch of ingredients to create your own hot chocolate beverages. Here are some ingredient ideas:

• Marshmallows

• Cocoa powder

• Whipped Cream

• Sprinkles

This event pairs well with custom mug gifts, cookies, and wearing PJs to the office.

Day 12: Time Capsule

Keep this activity for when you wrap up the 12 days of celebrations, and thank everyone for their hard work during the year. Set up a time capsule where everyone predicts what will happen next year. Open the time capsule again at the end of next year and see who got it right.

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Final Thoughts

We hope our 12 days of Christmas ideas for employees will make your year-end celebrations the most memorable yet. Of course, it helps to get input from your team and see if they have anything to add to the line-up. ‍

Showing your appreciation during the festive season will go a long way with your employees. It helps each individual feel like a valued member of the company. Plus, ending the year with a festive bang will help motivate everyone for the new year's challenges.