December is a month of reflection, connection, and celebration. As the year comes to a close, the holiday season offers the perfect opportunity to enhance employee engagement, reinforce workplace culture, and create lasting memories. Whether your team is working in person, remotely, or in a hybrid setup, thoughtful and festive engagement strategies can strengthen team bonds, uplift morale, and empower employees to finish the year with joy and purpose.
Below are 22 December employee engagement ideas designed to help organizations boost morale, foster appreciation, and spark creativity in ways that feel meaningful and fun.
22 Festive December Employee Engagement Ideas
With the holiday spirit in the air, now is the perfect time to engage employees through seasonal events, acts of gratitude, and fun ways to reflect on the past year while looking ahead with optimism.
1. Host a Festive Holiday Party
Bring your team together for a fun and celebratory gathering.
Plan a holiday party in person or as a virtual holiday party depending on your team's setup.
Choose a festive theme and invite employees to dress up, play games, and celebrate achievements.
Include interactive elements like a holiday talent show, trivia, or holiday-themed games to keep energy high.
A well-planned holiday party can build team spirit and create lasting memories.
2. Organize a Charity Drive
Give employees a chance to make a difference in the community.
Choose a cause that aligns with company values and invite employees to donate items or raise funds.
Encourage friendly competition between departments to collect items for local food banks, shelters, or toy drives.
Recognize top contributors to encourage continued generosity.
Community engagement during the festive season empowers employees and reinforces a purpose-driven culture.
3. Launch a Secret Santa Gift Exchange
Encourage lighthearted fun and connection.
Use tools to randomly assign gift recipients and set a reasonable budget.
Offer a virtual secret santa option for remote employees, where gifts are mailed or delivered online.
Include a gift reveal event or use a Slack channel to share reactions.
This activity is a great employee engagement idea to bring a sense of excitement and surprise to the workplace.
4. Create a Holiday Spirit Week
Dedicate a week to festive fun with daily themes and challenges.
Host themed days like ugly sweater day, holiday hat day, or pajama day.
Include activities such as a holiday scavenger hunt, ornament decorating contest, or holiday bingo.
Share photos on internal platforms to keep everyone connected and engaged.
Spirit week is an easy and fun way to celebrate the season and encourage participation across teams.
5. Set Up a Holiday Countdown Calendar
Build anticipation with small daily surprises.
Include thoughtful gifts, quotes, wellness tips, or fun challenges each day.
Let employees contribute ideas for what to include in the calendar.
Create a digital version for remote teams with links to activities or video greetings.
This adds excitement to the workday and helps boost morale as the year wraps up.
6. Offer Personalized Holiday Cards
Show appreciation in a meaningful way.
Managers or leadership can handwrite or digitally send personalized holiday cards to team members.
Acknowledge individual contributions and express gratitude for their work.
Include thoughtful gifts or small tokens to make the gesture more special.
This small act can have a significant impact on employee satisfaction.
7. Host a Holiday Recipe Exchange
Celebrate cultural diversity and culinary creativity.
Invite employees to share their favorite holiday recipes and the stories behind them.
Compile the recipes into a digital cookbook to distribute across the company.
Host a live or virtual cooking class to cook together as a team.
Food traditions are a great way to engage employees and share personal experiences.
8. Organize a Holiday Movie Marathon
Provide a cozy break with classic holiday movies.
Set up a viewing area in the office with snacks and comfortable seating.
Offer streaming links for remote employees to join from home.
Create a poll so employees can vote on their favorite festive films.
This creates a relaxing environment and sparks shared experiences.
9. Hold a Holiday Talent Show
Let employees showcase hidden skills.
Invite team members to perform songs, skits, poetry, or other talents.
Host the event in person or virtually, and allow employees to vote for awards like best holiday spirit or most surprising talent.
Offer fun prizes or gift cards for participation.
Talent shows encourage creativity and highlight team members in new ways.
10. Organize a Holiday Scavenger Hunt
Create a game that gets everyone involved.
Design a scavenger hunt with holiday-themed items around the office or through online clues for remote teams.
Include prizes for the fastest teams or most creative photos.
Use this event to encourage collaboration across departments.
A well-designed scavenger hunt can engage workers through fun and friendly competition.
11. Encourage Reflection and Goal Setting
Support employee growth and self-reflection.
Offer sessions for team members to reflect on accomplishments and challenges from the past year.
Host goal-setting workshops to help employees look ahead with intention.
Create a wall or digital board where employees can post their professional development goals.
