Office Christmas party games, ideas and a plan that works
Your 90-minute party, in the office, 25 people
- 0:00Arrival10 minMusic on, name tags at the door, food and drinks out.
- 0:10Mixer: Movie pick name tags10 min
- 0:20Game 1: Santa's workshop assembly line25 min
- 0:45Game 2: One-minute movie remake25 min
- 1:10Toast and thank-you5 minOne leader, two minutes, three specific wins from the year.
- 1:15Gifts: Three-bell trade10 min
- 1:25Close5 minThank the organizers and say when the photos will be shared.
Hosted option: A live host brings a Family Feud-style show, trivia or music bingo to your office in 17 US cities. It runs about 60 minutes: swap it in for the mixer and both games and this plan still fits. Find your city
A good Christmas office party has a plan, not just a date. Someone owns the clock, the games fit the room, and the toast is short. The planner above builds that plan for you. Below are 30 Christmas party games for work, sorted by when you'd use them, 20 office Christmas party ideas and themes, ways to celebrate across December, a timeline from 8 weeks out, and budgets per person.
30 Christmas party games for work
Every game here is work-safe, needs cheap supplies or none, and shows its group size, time and where it works. Tap a game in the planner to jump to its card.
Christmas icebreaker games
For the first 15 minutes, while people arrive and before anyone has settled into their usual group.
2. Who's on my tag?
6 to 60 people · 10 to 15 min · In the officeTape a gift tag with a Christmas character (Rudolph, the Grinch, Frosty) to each guest's back at the door. People mingle asking only yes-or-no questions until they guess who they are, then move the tag to the front. You need: Gift tags, tape and a list of characters.
3. Holiday find-someone-who
10 to 150 people · 10 to 15 min · In the officeHand out a sheet of 12 prompts like 'has seen snow in another country' or 'still has a childhood ornament'. Collect a different coworker's name for each one. The first complete sheet wins. You need: One printed sheet and a pen per person.
4. Guess the wish list
6 to 40 people · 10 to 15 min · In the office, Remote, HybridA week before, everyone sends the host three small wishes for the new year that money can't buy, like 'a week with no 8 a.m. meetings'. The host reads each set aloud and the group guesses whose it is.
5. Card halves partner hunt
10+ people · 10 to 15 min · In the officeCut old Christmas cards in half and give each guest one half at the door. Find the person holding the matching half, ask each other two questions from a bowl, then swap halves with another pair and go again. You need: Old cards cut in half and a bowl of questions.
Christmas team games
Small teams, one goal and a clock. Mix departments when you split people up.
6. Santa's workshop assembly line
10 to 100 people · 20 to 30 min · In the officeTeams of five build paper reindeer on an assembly line: one cuts, one folds, one adds antlers, one adds the face, one inspects. Ten minutes on the clock. Only reindeer that pass the judge's inspection count. You need: Printed templates, scissors, glue sticks and markers per team.
7. Cup tree tower
8 to 100 people · 15 to 25 min · In the officeEach team gets 50 plastic cups and one strand of tinsel and has ten minutes to build the tallest freestanding Christmas tree. It has to stand for ten seconds with the tinsel on to count. You need: 50 cups and a strand of tinsel per team, a tape measure.
8. One-minute movie remake
8 to 60 people · 20 to 30 min · In the office, Remote, HybridEach team draws a Christmas movie title, gets eight minutes to plan, then performs the whole story in 60 seconds with whatever is nearby. Everyone else guesses the movie and votes for the best remake.
9. Santa's invention pitch
6+ people · 15 to 25 min · In the office, Remote, HybridEach team gets eight minutes to invent a gadget that would make Santa's December easier, give it a name and sketch it. One person pitches it in 60 seconds, and the room votes for the invention it would fund. You need: Paper and markers per team.
10. Christmas category pyramid
6 to 50 people · 15 to 25 min · In the office, Remote, HybridOne teammate gets a Christmas category (things on a tree, holiday foods, carols) and describes seven words from it without saying them. Teammates shout guesses. Most words in 60 seconds wins the round. You need: Category cards with seven words each, written in advance.
