Festive Games & Activities to Bring Your Office Party to Life

The annual office Christmas party is more than just a dinner—it’s the perfect opportunity to boost team morale, encourage connection, and celebrate a year of hard work. To turn your event from a simple social gathering into a high-energy team away day, all you need is a strategic injection of festive games and activities. 

Here is Corporate Away Day's guide to the best games, from competitive challenges to collaborative workshops, that are guaranteed to spread holiday cheer! 

Competitive & High-Energy Challenges 

These games work perfectly for pre- or post-dinner entertainment and are ideal for getting the energy up. 

• Ugly Sweater Contest: A timeless classic that encourages creativity and humour. Award prizes for categories like "Tackiest," "Most Creative," or "Most Lights" as voted by the party-goers. 
• Festive Minute to Win It: Set up quick, timed challenges based around seasonal themes. 
• Cookie Face: Placing a miniature cookie on your forehead and moving it to your mouth without using hands. 
• Snowball Shake: Taping a tissue box filled with ping pong balls to a person's lower back and having them shake the "snowballs" out in under 60 seconds. 
• The Great Wrap Battle: Pit teams or individuals against the clock to wrap a notoriously difficult item (like a football or an oddly shaped bottle). Points can be awarded for speed and finesse. 
• Ornament 'n' Spoon Race: A holiday twist on the classic egg and spoon race, using ornaments instead of eggs. Just be sure to use non-breakable baubles! 

Collaborative & Creative Team Builders 

These activities promote deeper teamwork and leave guests with a sense of accomplishment or a fun keepsake. 

• Gingerbread House Decorating Contest: Divide participants into teams, provide kits, and set a time limit to build the most imaginative and festive gingerbread house. This is an excellent way to foster teamwork and resource allocation. 
• Holiday-Themed Escape Room: Engage your colleagues with an immersive "Escape the North Pole" or other festive escape room challenge. Teams must collaborate, solve puzzles, and crack codes to "save Christmas". 
• Charity Bake-Off: Host a festive bake-off where teams compete to whip up tasty dishes, which can then be judged by colleagues. This activity blends team bonding with a great charitable component. 
• Wreath or Ornament Making: Provide simple craft supplies for a calming and tactile workshop where team members can create their own festive wreaths or ornaments to take home. 

Low-Key & Knowledge-Based Fun 

These games are perfect for playing between dinner courses or for a relaxed, fun networking environment. 

• Holiday Trivia Challenge: Test your team's knowledge with rounds covering Christmas movies, music (use a "Name That Tune" format), carols, and pop culture. 
• Two Truths and a Lie – Holiday Edition: A standard icebreaker where each person states three facts about themselves, one of which isn't true, and the rest of the group guesses the lie. 
• Forbidden Words: Give each guest a holiday-themed necklace and a list of "forbidden words" (e.g., "Santa," "present," "work"). If a player overhears another saying a forbidden word, they claim the necklace, adding a layer of competitive listening throughout the night. 
• Christmas Movie Emoji Riddle: Challenge your team to decipher Christmas movie titles or song lyrics represented entirely by emojis. 

Let Corporate Away Day Plan the Fun 

Choosing the right activities is key, but so is choosing the right venue that has the space and flexibility to host them! 

At CorporateAwayDay.com, we provide a free venue-finding service to ensure your chosen London, Manchester, or Dublin venue is perfectly suited for your event's flow. We can even source local suppliers for specialised activities, from cocktail-making workshops to photographers. 

Enquire today and let us help you plan a Christmas party that is packed with competitive fun, creative challenges, and unforgettable team memories!