Holiday Party Team-Building Activities

Corporate holiday parties provide a great opportunity to do more than just stand around and chat. Make the most of your company holiday party by giving your employees fun activities to raise the energy level. There is no rule that says you can’t engage in team-building activities at the year-end celebration! You and your staff members can deepen working relationships in a setting that is comfortable and relaxing.

Add Team Building to Holiday Party Planning

When doing your holiday event planning, give your activities a holiday theme to match the tone of your event. One of the best ways to lend a festive air to the occasion is to hold the event away from the office in a festively decorated event venue. (Evnkwrks does great work on our yacht venues to help our clients create the right atmosphere.)
Which activities to choose? Browse a few holiday party games below that promote team participation, as well as a sense of fun.

Holiday Scavenger Hunt

Hosting a holiday-themed scavenger hunt is a great way to build team spirit. You don’t need an expansive backdrop, or an entire neighborhood or office complex, to do this. As long as your teams can look in a few designated areas, they can benefit from working together to locate the items on their list. Emphasize the mental challenges: Include riddles or puzzlers that incorporate seasonal clues. The collected items should represent the season, as well. Employees might hunt for objects such as tree ornaments, scented candles, and gift-wrapped boxes.

Murder Mystery

Another exciting option for offsite events is to organize a murder mystery party. This could be even more creatively planned when a company holiday party theme is incorporated. Devise a story that includes everyone in attendance, putting people in groups to solve the mystery. Or, hire actors to provide the show, and then have attendees work in teams to determine who the culprit is. If you prefer a milder tone for your mystery, you could make it about something else, such as a museum heist.

Holiday Icebreaker

If you have a large staff or several new hires, choose an icebreaker as an ideal activity. You can ask a series of ice-breaking questions. Remember to make the questions about the holidays. You might ask questions about favorite seasonal foods, funny holiday memories, or the weirdest holiday gift that each person has ever received. Because this will be a work event, you should avoid icebreakers that are very personal, and refrain from asking questions that relate to politics or religion. Corporate events should stay focused on your engagement agenda!

The “Who Am I?” Game

The “Who Am I?” game can be an excellent one for teams. Put several names on adhesive labels, and distribute them to the different group of players. There should be enough names for each person in attendance. The names should represent various characters associated with the holiday season, such as Frosty the Snowman, Ebenezer Scrooge, and Krampus. One label goes on each person’s back, and the members of each team should give each other clues until they figure out which names they were all given. You may wish to time the game, and then declare the team with the most guessed names the winners. Alternatively, you can wait until one of the teams guesses all of their names first, and then establish them as the winning team.

Holiday Event Planning is Fun and Easy with Commodore Cruises & Events!

Holding your company parties in an offsite venue on a mid-week afternoon or evening is a wise strategy, especially during the holiday season. Give your employees a chance to relax and unwind on a San Francisco Bay Cruise as they become better acquainted with one another. Such a great experience will maximize your holiday party return-on-investment (ROI)!
A luxury yacht on San Francisco Bay is an amazing setting for your company’s next holiday party. Commodore Cruises & Events provides the best yacht venues in the area, and our event staff look forward to helping you plan your party. Call us at (877) 346-4000, or contact us online for more information.