Reflection and goal setting are powerful tools to promote professional development.
12. Run Employee Recognition Campaigns
Close out the year by celebrating achievements.
Host a year-end recognition event with awards for top performers, innovators, and team contributors.
Include peer-nominated categories to promote a culture of appreciation.
Use a platform like Esteeme to track and automate recognition throughout the month.
Recognition boosts employee morale and helps employees feel valued.
13. Decorate the Office or Home Workspace
Bring festive spirit into the workplace.
Invite employees to participate in a decorating contest, either in the office or remotely.
Offer prizes for creativity, holiday cheer, or best use of company colors.
Create a decorating day to build holiday cheer together.
This activity helps create a festive atmosphere and makes the workplace feel more inviting.
14. Organize a Holiday Treat Swap
Let employees share homemade or favorite holiday snacks.
Set up a table where employees can drop off and pick up different treats.
Share allergy information and preferences to keep it inclusive.
For remote employees, offer a virtual snack hour where everyone brings a treat and chats.
Food-centric engagement activities are a fun way to celebrate the season together.
15. Create a Holiday Playlist
Build a collaborative music experience.
Invite employees to submit their favorite holiday songs for a shared playlist.
Create separate playlists for upbeat, relaxing, and multicultural tunes.
Stream playlists in the office or share links for virtual teams.
Music can create a more joyful, inclusive environment for all.
16. Offer Wellness Workshops
December can be stressful, so support well being with accessible resources.
Bring in professionals to host yoga classes, meditation sessions, or stress management workshops.
Send out wellness tips and reminders to unplug during the holidays.
Offer flexibility in schedules to support a healthy work life balance.
Wellness initiatives show you care about employees beyond productivity.
17. Encourage Acts of Kindness
Foster a culture of giving and empathy.
Create a kindness calendar with daily prompts, such as compliment a coworker or donate to a cause.
Recognize employees who go above and beyond in supporting others.
Share stories to highlight impact and inspire more positive actions.
Small acts of kindness add up and strengthen team culture.
18. Launch a Professional Development Fund
Prepare employees for the year ahead by supporting their growth.
Offer small stipends for online courses, books, or certifications.
Let employees request funds tied to their development goals.
Announce the fund in December to align with goal setting efforts.
This investment can increase employee retention and engagement.
19. Plan Team Lunches
Provide time to slow down and reconnect.
Host holiday lunches by team or department with a relaxed agenda.
Invite employees to share traditions or favorite end-of-year memories.
Consider rotating hosts or including different cultural foods.
Breaking bread together is a simple yet powerful way to build stronger connections.
20. Highlight Different Cultures and Traditions
Recognize the variety of holidays celebrated in December.
Invite employees to share how they celebrate with their families or communities.
Feature diverse traditions in newsletters or during team meetings.
Create displays or slide decks that educate and celebrate inclusion.
These efforts help create a more welcoming and equitable workplace culture.
21. Create a Remembrance Wall or Moment
Offer a quiet way to reflect on the past year.
Dedicate a space where employees can write notes honoring challenges overcome or people remembered.
Encourage teams to share moments that made them proud or grateful.
Offer optional guided reflection for teams who want to end the year more meaningfully.
Reflection honors the full employee experience and brings closure to the year.
22. End with a “Thank You” Video from Leadership
Close December with a personal message of appreciation.
Have leaders record a short video recognizing the team’s hard work, resilience, and successes.
Include employee highlights, testimonials, or a look back at key milestones.
Share the video with all employees before the holiday break.
A heartfelt thank-you from leadership reminds employees that their efforts matter.
Conclusion
December is a unique time to strengthen team bonds, elevate morale, and end the year with meaningful connection. Through holiday celebrations, acts of appreciation, inclusive traditions, and professional development opportunities, organizations can create a season full of gratitude, reflection, and joy.
These holiday employee engagement ideas are more than just fun. They represent your company culture, your commitment to people, and your desire to create lasting memories. Finish strong and set the tone for a successful year ahead.
FAQs
- Ideas like holiday spirit week, charity drives, secret santa exchanges, employee recognition campaigns, and wellness workshops help employees feel appreciated and connected.
- Use digital platforms to host virtual games, trivia, gift exchanges, playlists, and recipe shares. Consistent communication and inclusivity ensure remote employees feel valued.
- Balance celebration with reflection. Offer professional development, acknowledge accomplishments, create festive fun, and give employees space to unwind and connect.
