150 Christmas questions for work, from icebreakers to would you rather
Holiday party icebreakerWhat's the earliest you've ever heard a holiday song playing in a store?
These 150 Christmas questions are for talking, not testing. There are no right answers, just opinions and stories: icebreakers for the holiday party, funny questions, would you rather and this or that rounds, warmer questions about traditions, a set for the last team meeting of the year and a Secret Santa questionnaire. Nothing here touches money, drinking or religion, and the tradition questions work for people who don’t celebrate Christmas.
Want a quiz with answers instead? Use our Christmas trivia questions or the holiday trivia round.
25 Christmas icebreaker questions for the holiday party
Quick, light and easy to answer in one breath, so they work while people are still holding a plate. Start here when the room is quiet.
1. What's the earliest you've ever heard a holiday song playing in a store?
2. Which holiday song could you sing start to finish without the lyrics?
3. What's one holiday treat you'd happily eat for breakfast?
4. Which holiday movie do you rewatch every year, even though you know every line?
5. What's the best decorated house or street you've ever seen?
6. If you could put one thing on every desk here for December, what would it be?
7. What's a winter smell that instantly puts you in a good mood?
8. Which holiday character would you invite to the team lunch?
9. What's a small December ritual that makes your week better?
10. What's the most impressive holiday cookie you've ever baked or eaten?
11. Which holiday tradition from another country would you like to try?
12. What goes on top of your ideal mug of hot cocoa?
13. What would a holiday ornament designed for our team look like?
14. What's the coziest place you've ever spent a winter afternoon?
15. Which light display or holiday market near you is worth the trip?
16. What's your go-to dish or snack to bring to a holiday party?
17. What's the best thing you've seen or heard so far this December?
18. Which holiday food deserves more love, and which one gets too much?
19. If you could spend one December day anywhere in the world, where would you go?
20. What do you like to do on the last workday before the break?
21. What's one thing you hope to do over the break that has nothing to do with screens?
22. What song should open the playlist at a holiday party?
23. What's the most memorable holiday party game you've ever played?
24. Who's the most festive person you know, and what do they do?
25. What's a holiday tradition you picked up as an adult?
25 funny Christmas questions
Silly hypotheticals about Santa, elves, reindeer and the office. They get a laugh without anyone having to share anything personal.
26. If Santa's reindeer had job titles, what would Rudolph's be?
27. Which holiday character would be the best at running a meeting?
28. What would Santa's out-of-office message say on December 26?
29. If the elves had a group chat, what would they argue about?
30. What's the funniest harmless gift you could give in a Secret Santa?
31. If you were a holiday cookie, which one would you be, and why?
32. What would a snowman complain about at work?
33. What's the most chaotic way you could decorate a tree?
34. Which holiday song would make the worst ringtone?
35. If Santa's sleigh had a dashboard warning light, what would it say?
36. If ugly sweaters were the office dress code, what would yours say about your job?
37. What would be rule number one in the North Pole's employee handbook?
38. Which of Santa's reindeer would you most want on your team?
39. If you could swap the coal in a stocking for something mildly annoying, what would it be?
40. What's the most dramatic way to reveal yourself as someone's Secret Santa?
41. Which holiday tradition would be the funniest to do in July?
42. If gingerbread people could talk, what would they say about their house?
43. If your desk entered a decorating contest, what would its theme be?
44. What would Santa's annual performance review say?
45. Which office supply would make the funniest tree ornament?
46. Which holiday movie would be better with a talking dog in it?
47. What's the most unnecessary holiday gadget you can imagine?
48. If the North Pole posted a job ad, what perks would it list?
49. What's the correct number of light strands for one tree?
50. Candy cane or gingerbread person: who wins a snowball fight?
Want questions that are odd all year round, not just in December? Try our weird icebreaker questions.
25 would you rather Christmas questions
Two choices, no wrong answer, and a reason is always the fun part. Ask the room to vote with a show of hands or emoji reactions, then hear one reason from each side.
