How to Play Christmas Office Party Games

Christmas office party games are a fun way for employees to unwind and relax a bit during the holiday season. Christmas party games such as Secret Santa or a white elephant gift exchange are always fun, while a scavenger hunt, Pictionary and trivia questions bring interactive fun to office Christmas party games.

Two classic gift-giving game ideas are Secret Santa and a white elephant gift exchange. In Secret Santa, all participating employees enter their names in advance and then randomly select the name of another participant. Buy an inexpensive gift for the person whose name you chose, and then everyone has to guess who bought it for them based on the present.

Yankee Swap, also known as a white elephant gift exchange, can be a good alternative way to exchange Christmas gifts, plus it's a fun icebreaker. In this game, everyone participating contributes a small gift covered in wrapping paper. Then participants take turns selecting a gift from the pile based on a number they selected from a Santa hat. The recipient unwraps the gift, but if the next person wants it, they can take it, and the previous person has to pick again. This is one of those hilarious holiday party games that's good for small or large groups. Gift ideas for this game can be somewhat naughty, silly or useless, or items that people may actually want.

Some easy in-person office party games are also suitable for family members invited to the event. One game is called Deck Your Coworker. In this game, divide everyone into teams. Each team appoints one person to be the Christmas tree. The team has five minutes to "decorate" that person with tinsel or other Christmas-time accouterments, and then everyone determines the winner by voting on the best "tree."

Other office party games could be Christmas or office-themed trivia, which is fun to play with coworkers. For more physical team games, a relay race in which each team member has to deposit a marshmallow "snowball" into a bowl, gathering and holding the marshmallow in a spoon held in the mouth, no hands allowed. The next player does the same and on down the line. The winning team is the first to successfully transport all the marshmallows.

Pictionary is a fun office party game that can be based on Christmas movies such as ‌A Christmas Story‌ and ‌Elf‌ or on well-known Christmas songs and classic Christmas carols. Charades is yet another game that can be given a Christmas-themed twist for the office holiday party.

Giving prizes is a great way to engage your staff and have fun at the party. Offer a range of awards such as company swag, Amazon gift cards or even a pair of wireless earbuds.

If your office party includes children, you could also design a scavenger hunt where the participants need to find specific people or objects throughout the party. You could also try a fun Christmas twist on the Easter egg hunt called a Jingle Bell Hunt. In the same way you'd hide Easter eggs, you can hide jingle bells throughout the office.