Christmas contest ideas for work: a door decorating contest and 20 more
Door ideas that win, 20 more contests with rules and judging, and a ballot you can print. Every idea is work-safe and cheap to run.
The Christmas door decorating contest is the office classic, so it comes first here: 25 door ideas sorted into funny, classic, team doors and cubicles with no door at all, each with what you need. After that come 20 more Christmas contest ideas for the office, from a cookie bake-off to a six-word story, with rules and a way to judge each one, plus how to keep voting fair, a printable ballot, prize ideas and remote versions.
Christmas door decorating contest: 25 ideas
Most of these need little more than paper, tape and battery lights. Check your building's rules on lights and fire exits before anyone starts.
Funny Christmas door decorating ideas
The ones people stop to photograph. A joke everyone gets in two seconds beats a clever one that needs explaining.
1. Santa stuck in the door. Santa's legs and boots dangle from the top of the frame, as if he missed the chimney.You need: Red pants stuffed with paper, black boots or paper boots, tape.
2. The Grinch was here. Empty hooks, a half-stolen garland and a green hand reaching in from the edge.You need: Green paper, a cut garland and a list of what he 'took'.
3. Santa's out-of-office. A giant printed auto-reply: away from the North Pole until December 26, contact Mrs. Claus.You need: A poster-size printout and a Santa hat on the frame.
4. Reindeer parking only. A parking sign, painted bays and a trail of hoofprints leading to the door.You need: A printed sign, white tape and paper hoofprints.
5. Do not disturb: Santa napping. A sleeping Santa face, a pillow and big paper Zzz floating up the door.You need: Felt or paper for the face, cotton for the beard.
6. Tangled lights. One enormous knot of paper Christmas lights and a sign reading 'help wanted'.You need: Colored paper bulbs and black yarn.
7. The printer's naughty list. A long scroll naming the office printer, the coffee machine and the slowest elevator.You need: A roll of paper and a quill drawn in marker.
Classic Christmas door ideas
Traditional looks that win on craft: clean lines, bold color and nothing peeling at the corners.
8. Ornament wreath. A full wreath of shatterproof ornaments glued into a ring, hung at eye level.You need: 40 to 60 plastic ornaments, a foam ring, a glue gun.
9. Paper triangle tree. Stacked green paper triangles, paper baubles and a gold star at the top.You need: Green, gold and red card stock.
10. Giant poinsettia. One red paper poinsettia that fills the door, with yellow centers and green leaves.You need: Red and green card stock, yellow pom-poms.
11. Holly and berry frame. Paper holly leaves and red berries around the frame with a short greeting in the middle.You need: Green paper leaves, red pom-poms, a printed greeting.
12. Snowy village skyline. A navy background, white dot snow and a black paper skyline of roofs and chimneys.You need: Navy paper, black card stock, a white paint pen.
13. Christmas card door. The door becomes a giant card with a cover design and a message inside a hinged flap.You need: Poster board, tape hinges and markers.
Door ideas that feature the whole team
Judges love a door with every teammate on it, and it gives remote people a part to play.
14. Team ornament tree. A paper tree hung with round ornaments, each framing one teammate's photo.You need: A photo of everyone and green paper.
15. Team wins light string. A string of paper bulbs, each with one thing the team achieved this year written on it.You need: Paper bulbs, black yarn and a marker.
16. Elf team portraits. Paper elf bodies with each teammate's face on top, lined up like a team page.You need: Face photos, printed elf outfits.
17. Sleigh team roster. Santa's sleigh pulled by reindeer, each labeled with a teammate's name and job.You need: Brown and red paper, name labels.
18. Gingerbread team lineup. A row of gingerbread cutouts, each decorated by a different teammate.You need: Brown card stock and white paint pens.
19. Dear Santa, from the team. A giant letter where every teammate adds one work wish, like a faster laptop.You need: A poster-size letter template and markers.