51. Would you rather have one holiday song stuck in your head all December or never hear one at all?
52. Would you rather open one gift a day for 12 days or all of them at once?
53. Would you rather live inside a snow globe or inside a gingerbread house?
54. Would you rather borrow Santa's sleigh for a day or have an elf's workshop skills for a year?
55. Would you rather write every holiday card by hand or record a short video for everyone?
56. Would you rather decorate the whole office alone or plan the entire holiday party alone?
57. Would you rather have a reindeer as a pet or a penguin as a coworker?
58. Would you rather wear a light-up sweater to every December meeting or a Santa hat on every video call?
59. Would you rather receive a perfect gift you never asked for or exactly what was on your list?
60. Would you rather have a holiday season that lasts six months or one that lasts one week?
61. Would you rather pick the party playlist or pick the party menu?
62. Would you rather assemble a toy with no instructions or wrap an oddly shaped gift with no tape?
63. Would you rather sing one holiday song solo at the party or give a two-minute toast?
64. Would you rather get a handwritten card from everyone or one big group gift?
65. Would you rather build the tallest gingerbread house or the most detailed one?
66. Would you rather finish every December workday at 3 p.m. or get an extra week off in January?
67. Would you rather always know what a gift is before you open it or never be able to guess?
68. Would you rather your home smell like pine all year or like fresh cookies all year?
69. Would you rather host the holiday party games or judge the sweater contest?
70. Would you rather watch the same holiday movie every year forever or a new one each year that might be bad?
71. Would you rather have a talking snowman as an assistant or a machine that wraps gifts for you?
72. Would you rather send a holiday card that plays music or one that pops up into a 3D scene?
73. Would you rather have hot cocoa on tap at your desk or fresh cookies every afternoon?
74. Would you rather the office party dress code be pajamas or formal wear?
75. Would you rather plan a surprise for the whole team or be the one surprised?
How to use Christmas questions at work
Four ways to run them, from five minutes on a video call to a question a day through December.
- Holiday party icebreaker round (10 minutes). Put people in groups of four to six. Each group draws three cards, mixing one icebreaker, one funny question and one would you rather, and everyone answers each one. Swap groups once if you have time.
- A question a day in Slack or Teams (December). Post one question each workday morning in a team channel, from December 1 until the break. Use the funny and this or that sets early in the month and the traditions set in the last week, when people are in a reflective mood.
- Virtual party opener (5 minutes). Before the main event starts, put a would you rather question on screen and ask people to answer in the chat. Read out three answers, then ask one volunteer to explain theirs. It fills the first minutes while people join.
- Last team meeting of the year (15 minutes). Pick three of the team meeting questions, share them a day ahead so quieter people can think, and go around the room. Write the answers down: they make a good first slide for the January kickoff.
Keep it easy for everyone
- Say at the start that anyone can pass on any question, no reason needed.
- Lead with questions about winter, food and the office before questions about Christmas itself.
- Ask the memories and traditions questions in small groups, never as a round where everyone has to share.
- Skip questions about gifts received, travel plans or family for anyone who seems to hesitate.
- Keep the answers short: one sentence each, then move on, so nobody feels put on the spot.
Running a whole week of December fun? Our Christmas spirit week ideas give each day a theme, and a question from this page makes a good daily opener. Hosting the sweater day too? See how to run an ugly sweater party.
15 Christmas this or that questions
The fastest format here: read both options, everyone answers in one word. Good for a two-minute warm-up or a Slack poll.
76. Candy canes or chocolate coins?
77. Patterned wrapping paper or plain paper with a big bow?
78. Classic carols or modern holiday pop?
79. A star or a bow on top of the tree?
80. Snow globe or nutcracker?
81. Paper chain countdown or chocolate countdown calendar?
82. Ornaments: a matching set or a mismatched collection?
83. Fruitcake or yule log cake?
84. Popcorn garland or tinsel?
85. Light-up reindeer or inflatable snowman in the yard?
86. Gingerbread house: candy overload or simple and neat?
87. Open gifts in the morning or in the evening?
88. Shortbread or snickerdoodles?
89. Ugly sweater or holiday hat?
90. Secret Santa or white elephant?
For a longer round, our holiday this or that questions cover fall, Thanksgiving, winter and New Year’s too, none of them repeated here.