Quick Christmas games under 10 minutes
Fillers for the gap before dinner or while the next thing gets set up.
11. Jingle bell toss
4 to 60 people · 5 to 10 min · In the officeLine up five paper cups on a table and put a tape line on the floor. Each player gets 60 seconds to toss jingle bells into the cups. The far cup scores three points, the rest score one. You need: A bag of jingle bells, five cups and tape.
12. Candy cane hook
4 to 60 people · 5 to 10 min · In the officeScatter wrapped candy canes on a table. Holding one candy cane by its straight end, players hook and lift as many others as they can in 60 seconds without touching them by hand. You need: Two boxes of wrapped candy canes.
13. Behind-the-back tree tear
4 to 60 people · 5 to 10 min · In the officeEveryone gets a sheet of green paper and holds it behind their back. In 60 seconds, without looking, tear out the best Christmas tree shape you can. Hold them all up at once and vote for the tree that would look best on a desk. You need: One sheet of green paper per player.
14. Reindeer roll call
2+ people · 5 to 10 min · In the office, Remote, HybridTeams have 60 seconds to write down all of Santa's reindeer. Count the eight from the poem plus Rudolph: Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen and Rudolph; accept Donder too. One point per name.
15. Hum that carol
4+ people · 5 to 10 min · In the office, Remote, HybridOne person hums a Christmas song for ten seconds, mouth closed, no words. The first to name it scores a point and hums the next one. Works on a call if people unmute to guess.
Christmas party games for large groups
Games that work with 100 or 200 people in a ballroom, run by one host with a microphone.
16. Last elf standing
20+ people · 5 to 10 min · In the office, Remote, HybridEveryone stands, or keeps a hand raised on camera. The host reads statements like 'I've watched a Christmas movie before Thanksgiving', and anyone it isn't true for sits down. The last few standing win a prize.
17. Santa or snowman
20+ people · 5 to 10 min · In the office, Remote, HybridEveryone picks a side: hands on head for Santa, hands on hips for snowman. The host flips a coin (heads is Santa) and the wrong side sits down. Each flip halves the room, so 200 people need about eight flips. You need: A coin, or a coin-flip app on the big screen.
18. Rock-paper-scissors cheer-off
20+ people · 10 to 15 min · In the officeEveryone pairs up for one round of rock-paper-scissors. The loser becomes the winner's cheer squad and follows them to the next match, chanting their name. By the final, two players have half the room each behind them.
19. Carol word chain
20+ people · 10 to 15 min · In the office, HybridThe host calls a word like 'snow' or 'night'. Table by table, each team has ten seconds to sing a line from a Christmas song that contains it. Repeat a line or freeze and your table is out for that word.
20. Christmas around the world quiz
10+ people · 20 to 30 min · In the office, Remote, HybridTable teams answer 20 questions on how other countries celebrate, like which country the bûche de Noël comes from (France) or where fried chicken is a popular Christmas dinner (Japan). Write your own from a reliable source and check every answer. You need: Answer sheets and pens per table, or a form for remote teams.
Christmas party games for remote teams
Built for a video call, and every one also works for a hybrid party with a camera on the room.
21. Christmas background contest
5+ people · 10 to 15 min · Remote, HybridEveryone joins with a Christmas video background they made, or decorates the real wall behind them. Take a gallery screenshot, then run a quick poll for best, funniest and most effort.
22. Chat waterfall
5+ people · 10 to 15 min · Remote, HybridThe host asks a question like 'the best Christmas cookie' and everyone types an answer without sending it. On 'go', everyone hits enter at once and the chat floods. Ten questions; the matches get the biggest laughs.
23. Breakout carol rewrite
8 to 100 people · 20 to 30 min · In the office, Remote, HybridBreakout rooms of four to six get eight minutes to rewrite one verse of a carol about the team's year: the launch, the office move, the printer. Each room sings or reads its verse and the group votes.
