Only one dollar!
That’s how little a team-building activity for your holiday office party can actually cost you. Now, compare it with $30,000, which used to be an average sum allocated to holiday festivities among brands.
Today, organizations downsize holiday budgets and choose cheaper (but not less festive!) celebrations. And nope, team-building on a tight budget is not a myth! And yep, you can likewise hop on the trend with the low-cost team-building ideas and money-saving strategies for office holidays from this article.
You don’t have to pay a sky-high price for your next celebration. Even better—you can decorate your office for holidays at no cost at all. And take it as a promise: it will be a fantastic holiday bash at your company without burning a hole in your pocket.
Top 5 Budget-Friendly Team-Building Ideas for Office Celebrations on Holidays
There’s no need to empty your wallet on it because you only need to prepare an interactive, lighthearted quiz with holiday-themed questions.
It’s just about that time of the year when you’re most likely interested in a Christmassy trivia night for your winter holiday party at your company. Isn’t it?
If we’ve read your thoughts, run Yuletide Showdown to create ever-lasting memories for your team in the most cheerful and cost-efficient way. It’s a self-hosted team-building activity comprising 80 holiday-themed questions, brainteasers, and challenges prepared by Outback.
Request a quote here to get the whole package, which includes all activities, a self-hosted instruction guide, and phone support from the Event Facilitator.
White Elephant Gift Exchanges
If you’ve previously played a Secret Santa game in your team on Christmas, a White Elephant Gift Exchange, aka Yankee Swap, is similar but not quite the same.
Matthew Channell, Owner of TSW Training, says, “Just like Secret Santa, it’s one of the best and most low-cost team-building activities for winter holiday parties in the office. The major difference, however, is that you don’t draw names but instead buy generic, hilarious holiday gifts to evoke a good ROFL. Moreover, you can “steal” those from each other!”
Look at the exact rules of Yankee Swaps below.
Remember to set a smaller price cap, such as $1–$5 or $10–$15, so that gifts won’t cost everyone an arm and a leg.
Here’s a list of fun yet affordable holiday gift ideas under five dollars:
- Fake scratch-off lottery tickets
- Emergency chocolate bars (for a “mid-meeting crisis only”)
- Grow-in-water toys
- Funny stationery like a “pretending-to-work” pen
- Holiday toilet paper, etc.
Example:
NextGen | GTA unwrapped extraordinary and surprising gifts during a White Elephant Gift Exchange on Christmas last year.
Gratitude Trees
Are you grateful for anything to yourself, your co-workers, or anyone else?
If yes (with 100% probability), then—why not express your words of appreciation by “hanging” them as “leaves” on a Gratitude Tree?
Conrad Wang, Managing Director at EnableU, says, “If you celebrate an Employee Appreciation Day in the office, encourage each worker to hang thank-you notes onto a Gratitude Tree for their teammates. Remarkably, you may create Gratitude Trees as a team-building activity at zero cost on different holiday parties at work.”
Example:
On Thanksgiving Day, NielsenIQ employees shared what they’re grateful for by gluing leaf-shaped notes to the drawn tree.
Alternatively, set up an artificial tree in the office where your team members will hang their gratitude notes. This option is more expensive, but it won’t break your bank.
Charity Drives
Have you ever thought about organizing a charity drive during your team’s holiday party?
“Philanthropic team-building ideas like charity drives during office parties not only build community bonds between colleagues but also spread goodwill and compassion, so much needed in today’s world,” says Toni Farrell, Marketing Manager at Coastal Motorhomes & Caravans. She suggests, “Bring gently used items like books, clothes, or toys to the workplace and donate them together as a team. You don’t have to spend a dime on them. Besides, the majority of non-profit organizations offer free donation pickups.”
Consider the following variants:
- Toy drive → for orphanages
- Book drive → for local libraries or schools
- Kitchenware drive → for homeless shelters
- Pet supply drive → for animal shelters or animal rescue hubs
- Blood drive → for local blood banks or hospitals
Example:
This year, to celebrate Black History Month, Microsoft UK organized several team-building events, one of which was a blood donation drive.
Alternatively, as we’re on the doorstep of the New Year’s Day celebration, it could be an excellent time to host a winter clothing drive.
Karaoke or Silent Disco
Hey, sing or dance as if no one was listening to you or watching you!
As we round up our collection of low-cost team-building ideas for holiday celebrations in the office, karaoke or silent disco are the last but not least exciting. They won’t come with a high-priced tag for you thanks to minimal equipment:
For karaoke: A microphone + a speaker + a device to play karaoke tracks
For silent disco: A transmitter + headphones
An occasion can be literally anything, from a Halloween screamy-songs night or Christmas caroling karaoke to a silent disco party dedicated to any corporate celebration.