20 questions about holiday memories and traditions
Warmer questions for a smaller group or a longer lunch. Say up front that every answer is optional. They're written so anyone can answer, whichever winter holiday they celebrate, or none.
91. What's a winter tradition from where you grew up that might surprise people here?
92. What's a holiday dish someone in your life makes that you'd love the recipe for?
93. If you could start one new end-of-year tradition, what would it be?
94. What's the best snow day, or warm winter day, you remember?
95. What's a song that sounds like December to you?
96. What's a holiday season you remember for a funny reason?
97. What's a winter food from your hometown or culture you'd bring to a potluck?
98. What's a decoration or object that's been part of your winters for years?
99. Where's the most interesting place you've been when the year ended?
100. What's a holiday season when someone surprised you in the best way?
101. Who taught you a winter skill, like skating, baking or building a snow fort?
102. What's your favorite way to spend the quiet days at the very end of the year?
103. What's a holiday movie or book you first saw as a kid and still love?
104. What's the most memorable thing you've ever made by hand as a gift?
105. Is there a food you eat at the new year for luck, or one you'd like to try?
106. What's the best holiday meal you've had away from home?
107. What's the first holiday season you remember clearly?
108. What's a holiday you first learned about from a friend or coworker?
109. What's a game that always comes out when your family or friends get together in winter?
110. What's a winter activity you only do once a year but always enjoy?
20 questions for the last team meeting of the year
For the December team meeting or a year-end retro. Pick three or four, give people a minute to think, and go around the room.
111. What's one win from this year you want the team to remember?
112. Who helped you this year in a way they might not know about?
113. What's one thing you'd like to do differently next year?
114. If this year at work were a holiday movie, what would it be called?
115. What should we keep doing as a team in the new year?
116. What's one thing you're glad we stopped doing this year?
117. What's a skill you picked up this year?
118. What's the most useful tool or habit you found this year?
119. What would make next December's version of this meeting a great one?
120. If you could give the whole team one gift that isn't a thing, what would it be?
121. What's a moment from this year at work that made you laugh?
122. What would you put on the team's wish list for next year?
123. What piece of work from this year would you show a new hire as a good example?
124. What made your workdays easier this year?
125. What would you like to learn from someone on this team next year?
126. What should be the first thing on our list in January?
127. What's the best piece of advice you got at work this year?
128. What did we achieve this year that we never properly celebrated?
129. Which meeting or process would you gift-wrap and give away forever?
130. What did you learn this year that you wish you'd known in January?
20 Secret Santa questionnaire questions
What a gift giver actually needs to know. Paste five to eight of these into a form or a shared doc before names are drawn, so nobody has to guess.
131. What's your favorite snack, sweet or savory?
132. Coffee, tea, hot cocoa or none of the above?
133. What's a hobby you'd be happy to get supplies for?
134. What colors do you like to have around your desk?
135. Are there any foods or scents you'd rather not receive?
136. What small thing would make your workspace nicer?
137. What scent do you like in a candle or hand soap?
138. Would you rather get something useful, something fun or something to eat?
139. Which book, movie or show genres do you always enjoy?
140. What kind of music do you like to work to?
141. What do you use every day that you'd love a nicer version of?
142. Which do you enjoy most: puzzles, card games or board games?
143. Is there anything you collect, or would like to start collecting?
144. Which local shop or kind of store do you love browsing?
145. Are you a plant person? If so, easy-care or a challenge?
146. What's one thing you definitely don't need more of?
147. Is there a sports team, a place or a fandom you'd love to see on a gift?
148. Do you work from home, at the office or both?
149. What's a small treat you love but rarely get around to?
150. What cozy item would you use all winter: socks, a mug, a blanket or something else?
Once the answers are in, our free Secret Santa generator draws the names and makes sure nobody gets themselves.
Want someone to run the holiday party?
Questions are a good warm-up. For the main event, a live host can run a holiday game show or trivia hour while you play along. See every virtual holiday party we host, more holiday party games for work, or get a free quote. Book hosted games about 2 weeks ahead.
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