Christmas Contest And Competition Ideas For Work

As an experienced event planner and workplace culture consultant, I’ve witnessed firsthand the transformative power of engaging Christmas contests and competitions in the office. These festive activities not only inject a dose of excitement and fun into the workplace but also foster a sense of community, collaboration, and camaraderie among colleagues.

I’ve carefully crafted these ideas to strike the perfect balance between entertainment and team-building. Each activity has been meticulously designed to cater to different interests, skill levels, and workplace cultures, ensuring that there’s something for everyone.

In this blog post, I’ll share my top 50 exciting Christmas contest and competition ideas for work, drawing from my years of experience and the positive feedback from countless satisfied clients.

50 Christmas Contest Ideas For Work

1. Ugly Sweater Contest:

Nothing screams “holiday cheer” quite like an ugly sweater contest! Encourage your colleagues to dig deep into their closets (or hit the thrift stores) and showcase their most outrageous, eye-catching, and delightfully tacky holiday sweaters. You can even turn it into a fashion show, complete with a catwalk and judges. Trust me, the laughter and friendly competition will be contagious!

2. Gingerbread House Decorating:

Tap into your team’s creativity and architectural skills with a gingerbread house decorating contest. Provide each group with a pre-assembled gingerbread house and an array of sweet treats, candies, and decorations. Set a time limit and let the magic unfold! You’ll be amazed by the intricate designs and whimsical creations your colleagues come up with.

3. Christmas Trivia Showdown:

Test your coworkers’ knowledge of holiday traditions, movies, and pop culture with a thrilling Christmas trivia showdown. Divide your team into smaller groups and let the trivia battle commence! You can even offer fun prizes for the winners, like festive treats or small gifts. It’s a great way to get everyone engaged and learn some new holiday facts along the way.

4. Festive Karaoke Showdown:

Who doesn’t love a good karaoke session? Turn up the holiday tunes and let your colleagues showcase their vocal talents (or lack thereof) in a jolly karaoke competition. Encourage them to dress up in festive attire and channel their inner rock stars as they belt out classic Christmas carols and modern holiday hits.

5. Christmas Movie Monologue Contest:

Calling all aspiring thespians! Challenge your colleagues to perform the most iconic monologues from beloved Christmas movies. You’ll be surprised by the hidden acting talents within your team as they bring these memorable scenes to life. Set up a small stage area and let the performances commence!

6. Holiday Bake-Off:

‘Tis the season for indulging in delicious treats! Organize a holiday bake-off and watch as your coworkers unleash their culinary prowess. Encourage them to whip up their most mouthwatering and festive creations, from gingerbread cookies to yule logs. You can even invite a panel of judges to sample the goodies and crown the ultimate baking champion.

7. Ornament Decorating Challenge:

Unleash your team’s creativity with an ornament decorating challenge. Provide plain ornaments and a variety of craft supplies, and let your colleagues transform them into dazzling works of art. You can even display the decorated ornaments around the office, creating a festive and personalized atmosphere.

8. Christmas Riddle Scavenger Hunt:

Put your colleagues’ problem-solving skills to the test with a thrilling Christmas riddle scavenger hunt. Hide festive clues and riddles around the office, and divide your team into groups. The first group to solve all the riddles and uncover the final prize wins! It’s a great way to encourage collaboration and teamwork while having fun.

9. Festive Photo Booth:

Set up a whimsical holiday photo booth complete with props and costumes, and let your colleagues strike their silliest poses. Encourage them to dress up in festive attire and capture the moment with hilarious group shots. You can even create a digital album or a physical photo wall to display the best shots.

10. Christmas Wrapping Challenge:

Who doesn’t love a little friendly competition? Organize a Christmas wrapping challenge and see who can wrap presents with the most precision, creativity, and flair. Provide a variety of wrapping supplies and set a time limit. The coworker with the most beautifully wrapped gifts wins!

11. Holiday Sweater Design Competition:

Tap into your team’s artistic talents with a holiday sweater design competition. Encourage them to create unique and eye-catching sweater patterns that capture the spirit of the season. You can even have the winning design printed on actual sweaters or t-shirts for everyone to wear during the holidays.

