It's the holiday season, which means it's office holiday party time, WOOHOO!

Finding an activity for your team that makes everyone happy AND fits into their after-work schedule can be a huge challenge.

I found myself struggling to come up with dates that would work for everyone on my staff for our holiday gathering, and we're a small team. So, I started looking into options that I could infuse into our daily routine, rather than trying to find a time to corral my staff into an after-work event.

You may not know when your team will have free time outside of work, but you DO know when everyone will be at work, so why not celebrate at the office and make the daily grind a little more fun for once?!

These are some work holiday party ideas that your office can use to celebrate the holidays, show employee appreciation, and still get everyone home at their normal hour.

Work BINGO

The daily grind can get repetitive and dull. The same tasks, day in and day out, every day, all week long. Snore!

Make the day-to-day more fun and create a BINGO game themed with things that happen around your office on a daily basis, or make your BINGO boxes be terms you hear slung around the office everyday.

We're a agency of sales and marketing technologists, so our card might contain boxes with terms like SEO, CRM, or Customer-Driven Design.

Be sure that whatever you choose for your BINGO card is work-appropriate and won't hurt anyone's feelings. Having spots like "Mark is Stinky" or "Kelli Talking Loudly" could be offensive and don't lend themselves to the holiday spirit of togetherness.

Team Potluck

Not all work parties have to be fancy or lavish. Having everyone prepare (or buy) and bring in a different dish for a potluck meal can help your team learn more about each other and mix up the usual lunch grabs.

Don't require that people cook, if someone wants to bring in a sack of cheeseburgers, then so be it. If they want to cook an individual souffle for everyone, let them go at it.

Have more fun and make the potluck a progressive meal. One department can host cocktails in their office while the next department takes on appetizers in theirs.

You can learn a lot about people by what they bring to the table (literally!) for a potluck. It also gives you an idea of who to avoid asking where lunch should be at next Friday, but hey, at least you know.

Bring Your Pet to Work Day

Our team is really into our dogs, we like to bring them in to work whenever possible. It's amazing what having a fluffy pal sleeping in the office can do for moral.

This may require some coordination and rule setting. If your pet isn't house trained or doesn't play well with others, maybe they're not invited to this gathering. But, if your team has some furry friends who could handle a day at the office, why not bring them in?

There are also companies like Bravepup that will literally bring puppies TO YOUR OFFICE for an hour so your team can play with them. This is a great option because it takes the responsibility of pet management off of your team.  

DISCLAIMER: This is a great idea ONLY if you have a team who likes animals and is not afraid of them. Don't blame me if Sparky bites your account coordinator or pees on your bosses shoes.

WHITE ELEPHANT GIFT EXCHANGE

One of my favorite things to do with my team is a white elephant gift exchange.

If you're not familiar, white elephant exchanges are when everyone brings a gift in and you draw numbers for the order of who will pick their gift from the pool first.  Then, you can steal and swap gifts, and hilarity always ensues.  

There are a few schools of thought on what the presents should be, the good gift exchange or the funny gift exchange.

The good gift exchange means everyone picks out a gift that someone will actually enjoy. Pick a spending limit and let you team pick out a suitable gift card or trinket for the exchange. This is best for a group that isn't big on gag gifts and wants something meaningful or valuable. 

The funny gift exchange is a little more cost effective and is good for laughs. Have your team bring in an item from home or their office that is, well, maybe a little ridiculous.

I'm the proud owner of a poster-sized, framed senior picture of my CEO that I acquired at such an exchange. Other items could include that ugly serving platter Grandma got you last year, or the loaf of fruitcake that one client always sends to you.

Employee Appreciation Day

This one is my favorite because you can tailor your employee appreciation day to fit your company culture and really hone in on your team's favorite things. 

The focus of an employee appreciation day should be to show your staff that you truly value their hard work, so figure out what your team likes best and bring it in to the office.  Here are a few of the things we've done  for employee appreciation days: 

• Bring in a chair masseuse 
• Omelet station for breakfast 
• Afternoon barista station 
• Make-shift meditation lounge
• Catered meal from a team-favorite restaurant 
• Employee Superlatives 
• Turn your conference room into a video-game competition room

Outside (of the office) Activities

If none of the above activities fit your team's fancy, maybe getting out of the office walls is what you need.

Try picking the group up and taking them off-site for a day. Sparkspace is an example of  "creative meeting space" facility that you can bring your team to where they can still collaborate and get stuff done, but they get to enjoy a new environment for the day.

If you're having an unseasonably nice day, have everyone bring their laptops to a coffee shop and offer up unlimited lattes and over-priced baked goods.

If your team is a little more adventurous, activities like escape-rooms or segway tours might be more your speed.

Hopefully one or more of these holiday work party ideas will spark some ideas for how to have fun at work. If you feel like you can't settle on a great option, ask! Poll your team with several ideas and see what sticks.

More than likely, all your employees really want is to feel appreciated. But, cash never hurts either.

What great holiday bashes has your office thrown? Tell us all about it so we can plan for next year!