Work Christmas Party Ideas and Games That People Actually Enjoy

The work Christmas party is the one night of the year when a business gets judged by everyone at once. Get it right and people talk about it in January. Get it wrong and the only thing anyone remembers is who missed the last train.

I run a small business and I'm a dad, so I see the Christmas party from both sides: what it costs the business, and what it takes to get a night without the kids. This isn't a list of things a venue wants to sell you. It's what works, what to watch on cost, and the games people genuinely join in with.

Start here: three questions before you book anything

Every good Christmas party I've seen answered these first.

1. Who has to be able to come? If half your team are parents, a Friday night in town is a hard yes for some and a babysitter bill for others. A long lunch that rolls into the afternoon often gets better turnout than an evening.

2. What's the budget per head, honestly? Decide the number before you look at venues, because venues will always find a package just above it.

3. Do people want to sit, or do something? A three-course meal suits some teams. Others would rather throw darts, bowl or cook, and eat afterwards.

The tax bit most small businesses miss

In the UK, HMRC lets you spend up to £150 per head, per year (including VAT) on an annual staff event without it becoming a taxable benefit for your team. The event has to be open to all staff, or all staff at one location, and the £150 covers the whole year's annual events combined, so a summer barbecue counts against it too.

It's a limit, not an allowance: go £1 over and the whole amount per head becomes taxable. Partners and guests count towards the head count, so a team of ten bringing plus-ones is twenty heads in the calculation. Check the current HMRC guidance or ask your accountant before you commit, but in most years it makes £150 a head the sensible ceiling.

Work Christmas party ideas, by the kind of team you have

The classic: Christmas lunch out

Best for mixed teams, parents and anyone who doesn't drink. Book a private room, set a start time around 12:30, and let it run as long as people want. Those who need to do the school run can leave at 3. Everyone else carries on.

Activity first, food after

Social darts, crazy golf, bowling, axe throwing or an escape room, followed by a meal. The activity breaks the ice so the meal isn't forty minutes of small talk with the person from accounts. It also gives the non-drinkers something to do that isn't holding an orange juice.

Cook it yourselves

A cookery school or a pizza-making class. Slightly more expensive per head, but it's a team doing something together, which is the whole point.

Give something back

Fold a charity element into the day: wrap presents for a toy appeal, or have everyone bring a gift for a children's charity. In Greater Manchester, Cash for Kids Mission Christmas is one we support. It costs very little and it's the bit people mention afterwards.

The remote or hybrid team

Post everyone a box with drinks, snacks and a cracker, then run an hour-long online quiz with a proper host. Keep it short. Nobody wants three hours on a video call in December.

Small team, small budget

A good pub, a booked table, the first round on the business, and one of the games below. You don't need a venue package for eight people.

Christmas party games people actually join in with

The best party games need almost no explanation, take under 20 minutes and work whether people have had a drink or not.

Secret Santa (10 minutes to open). Everyone buys one gift for a name drawn at random. Set a clear cap of £10 to £15 and stick to it.

Yankee Swap (20 to 30 minutes). Everyone brings a wrapped gift. In turn, each person either opens a new one or steals one already opened. Gets loud, in a good way.

The Christmas quiz (30 to 45 minutes). Teams of four or five. Mix the rounds: Christmas films, number ones, a picture round, and one round about the business, with questions on the first customer or office trivia.

Baby photo guess (15 minutes). Collect a childhood photo from everyone beforehand, number them, and get teams to match faces to colleagues.

Wrapping race (10 minutes). Pairs wrap an awkward object one-handed each: a ball, a mug, a colleague's arm. Fastest neat job wins.

Christmas film emoji quiz (10 minutes). Show films as emojis on a screen. Teams shout the answer.

Two truths and a lie (15 minutes). Each person tells three "facts" about their Christmases. The table guesses the lie. Great for newer starters.

Cracker joke-off (5 minutes). Everyone reads their cracker joke. The table votes the worst. Winner gets the last mince pie.

My rule of thumb: pick two games, not six. One gentle one early, either the cracker joke-off or two truths, and one big one later, the quiz or the Yankee Swap.

A planning timeline that works

• September to early October: set the date and budget. December Fridays go first, so book early or pick a Thursday.
• 8 weeks before: book the venue and any activity. Ask what's included in the package price and what isn't.
• 6 weeks before: send the invite with the date, times, location, dress code and how people will get home.
• 3 weeks before: collect dietary requirements and confirm numbers.
• The week before: confirm with the venue, sort taxis or a minibus, and prepare the games.
• On the day: keep any speech under five minutes. Thank people properly, name a few wins from the year, and then get out of the way.

Make it easy for the people who usually can't come

This is the Corporate Dad bit. The people who most often miss the Christmas party are parents, carers, people who don't drink and people who live furthest away. Small things change that:

• Give at least six weeks' notice so childcare can be arranged.
• Publish an end time, even if the night carries on, so people can plan.
• Have a proper non-alcoholic option, not just lemonade.
• Pay for, or organise, transport home.
• Consider a daytime event every other year.

If you want to look the part, I've also written about getting your outfit right for the work Christmas party. And if your team doesn't know each other well, these icebreakers work at the start of the night too.

Quick answers

How much should a work Christmas party cost per head? There's no right number, and venue packages vary a lot by city and by date. Set your figure before you look. Keeping the year's annual events within HMRC's £150-a-head limit, including VAT, is a sensible ceiling, because it stops the event becoming a taxable benefit.

When should you hold the work Christmas party? The first two weeks of December are the most popular, so they book up first. Late November or early January is cheaper and easier to book, and people are often more relaxed.

Lunch or evening? If your team includes a lot of parents or people with long commutes, lunch gets better turnout. Evenings suit younger teams and businesses that want a big night out.

What are good Christmas party games for work? Secret Santa, a Yankee Swap, a team Christmas quiz and a baby photo guessing game are reliable. Choose two, keep each under half an hour, and make sure nobody is forced to perform.