Ideas for a cubicle without a door
Open-plan offices can still enter: these build a 'door' on a cubicle opening or panel.
20. Ribbon curtain doorway. Strands of ribbon or tinsel hung across the cubicle opening as a door you walk through.You need: A tension rod or a strip of tape, ribbon.
21. Pretend paper door. A full-size paper door with a knob and a tiny wreath taped to the outside panel.You need: Kraft paper, a paper knob, a mini wreath.
22. Garland arch. Garland bent into an arch over the cubicle entrance, held by binder clips.You need: Six feet of garland and binder clips.
23. Doormat and jingle doorbell. A festive doormat at the entrance and a jingle bell on a ribbon to 'ring' before you enter.You need: A small doormat, bells, ribbon.
24. Paper star canopy. Strings of paper stars clipped across the top of the cubicle walls.You need: Card stock stars, string and clips.
25. Marquee name sign. The cubicle owner's name in paper marquee letters wrapped in battery fairy lights.You need: Card stock letters and battery lights.
What wins an office door decorating contest
- One idea, done big. A single clear concept reads from down the hall. Five small ideas look like clutter.
- Readable in two seconds. Judges walk past dozens of doors. If the joke needs a paragraph of explanation, it loses.
- Depth and light. Something that sticks out (a bow, boots, a wreath) and battery lights make photos pop.
- Clean edges. Fold paper over the door edge and tape on the back. Peeling corners cost points for craft.
- The whole team on it. A door that shows every teammate, remote ones included, often takes team effort points.
Decorating cubicles, desks and whole departments too? Our office Christmas decorating contest guide has 36 more themes, rules and a judge scorecard.
20 more Christmas contest ideas for the office
Each one has the rules in a line and a way to pick the winner, and several double as Christmas games for work. Run one a week through December, or put three on the same afternoon.
1. Cookie bake-off. Bring a dozen of one homemade cookie with an ingredient card.How to judge: Three judges taste blind and score taste, looks and festiveness; everyone else votes for a people's choice.
2. Holiday card design. Teams design the company's holiday card, drawn by hand or made in any design tool.How to judge: Everyone votes; the winner gets printed and sent to clients.
3. Festive desk photo. Decorate your workspace, at the office or at home, and post one photo by Friday.How to judge: Emoji votes in a chat channel; most votes at 5 p.m. wins.
4. Carol lip-sync contest. Teams of two to four pick a Christmas song and perform 60 seconds of it, props encouraged.How to judge: Applause meter or a quick poll; a separate prize for best props.
5. Gingerbread house contest. Teams build from the same kit over a long lunch. Full gingerbread contest rulesHow to judge: Outside judges score design, stability and theme.
6. Ugly sweater contest. Wear your loudest sweater, store-bought or homemade. Ugly sweater party guideHow to judge: Categories like most lights and best homemade, so more than one person wins.
7. Festive pet photo. Post a photo of a pet in something festive. No pets? A houseplant in a tiny hat counts.How to judge: Chat vote, with a second prize for best caption.
8. Christmas trivia contest. Teams of four answer 30 questions over lunch or at the party. Christmas trivia questionsHow to judge: Most correct answers wins; a tiebreaker question settles draws.
9. Speed and style wrapping. Everyone wraps the same awkward object, like a mug or a ball, in three minutes.How to judge: Judges score neatness; the fastest neat wrap wins.
10. Tabletop tree contest. Each team gets a two-foot tree and a $20 budget to decorate it.How to judge: A walk-through vote with ballots by each tree.
11. Snowflake cutting. Ten minutes, one sheet of paper each, scissors only.How to judge: Hold them up to the window; judges pick the most intricate.
12. Hot cocoa recipe. Bring a slow cooker of your best hot cocoa, no alcohol, with a topping or two.How to judge: Blind tasting with small cups and a vote.
13. Holiday jingle writing. Teams write a 30-second holiday jingle for your company or product.How to judge: Each team performs; the room votes.