Example:
The Breathe team organized a silent disco party at work during Mental Health Awareness Month.
And while we’re still at it, just a quick reminder: Silent discos lead the pack of the greatest team-building ideas for introverts.
How to Save Costs on Team-Building Holiday Parties in the Office
Craft handmade office decorations.
In the words of Nick Marshall, General Manager at Window Factory, DIY-decorating a work office for the holidays is an unparalleled team-bonding experience per se. “You communicate. You collaborate. You already feel a holiday vibe in unity. And it costs you nothing. Your team members can use leftover materials like paper or fabric and let their imagination morph into masterpieces.”
Here are several handmade office décor ideas:
- Window art with stencils and washable glass paints (snowflakes for Christmas or cupids with arrows for Valentine’s Day)
- Origami paper sculptures
- DIY photo zones
- Paper cutouts (paper eggs for Easter or dragon garlands for Lunar New Year)
- Plastic bottle crafts
Example:
Take a glimpse of a DIY office decoration at Indus Net Technologies that truly captures the essence of the occasion—Diwali.
But don’t hurry to throw your handmade décor away—save it for future holiday celebrations at work.
Example:
Instead of buying new skeletons or fake spiders for Halloween team-building, Intrum GBS reused decorations from previous years.
Set a theme with inexpensive costume options.
In fact, nearly one-third of people spend $50 to $100 on a single Halloween costume. Not to mention other expenses.
“Of course, you can put your foot down and set a one-item dress code for team-building events on holidays to make sure costumes won’t cost you a fortune,” remarks Simon Healy, Director at Wardrobe Warehouse.
It means your team members should wear only one symbolic holiday accessory like:
- Scary mask for a spooktacular Halloween
- Santa’s hat for a Christmas office party
- Paper-cut shamrock pinned to clothes on St. Patrick’s Day
“However,” he adds, “there’s no need to resort to such a minimalistic approach. You have got other affordable options like costume swaps or DIY costumes.”
Find a white sheet at home, make two eyeholes in it—and you have a ghost costume for Halloween!
While working with custom apparel designs, Murtaza Oklu, Owner of OMO Transfer, spotlights another tendency among companies: “Many brands prefer group-themed holiday costumes for team-building activities. Some of the widespread designs are M&Ms or Minion-inspired hoodies, sweaters, and T-shirts. They can also be worn later to the office, which makes them a cost-effective solution for teams.”
Leverage employees’ talents/hobbies.
Do you have super-talented people on your team?
Bet you do!
Ask them to contribute to your holiday celebration with their unique skills like these:
- Dancing
- Playing guitar, violin, or other instruments
- Singing
- Pantomime
- Cooking
- Stand-up comedy, etc.
In this context, here’s a +1 to your list of budget-friendly team-building activities for holiday office parties. This recommendation comes from Matt Wouldes, Founder at Land & Sea NZ, who leads a team of outdoor enthusiasts. “Most probably, your team members have a strong passion for something. A hobby show with presentations of their interest-driven activities.” He shares, “Whenever we gather for a team-building event or holiday celebration, we share our fishing, camping, or other outdoor adventures at land and sea.”
By the way, it would be a wonderful getting-to-know-you activity for a holiday party in the office with new hires who have just stepped on board.
Engage in collabs with other brands.
Finally, one last tactic for organizing a low-cost team-building event on holidays is to seek sponsorships and engage in partnerships with other businesses.
Samantha Brown, General Manager at Shout Media, reminds us that collaboration should always be a win-win. “When you partner with another brand to run a holiday office party, make it a two-way street. If they sponsor your team-building activity, they should get something in exchange, say, an advertisement or a social media shout-out. Actually, the latter is a superb tool for cross-promotion and buzz generation for both on social media.”
Example:
The Barry University team celebrated the 2023 holiday season in collaboration with Coca-Cola Beverages Florida. After the team-building event, they tagged the Coca-Cola Company in a shout-out on LinkedIn.
Roll Out the Best (and Wallet-Friendly!) Holiday Party in Your Office
Pick an affordable team-building activity and transform your office for holidays, even on a limited budget. As you know, imagination and creativity are not restricted.
Start planning your festive event and request a quote from Outback whenever you’re ready—holiday spirit is guaranteed!
About Bio
Catherine Schwartz is an author who specializes in employee well-being and engagement.
