12 alternative office Christmas party ideas

Christmas parties for team members can be costly, time-consuming to organise and potentially unwanted.  Of course, some employees love nothing more than a good excuse to socialise with their colleagues; however, most surveys and articles conclude that staff would prefer something different to the traditional Christmas ‘work do’ – so, here is our list of 12 alternative office Christmas party ideas!

We have come up with 12 ideas of how to celebrate Christmas with colleagues a bit differently, many of which can be supported with gift cards to make the event more cost-effective, easier to organise and more personalised for individuals.  

1. An escape room challenge for your team to solve puzzles and mysteries – the Diggecard team did this recently and all agreed it was great for team building and a fun thing to do!
2. An outdoor adventure – take the team into the wild for a hike, or to meet reindeer and follow it with a winter picnic.  National Trust or Virgin Experiences gift cards can be used for a range of outdoor and festive activities.
3. A jumper contest – give your team a gift card for them to purchase the funniest, most creative or stylish (Christmas) jumper and then arrange a day where everyone wears them to work. A Primark, TK Maxx, M&S or other fashion retailer gift card would be ideal here.
4. Charity work – organise a volunteer day to give back to the local community.  We would also suggest giving the charity some useful gift cards to support their cause and help them buy any goods or services they need. 
5. Office Olympics or games day – create a series of fun and quirky festive-themed office games and competitions.  Give each team member a gift card for them to buy a board game or other activity (that they can keep).  Try to coordinate a mix of different games with some more childish ones as well and add in festive-themed or gift card prizes, music and food.  Give the team Decathlon, Amazon, The Entertainer, John Lewis or other gift cards to stock up on equipment and games for the event. 
6. LEGO® building event – carrying on with the theme of play, let everyone choose and purchase a LEGO® set (using a gift card), then get the festive music on and have a fun team ‘building’ day!
7. Festive craft workshop – hosted just in the way that you would run a LEGO® event.  Load up on products from Hobbycraft (gift cards available from Diggecard!) and provide materials for festive crafts like cracker making or wreath/bauble decorating.
8. Gingerbread house decorating – provide gingerbread house kits and hold a decorating competition. This would also work with remote teams who can decorate from home and send in photos of their finished articles.  Give each team member a supermarket or Totally Gifts gift card to buy their kit and decorations (Honeywell Bakes is one of the brands with Totally Gifts and they do beautiful gingerbread kits).
9. Christmas pyjama party – this might not be to everyone’s taste but to some, a day in the office in their pj’s could be a fun and novel idea.  Gift cards from River Island, Next, TK Maxx, Primark, John Lewis, The White Company, Fat Face and many more can be given out to shop for the event.
10. Cocktails or wine tasting – give your team the chance to enjoy some wine tasting either together or at home with gift cards from Virgin Wines or Asterley Bros for unusual cocktail boxes.
11. Team takeaway – keep it simple and order a takeaway to the office then stick on a festive play list to get your team in the Christmas spirit.  Gift cards from Just Eat, Deliveroo, Uber Eats and ‘too many restaurant brands to mention’ will be perfect here.
12. Festive night out – if you don’t get around to organising anything, simply treat your team to a restaurant gift card so they can enjoy a festive meal with family and friends.  Throw in an Uber gift card to get them home safely at the end of the night and a fashion brand so they can get a new outfit! 

If you are thinking of something a bit different to the classic ‘work do’ this year, hopefully there is an idea in our list that will help you reward and engage your team for their hard work and loyalty in 2023.  Choose the idea that best suits your team’s preferences and circumstances to make your alternative office Christmas party a memorable and enjoyable event.  Of course we highly recommend giving everyone a gift card as a Christmas present, and with our huge portfolio, you can choose them a brand that is perfect for their needs, hobbies or passions!

Browse our portfolio of gift card brands and speak to our team to arrange gift card delivery in bulk to one person or direct to individuals with a personalised message.  You can also set up an API connection for 24/7 delivery.