Last minute work Christmas party ideas

Are you the office social organiser? Still looking for fun work Christmas party games and activities? We’ve got you. Oh, the pressure of making everyone happy, having a genuine laugh and not feeling awkward. What started as a fun activity on your to-do list is turning into something you dread picking up. Sound familiar? If so, here are some fast and easy ideas for you:

 

On your feet

Play to your colleagues’ competitive spirits and let them enjoy a good, well-reasoned fight:

• Start slow and break the ice with a pass-the-parcel round. Like you did when you were children, sit on the floor in a big circle and pass the secret Santa presents from one another. It’ll be fun seeing a present that’s meant for someone specific end up in a completely different person’s hands.
• Let them obsess with some tricky art and crafts time. The challenge is to rip coloured papers in different shapes while being blindfolded – think of a Santa Claus hat, Christmas tree, or star. Here’s an extra option to make it more interactive: get one “helper” to give instructions to the blindfolded player; it just adds to the laughs.

 

Questions, questions

There is always that colleague who leaves you blown away with their general knowledge. Let them shine in a Christmas quiz, and who knows—you might discover more brainboxes hiding in the shadows! No time to create a quiz from scratch? You can find plenty of inspiration online. You don’t need to keep it as a straight quiz either. Think about the fun stuff you’ve seen on TV. Perhaps a fun spin on Family Fortunes might get everyone laughing. If you’re having a virtual Christmas do, a Murder Mystery would definitely keep everyone engaged.

 

Hands-on 

If you are a creative bunch, then why not step up your craft game and consider a more hands-on activity? From gingerbread house building and wreath decorating to painting, pottery or knitting, there are so many crafty activities to choose from. Activities like these could help your staff unwind, have a laugh and a chat and spend quality time together. Not only that, but because there’s usually a resident expert running the activity, your team could end up learning something new that they’ll love. 

 

Do-good

Embrace the Christmas spirit and use all your festive energy for something good. Several charities organise gift-giving for children in need every year. Who knows, with that extra purpose you may even enjoy the gift wrapping! You could hold a wrap race where the fastest wrapping isn’t always the winner—adding bonus points for the neatest job.

Or, what about a dodgy Christmas jumper themed party? Turn it into a competition, then people can vote for their favourite one with a little donation and send the money raised to a charity. 

Let’s not forget that the enthusiasm for doing something together as a team shouldn’t put any extra burden on any of your employees. Instead of Secret Santa, try a Stocking Stuffer station where people can fill their stockings with whatever they like rather than spending money on presents that might go unused. Think of sweets, ornaments, socks, Christmas card packs, mini plants, office gadgets and organisers. Offering a hand with the weekly shopping could also be a massive help this year, by letting them choose between Asda for business gift cards and corporate e-gift cards to give them all the choice—and value—that they could want.