Christmas Team Building: 12 Ideas for Your Teams, in the Office, Remote or Offsite

Christmas team building is the one activity of the year everyone looks forward to. It is also the hardest to fit in: packed year-end diaries, remote employees, distant offices, a tight budget. Here are 12 Christmas team building ideas, sorted by format, with what each one really takes in time, budget and organisation.

At a glance: which Christmas team building for which team?

Turnkey Christmas team building

These formats are run by a provider. You save time, and the activity works even if nobody on the team is a natural host.

1. An online Christmas escape game, in several episodes

Santa has disappeared and his toy factory is falling apart. Every week in December, a new episode opens: 15 minutes of puzzles (memory game, word search, padlocks, coded messages) that everyone solves whenever they like, in the office or at home. Each player's time counts for their team, and a leaderboard between departments keeps the suspense going until 24 December.

• Why it works: no shared slot to find, everyone plays, including other offices and part-time colleagues. The activity lasts the whole month instead of one evening.
• Who it is for: from a few dozen to 5,000 employees, with a single link for the whole company. The game is available in English and French.
• Budget: a flat fee based on headcount, for example €375 excl. VAT for up to 30 employees, and from €3.75 excl. VAT per participant for large headcounts (20% off with the early-bird offer until 7 November).

This is our Christmas escape game for companies: the first episode is free to try, in 15 minutes.

2. A video-call escape game, hosted live

For a remote team that wants to share a real moment together, at the same time: a Game Master runs the game live on Teams, Zoom or Meet. Players are split into teams of 3 to 5, the mission lasts one hour, and the ranking is revealed at the end. There is nothing to install.

• Who it is for: from 8 to 500 participants at the same time.
• Budget: quote-based.

Discover our online escape game for companies.

3. An on-site escape game, before the Christmas party

Is the whole team together for the year-end party? A Game Master comes to your offices or offsite venue with one case per team: a tablet and clues to handle. In 1 h 30, welcome included, departments mix and one team wins. It is a great opener before the meal or the drinks.

• Who it is for: up to 100 participants, in Paris and the Paris region, Nantes, Rennes, Lyon, Bordeaux, Lille and Rouen (elsewhere in France on request).
• Budget: on average €80 excl. VAT per participant, travel included.

See our on-site escape game.

4. A Christmas cooking workshop

Yule log, biscuits, chocolates: a chef runs the workshop, and the team tastes the result. Very friendly, but limited to small groups, and costly if you need to hire a kitchen. Remotely, plan to send an ingredient kit to everyone's home.

5. A hosted Christmas quiz

Easy to organise and very effective over an hour, especially with a host who sets the pace. Its limit: you need everyone together at the same time, and on video calls the quieter people often stay behind a switched-off camera.

6. A charity challenge

Every puzzle solved, every kilometre walked or every participation unlocks a donation to a charity chosen by the teams. A lovely way to give the end of the year some meaning, and it combines very well with a game or a sports challenge.

Christmas team building ideas you can run yourself

No provider, little budget: these ideas rely on the energy of one or two motivated organisers. They work very well alongside a main activity.

7. A Secret Santa

The draw is done online, and everyone gives a gift to a colleague without knowing who will give one to them. Set a modest budget, the same for everyone. For remote teams, arrange home deliveries early and open the gifts together on a video call.

8. A Christmas jumper contest

The classic for the last day before the holidays. Ten minutes at the start of a meeting are enough, in the room or on video. A vote, a small prize, and photos that go round the whole company.

9. An office decoration challenge

Each department decorates its space (or its home office, in photos). A jury or a company-wide vote picks the winners. Simple and cheap, this challenge builds friendly rivalry for one to two weeks.

10. A team advent calendar

One door a day: a question, an anecdote about a colleague, a baby photo to guess. The calendar creates a daily ritual, but an organiser has to prepare everything in advance. Add a leaderboard so it is not a solo experience.

11. A greeting card workshop

Each team designs the company's Christmas card, by hand or digitally. The winning card is sent to clients. A one-hour workshop that leaves something tangible behind.

12. Awards during the season's greetings

Whatever activity you choose, finish with a shared moment: announce the winning team during the management's end-of-year message, a word from a leader, a small symbolic gift. That moment is what turns an activity into a team memory.

How to choose your Christmas team building

Ask yourself three questions, in this order.

1. Where will your teams be in December? If some work remotely, at another site or abroad, choose an online format, ideally one people can play whenever they like. If everyone is together for the year-end party, an on-site format creates a highlight.
2. Do you want one moment or a recurring event? A workshop or a quiz fills an hour. A challenge in episodes gets people talking for four weeks, for the same budget or less.
3. Who will organise it? Do-it-yourself ideas are free, but they take time at a point in the year when nobody has any. A turnkey format frees up the organiser.

To go further, our comparison of year-end team building formats: remote, on-site or hybrid covers each format in detail.

When should you book your Christmas team building?

As early as possible: December dates go fast, both with providers and in your employees' diaries. For an on-site format, book in October. For our online Christmas escape game, the early-bird offer (20% off and free branding) runs until 7 November, and bookings stay open until 30 November to play in December.

Frequently asked questions about Christmas team building

What is Christmas team building?

It is a group activity organised by the company during the festive season, to strengthen bonds between employees and close the year together. It can be a game, a workshop, a charity challenge or a festive moment, in the office, offsite or remotely.

How do you organise Christmas team building for remote teams?

Choose a format that does not need a shared time slot, such as an online Christmas escape game in episodes, and add a short video call for the awards. Our article on 10 virtual Christmas party ideas details the options.

How much does Christmas team building cost?

It depends on the format. Do-it-yourself ideas are almost free. An online Christmas escape game costs from €3.75 excl. VAT per participant for large headcounts, an on-site escape game around €80 excl. VAT per participant. An evening party with a venue and catering often costs far more. Our tips for a cheap year-end company party help you compare.

Which Christmas team building for a large company or a branch network?

An online format, with a leaderboard between sites or departments. It reaches everyone at the same time, with no travel. Milleis did it with its branch network: read their feedback, and our guide to organising a Christmas challenge between departments.

Does it work for international teams?

Yes. The online Christmas escape game is available in English and French, and each employee plays from a simple web browser, whatever their time zone. See our ideas for year-end team building with international teams.

Try our online Christmas team building

3 or 4 episodes of 15 minutes each, a leaderboard between departments, in the office or working from home. The first episode is free to play.

→ Discover the Christmas escape game for companies

Further reading

• Year-end team building: remote, on-site or hybrid, which format to choose?
• Virtual Christmas party ideas for remote teams: 10 that really work
• How to organise a company Christmas challenge between departments