12. Christmas Caroling Contest:

Spread the holiday cheer by forming groups and competing to deliver the most melodious and spirited renditions of classic Christmas carols. You can even take the show on the road and perform for different departments or clients. It’s a fun way to bring your team together and share the joy of the season.

13. Gingerbread House Decorating Race:

Add a thrilling twist to the classic gingerbread house decorating contest by turning it into a race against the clock! Divide your colleagues into teams and challenge them to construct and decorate the most impressive gingerbread houses within a set time limit. It’s a great way to test their teamwork and time management skills while creating edible masterpieces.

14. Festive Cubicle Decorating Contest:

Transform your workplace into a winter wonderland by encouraging your colleagues to decorate their cubicles or workspaces with dazzling holiday decorations. You can even have a panel of judges evaluate the creativity and festive spirit of each cubicle, crowning the most dazzling display as the winner.

15. Christmas Tree Trimming Relay:

Gather your team and compete to see who can dress a Christmas tree with the most creative and whimsical ornaments, lights, and trimmings. Divide your colleagues into teams and provide them with boxes of decorations. Set a time limit and let the trimming frenzy begin!

16. Holiday Movie Reenactment:

Bring your favorite Christmas movie scenes to life by challenging your colleagues to reenact them in this hilarious and entertaining competition. Encourage them to dress up in costume and channel their inner actors as they recreate iconic moments from beloved holiday films.

17. Cozy Christmas Sweater Knitting Challenge:

For those with a knack for crafting, organize a cozy Christmas sweater knitting challenge. Provide your colleagues with knitting supplies and encourage them to create the coziest and most stylish holiday sweaters. You can even have a fashion show to showcase their handiwork!

18. Christmas Charades:

Put a festive twist on the classic game of charades by incorporating holiday-themed movies, songs, and traditions. Divide your team into groups and let the hilarious pantomiming commence! It’s a great way to encourage teamwork and have a good laugh together.

19. Holiday Cocktail Mixing Contest:

Shake things up with a holiday cocktail mixing contest! Challenge your colleagues to create the most delicious and festive holiday-themed cocktails (or mocktails). You can even have a panel of judges sample the concoctions and crown the ultimate mixologist.

20. Christmas Card Design Showdown:

Let your team’s creativity shine by organizing a Christmas card design showdown! This exciting contest allows your colleagues to showcase their artistic talents and design skills. Provide them with blank card templates or digital design software, and challenge them to create the most unique, eye-catching, and festive holiday card designs.

21. Festive Bingo Extravaganza:

Put a holiday twist on the classic bingo game and compete to fill up your cards with festive items and symbols. You can even offer fun prizes for the winners, like small gifts or treats. It’s a great way to add some excitement to your office party or lunchtime gathering.

22. Christmas Lip Sync Battle:

Bring the energy and excitement of a lip sync battle to the office as colleagues compete to deliver the most entertaining and spirited performances. Encourage them to dress up in festive costumes and unleash their inner rock stars as they lip sync to their favorite holiday tunes.

23. Holiday Costume Parade:

Strut your stuff in the most creative and festive costumes as you compete for the coveted title of “Best Holiday Ensemble.” Encourage your colleagues to channel their inner elves, reindeer, or even Santa Claus himself! You can even have a panel of judges evaluate the costumes and award prizes for the most unique and festive attire.

24. Gingerbread House Decorating Relay:

Put your teamwork and decorating skills to the ultimate test as teams race against each other to create the most stunning gingerbread masterpieces. Divide your colleagues into groups, provide them with pre-assembled gingerbread houses and an array of sweet treats and decorations, and let the festive frenzy begin!

25. Christmas Tree Ornament Scavenger Hunt:

Embark on a thrilling hunt through the office, searching for hidden ornaments and decoding festive clues. Divide your team into groups and provide each group with a set of riddles or clues that will lead them to different ornaments scattered throughout the workplace. The first team to collect all the ornaments wins!