14. Ornament count guess. Decorate the office tree, then everyone guesses how many ornaments are on it.How to judge: Closest guess wins; count them together at the party.
15. Holiday photo caption. Post one funny festive photo you took yourself each day; people reply with captions.How to judge: The organizer picks a daily winner; the best of the week gets the prize.
16. Six-word Christmas story. Write a complete Christmas story in exactly six words, like 'Found the tape. Lost the scissors.'How to judge: Read them out anonymously and vote.
17. Marshmallow snowman build. Teams get marshmallows, toothpicks and pretzel sticks and five minutes to build the tallest snowman.How to judge: Tallest standing snowman after ten seconds wins.
18. Holiday light photo. Photograph the best light display you can find near home in one week.How to judge: Chat vote; post the top three as the office screen background.
19. Best holiday playlist. Everyone submits a five-song holiday playlist with a title.How to judge: Shortlist five, play a song from each at lunch, then vote.
20. Homemade ornament. Make an ornament from office supplies only: clips, sticky notes, rubber bands.How to judge: Judges pick the most creative; every entry hangs on the office tree.
Want one small thing every day instead? Our 12 days of Christmas at work plans fit a contest or two into a daily countdown.
How to run a fair Christmas contest
Office contests go sour when the same popular team wins every year. Seven rules keep it fun.
- Use categories. Funniest, most festive, best craft, best team effort. More categories means more winners and fewer sore losers.
- Vote by number, not by name. Give every entry a number card and vote on a paper ballot or an anonymous form, so votes aren't a popularity contest.
- Bring in outside judges. Three people from another floor, another department or the front desk. Nobody judges their own team.
- Set clear deadlines. A start date, a finish time and a judging time, all in the first announcement. Decorations come down by a set date too.
- Cap the budget. Give each team the same small budget or a box of shared supplies, so the biggest wallet doesn't win.
- Keep it optional. Nobody has to enter, and any winter theme counts for people who don't celebrate Christmas.
- Announce winners at the party. A short ceremony with photos of every entry, not just the winners.
A printable voting ballot
Four ballots to a page, ready to cut. Each has a line for an entry number in six categories: most festive, funniest, most creative, best craftsmanship, best team effort, people's choice.
15 Christmas contest prize ideas
Cheap, fun and no cash. A prize people can show off beats one they put in a drawer.
- A golden candy cane trophy: a big plastic candy cane spray-painted gold.
- First pick of the leftover holiday treats.
- Their name on a champions ornament that goes on the tree every year.
- A week of coffee orders fetched by the organizer.
- An extra-long lunch on a January day of their choice.
- A small potted rosemary tree for the desk.
- A box of good hot cocoa and a mug.
- Control of the party playlist for 30 minutes.
- A paper crown and sash to wear at the party.
- Their photo as the team channel banner for January.
- A dozen donuts delivered to the winning team's desks.
- A trophy mug with the contest name and year on it.
- A jigsaw puzzle or board game for the winning team.
- Naming rights to a meeting room for a month.
- A pair of festive socks for everyone on the winning team.
Remote versions of Christmas contests
Half the team at home? These keep everyone in the running.
- Bake-along bake-off. Everyone bakes the same recipe at home and holds up the result on camera; judge on looks only.
- Card design in a shared file. Teams design the holiday card in one shared design file, each on its own page.
- Photo contests in a channel. Desk, pet and caption contests run in one chat channel, with emoji votes and a deadline.
- Recorded lip-syncs. Teams send a 30-second clip by Thursday and the host plays them back to back on a call.
- Trivia on the call. Breakout rooms as teams, answers in the chat, a host keeping score.
- Ten-minute snowman. Build a snowman on camera from whatever's in the house: socks, mugs, toilet rolls.
Use an anonymous form for votes, give remote entries the same budget as office teams, and show their photos alongside the office entries at the ceremony.