24. Zoomed-in Christmas
4+ people · 10 to 20 min · In the office, Remote, HybridShare extreme close-up photos of Christmas things you shot yourself: a pine cone, tinsel, a candy cane stripe, a wreath bow. The first right answer in the chat (or shouted in the room) scores, then reveal the full photo. You need: 15 close-up photos in a slide deck.
25. Christmas price guess
4+ people · 10 to 20 min · In the office, Remote, HybridShow odd Christmas products, like a 12-foot inflatable snowman or a light-up dog sweater, and have everyone guess the price in the chat. The closest guess without going over wins the round. You need: Ten products with today's prices from one store.
Christmas gift games
Ways to hand out gifts that are more fun than a pile under the tree.
26. Three-bell trade
6 to 40 people · 10 to 15 min · In the officeEveryone opens a gift at the same time. The host rings a bell three times, and after each ring you have one minute to offer anyone a trade, which happens only if both say yes. Keep what you hold after the third round. You need: One wrapped gift per person and a bell.
27. Elf delivery race
6 to 30 people · 10 to 20 min · In the officePile every gift, each tagged with its recipient's name, on one table and split the room into elf teams. Elves race to deliver one gift per trip to its owner; the team that empties its share of the pile first wins a bonus treat. You need: Gifts tagged with names, split into one pile per team.
28. Candy cane auction
10 to 80 people · 15 to 20 min · In the officeHand out candy canes for every win during the party's games. At gift time, auction wrapped prizes one at a time with candy canes as the only currency. The highest bid takes each prize. You need: A box of candy canes and five to ten wrapped prizes.
29. Thank-you card draw
4+ people · 10 to 20 min · In the office, Remote, HybridEveryone draws a coworker's name and gets ten minutes to write them a thank-you card for one specific thing they did this year. Read a few aloud with permission. Remote teams send theirs by chat. You need: Blank cards and a bowl of names.
30. Best gift story
4 to 25 people · 10 to 15 min · In the office, Remote, HybridEveryone gets 30 seconds to tell the story of the best or strangest gift they ever received. The group votes, and the best story wins a small prize. You need: One small prize.
Want more? Our holiday party games for work add 35 games that suit any winter holiday, and Christmas trivia questions give you a ready quiz round with answers.
20 company Christmas party ideas and themes
A format or a theme gives the party a reason to feel different from a normal Friday. One line each; pick one and build the games around it.
1. Christmas market in the office. Set up stalls for hot pretzels, cocoa, ornament painting and a photo corner, and let people wander.
2. Christmas morning brunch. Pancakes, fruit and pastries at 10 a.m., for teams where evenings are hard.
3. Carol karaoke room. Book a karaoke room and a playlist of Christmas songs only; duets encouraged, solos optional.
4. Red, green or plaid dress code. A dress code anyone can meet from their own closet, with a prize for the best plaid.
5. Five-country dessert table. Panettone from Italy, stollen from Germany, bûche de Noël from France, mince pies from Britain and pepparkakor from Sweden, each with a label.
6. Skating party. Rent a rink for an hour, then warm up with cocoa and soup; offer a sit-out lounge for non-skaters.
7. Toy drive wrapping party. Collect toys for a local charity in November and wrap them together at the party.
8. Christmas lights bus tour. Charter a bus to the best light displays nearby, with cocoa and a carol playlist on board.
9. Christmas bowling night. Bowling lanes, mixed teams and a trophy made from a spray-painted bowling pin.
10. Wreath-making workshop. Fresh greenery, wire frames and ribbon; everyone takes home a wreath for the front door.
11. Pop-up office choir. Hire a choir director for an hour to teach everyone one carol in two parts, then sing it once in the lobby.
12. Office panto. Each department performs a five-minute pantomime scene, the British Christmas tradition of hamming it up on purpose.