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26. Holiday Karaoke Duet Challenge:

Partner up with a colleague and compete to deliver the most harmonious and entertaining karaoke duets of beloved Christmas tunes. Encourage your coworkers to dress up in festive attire and unleash their inner vocal power couples as they belt out holiday classics.

27. Festive Guessing Game:

Test your knowledge and powers of deduction as you compete to correctly guess the holiday-themed items, sounds, or clues. You can even create a game show-style setup with a host and prizes for the winners. It’s a fun way to engage your team and spark some friendly competition.

28. Christmas Movie Quote Challenge:

Prove your expertise by identifying the iconic quotes from classic Christmas movies in this exciting competition. You can either read out the quotes or play audio clips, and have your colleagues race to be the first to correctly identify the movie and character.

29. Holiday Candy Cane Relay Race:

Put your speed and dexterity to the test as teams race to unwrap and reassemble candy canes in this festive relay. Divide your colleagues into teams and provide each team with a set of candy canes. The first team to unwrap and correctly reassemble all their candy canes wins!

30. Festive Gift Wrapping Relay:

Gather your team and compete to see who can wrap the most presents with precision, creativity, and flair in the shortest amount of time. Provide each team with a variety of wrapping supplies and gifts, and let the wrapping frenzy begin!

31. Holiday Joke Contest:

Who can deliver the most hilarious and side-splitting holiday-themed jokes? Let the laughter reign supreme in this jolly competition. Encourage your colleagues to come prepared with their best festive jokes and have them perform in front of the entire team. You can even have a panel of judges to determine the funniest joke of the day.

32. Christmas Lights Untangling Race:

Put your patience and dexterity to the test as teams race to untangle the most complicated strands of holiday lights. Divide your colleagues into groups and provide each team with a tangled mess of lights. The first team to successfully untangle and light up their strand wins!

33. Holiday Crossword Puzzle Tournament:

Flex your vocabulary and problem-solving muscles as you compete to solve the most challenging holiday-themed crossword puzzles. You can either create your own custom puzzles or find festive ones online. Divide your team into groups and let the brain-teasing fun begin!

34. Christmas Cookie Decorating Showdown:

Let your inner artist shine as you compete to create the most beautifully decorated and mouthwatering holiday cookies. Provide your colleagues with plain cookies and an array of icing, sprinkles, and decorations. You can even invite a panel of judges to sample the creations and crown the ultimate cookie decorating champion.

35. Holiday Escape Room Challenge:

Work together as a team to solve festive puzzles, crack codes, and escape from a themed holiday room in this thrilling adventure. You can either set up a physical escape room or utilize online escape room experiences. It’s a fantastic way to encourage teamwork, problem-solving, and a little friendly competition.

36. Christmas Origami Competition:

Showcase your paper-folding skills by creating the most intricate and festive origami designs inspired by the holiday season. Provide your colleagues with colorful paper and instructions, and let their creativity shine as they fold intricate Christmas trees, ornaments, or festive animals.

37. Holiday Pictionary Showdown:

Put your artistic skills and holiday knowledge to the test as you compete to accurately draw and guess festive clues. Divide your team into groups and take turns drawing and guessing holiday-themed words or phrases. It’s a fun and engaging way to get everyone involved and flex their creative muscles.

38. Christmas Limbo Challenge:

How low can you go? Compete to see who can masterfully limbo under the festive bar in this fun and flexible competition. Set up a festive limbo pole and encourage your colleagues to showcase their limboing skills. You can even play holiday music to add to the festive atmosphere.

39. Holiday Snowman Building Race:

Get creative and work as a team to build the most impressive and whimsical snowmen (or snow sculptures) in this wintry challenge. If you’re in a warm climate, you can use alternative materials like marshmallows, cotton balls, or even recycled materials. The team with the most creative and well-constructed snowman wins!

40. Christmas Scavenger Hunt:

Embark on an exciting adventure through the office, solving festive riddles and uncovering hidden holiday treasures. Divide your team into groups and provide each group with a list of clues or riddles that will lead them to various locations throughout the workplace. The first team to complete the scavenger hunt wins!