13. Live Christmas standards. Hire a jazz trio or a pianist to play the classics while people eat and talk.
14. Silent disco. Wireless headphones with three channels: Christmas pop, classics and one for quiet talk.
15. Ornament painting table. Plain glass or wooden ornaments and paint pens; date them so people keep them.
16. Twelfth Night party in January. Hold the party in early January, around Twelfth Night, when venues are easier to book and calendars are quieter.
17. Family afternoon with a Santa visit. A weekend afternoon for staff and their families, with crafts, cookies and Santa in a chair for photos.
18. Tree lighting countdown. Decorate the lobby tree together, then light it with a group countdown at the start of the party.
19. Christmas cracker dinner. Put a cracker at every place setting; paper hats and terrible jokes break the ice for you.
20. Santa fun run. A short group walk or run in Santa hats on a lunch break, ending with cocoa back at the office.
For decor, food and dress codes, see our holiday party themes; for 45 more formats by setting and budget, our office holiday party ideas. Sweaters are their own party: here's how to run an ugly sweater party.
Keep it a party everyone can enjoy
Not everyone on your team celebrates Christmas, and some people can't do evenings. Four habits keep the party open to all of them.
- Make every activity optional, gifts and games included.
- Serve good non-alcoholic drinks, not just water.
- Label food and order vegetarian and gluten-free mains.
- Hold it during work hours, or offer a daytime option, so parents and shift workers can come.
More in our inclusive holiday party ideas.
How to celebrate Christmas in the office beyond the party
The party is one evening. These small things carry the mood through December, most of them for little or no money.
- Run 12 days of Christmas. One small thing every workday before the break. Three 12-day plans
- Hold a Christmas spirit week. Five themed days, from festive hats to a cookie swap. Christmas spirit week ideas
- Start a door decorating contest. Two weeks to decorate, one afternoon to judge. Christmas contest ideas
- Draw Secret Santa names. Set a price limit and draw names three weeks out so gifts can ship. Free Secret Santa generator
- Ask a Christmas question at stand-up. One light question to open each meeting in December. Christmas questions
- Put up a giving tree. Tags with gift requests from a local charity; people take one and bring it back wrapped.
- Play a Christmas playlist hour. Friday afternoons in December, one hour, rotating DJs.
- Send gifts to people who can't come. Remote staff, night shifts and anyone on leave still get thanked.
Office Christmas party planning timeline
December books up early. Work back from your date with this checklist.
- 8 weeks out. Set the budget, the date and the format (office, venue, remote or hybrid). Survey people on the day and time before you book anything.
- 6 weeks out. Book the venue or room, the caterer and any entertainment. Branded gifts or 100+ gift orders need 4 to 6 weeks, so order them now.
- 4 weeks out. Send the invitation with the date, time, dress code and a dietary question. Book kit workshops by now: kits need about 3 weeks to ship.
- 3 weeks out. Draw Secret Santa names, recruit two or three helpers, and pick your games from the list above.
- 2 weeks out. Last call for hosted games, which book about 2 weeks ahead. Confirm the headcount with the caterer and buy game supplies.
- 1 week out. Print the run of show, prep game sheets and prizes, and send a reminder with the address or call link.
- The day before. Test the screen, microphone and call link. Wrap prizes and set out name tags.
- The day of. Arrive an hour early. One person owns the clock and follows the plan; one person welcomes people at the door or on the call.
- The day after. Share photos, thank the helpers by name, and ask three quick questions about what to keep next year.
Christmas party budget per person
Rough planning ranges for US offices, not quotes. Prices vary a lot by city and night of the week, so get two or three quotes before you commit.
Under $25 a person
A party in the office with pizza or a potluck, homemade decorations, free games from this page and a gift swap with a $15 limit.
$25 to $75 a person
Catered food at the office plus one hosted game, or a remote party with a hosted game and a food delivery credit.
$75 to $150 a person
A private room at a restaurant or an event space with a sit-down dinner and entertainment.
Over $150 a person
A full evening at a venue with dinner, a band or DJ, transport home and a gift for everyone.
Weeknights and early December dates often cost less than the Friday before Christmas. Gifts for people who can't make it? Our holiday gifts ship to every address.