41. Holiday Mad Libs Challenge:

Unleash your creativity and sense of humor as you compete to fill in the blanks of holiday-themed mad libs stories. Provide your colleagues with festive mad libs templates and encourage them to come up with the most outrageous and hilarious words to complete the stories. You can even have a reading session to share the hilarious results!

42. Christmas Tree Bauble Toss:

Put your aim to the test in this festive twist on a classic carnival game. Set up a Christmas tree (or a makeshift tree) and have your colleagues take turns tossing baubles or ornaments, trying to land them on the tree branches. You can even award prizes for the most successful tosses or create a scoring system for added competition.

43. Holiday Jingle Bell Relay:

Get your team’s energy pumping with a festive relay race that incorporates jingle bells! Divide your colleagues into teams and have them pass a jingle bell baton from one teammate to the next while navigating through a holiday-themed obstacle course or performing festive challenges along the way.

44. Christmas Carol Lip Sync Battle:

Channel your inner caroler and compete to deliver the most entertaining and spirited lip sync performances of classic Christmas carols. Encourage your colleagues to dress up in festive attire and unleash their creativity as they lip sync and act out their favorite holiday tunes.

45. Festive Gift Wrapping Challenge:

Who can wrap the most presents with precision, creativity, and flair? Gather your team and provide them with a variety of gifts, wrapping paper, ribbons, and bows. Set a time limit and let the wrapping frenzy begin! You can even have a panel of judges evaluate the most beautifully wrapped gifts and award prizes for the top contenders.

46. Holiday Snowball Toss:

Bring the winter fun indoors with a festive snowball toss! Create “snowballs” out of crumpled paper or rolled-up socks, and set up targets or buckets for your colleagues to aim at.

47. Holiday Candy Guessing Game:

Test your taste buds and holiday knowledge with a festive candy guessing game. Place various holiday-themed candies or treats in opaque bags or containers, and have your colleagues take turns trying to identify them by sight, smell, or taste. The person with the most correct guesses wins!

48. Christmas Tree Decorating Race:

Put your team’s decorating skills and speed to the test with a Christmas tree decorating race. Divide your colleagues into teams, provide them with plain trees and boxes of decorations, and see which team can create the most beautifully adorned tree in the shortest amount of time.

49. Festive Ornament Making Contest:

Tap into your team’s creativity by organizing a festive ornament making contest. Provide your colleagues with a variety of craft supplies, from felt and glitter to popsicle sticks and pipe cleaners, and challenge them to create the most unique and eye-catching handmade ornaments.

50. Holiday Door Decorating Competition:

Spread the festive cheer throughout your office by encouraging your colleagues to decorate their office doors or cubicle entrances with holiday-themed designs. You can even have a panel of judges evaluate the creativity and festive spirit of each door, awarding prizes for the most impressive displays.

Conclusion:

As the holiday season approaches, the excitement in the office starts to build. By incorporating these 50 exciting Christmas contest and competition ideas into your workplace celebrations, you’ll not only inject a dose of festive fun but also foster a sense of community, collaboration, and camaraderie among your colleagues.

From hilarious ugly sweater contests to thrilling gingerbread house decorating challenges, these activities cater to a wide range of interests and skill levels. Plus, the friendly competition and team-building elements will help strengthen bonds and create lasting memories that your team will cherish for years to come.

FAQs About Christmas Contest Ideas For Work:

1. How can these Christmas contests and competitions benefit my workplace?

Organizing festive contests and competitions in the workplace offers numerous benefits beyond just entertainment. They can boost employee morale, foster teamwork and collaboration, encourage creativity and problem-solving skills, and create a more positive and engaging work environment. 

2. How do I choose which contests and competitions to organize?

When selecting which contests and competitions to organize, consider the interests, skill sets, and personalities of your team members. Aim for a diverse range of activities that cater to different strengths and preferences.

3. What are some tips for ensuring a successful and enjoyable event?

To ensure a successful and enjoyable Christmas contest or competition event, clear communication and organization are key. Provide detailed instructions and guidelines to participants, and ensure that all necessary supplies and resources are readily available.