Happy Holidays and Seasons Greetings to you! We are deep in the excitement of the holidays now, with all the music, friend and family gatherings, and gratitude and yuletide cheer.
Need some ideas for inspiring the office? Here are 12 holiday traditions for your law firm to start or continue this year.
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#1 Ugly Christmas Sweater Day
No matter which holidays you celebrate, there’s a lot to love about donning an ugly sweater—with the loudest, most festive colors possible—and spreading the cheer around your office. Plan a day (or set of days—every Friday in December anyone?) for everyone to wear their best ugly sweaters, and vote on which are the best—er, worst.
#2 Deck the desk with boughs of holly
Host a decorating competition across the cubicles to see who can make their workspace the merriest of them all. Bonus points for themed desks!
#3 Go caroling to the office next door
An especially fun way to meet the fellow businesses in your building, gather the heralds among your coworkers to lead this event. Bring your liquid courage along with you (eggnog or hot cider, of course), and you might even get a party started.
#4 Lunchtime holiday cartoon fest
Take over a multimedia boardroom and schedule a screening of all the best holiday classics. Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer or A Charlie Brown Christmas are great half-hour specials, ideal for a lunchtime break. Pick your favorites and plan a whole week of entertainment.
#5 Festive photo booth
Get in touch with your goofy sides and set up a photo booth in your office, complete with all the dollar store props and cardboard cutouts your imagination can design. Reindeer antlers and red noses, snowman hats and scarves, Santa suits, elf hats, and twinkly lights. Bonus points for winter wonderland backgrounds. 
#6 Book swap
A good companion activity to the Ugly Sweater Day, a book swap is a great chance to get some new holiday reading. Whether you turn it into a White Elephant style soiree (with all the stealing and switching that go along with it) or opt for a Secret Santa approach, we can never have enough reading material, right?
#7 Holiday cookie swap
Halloween candy has long since run out, so we’re here for one of the best parts of December: festive cookies! Arrange a cookie tasting and swap event to savor all the flavors of the season—and share your own treasured recipes. Up your game with these tips on how to throw a holiday cookie swap party.
#8 Give back
Have your office pick a local charity or cause and then make a group effort to donate or volunteer. Hold a weeklong food drive in partnership with your local food bank, or spend a day sorting donations on location. Or connect with a nearby women’s shelter to match toys and gifts with families in need. Make it a team building activity or an open invitation to help however your coworkers are able.
#9 Game day
Don’t forget that the holidays are also a time to play! Gather everyone around for games like:
- Musical “cheers” (wait for it) with holiday music
- Pin the nose on Rudolph
- Christmas trivia
- Stocking guessing game
- …and other yuletide games you didn’t yet know you loved
#10 Holiday craft hour
There are so, SO many opportunities to get crafty during the holidays. Set aside some time near the end of a workday and invite your colleagues to tap into their creative sides. Make your own ornaments, create unique Christmas wreaths, design do-it-yourself gifts, or put delicious ingredients in a jar. Festive social time + crafts = fun.
#11 Healthy New Year resolutions
As 2017 winds down, we’re all looking ahead at what the new year will look like. Beyond the determination to cut back on sugar or exercise more, consider a more global goal for your office. Organize participation in a 5K or start a team sport. Or start an official lunchtime walking club. It’s a small step towards a healthful 2018.
#12 Bucket list brainstorm
New Year’s resolutions are always plentiful this time of year, but what if you took this chance to consider your goals more broadly? Have everyone in the office bring in their bucket lists (or come ready to start writing one) and share your top goals.
Are there five of you who have always wanted to go rock climbing? Three of you who have always longed to try surfing? Maybe this is the year you’ll do what you’ve always wanted to, with the encouragement or in the company of your coworkers. Plan together how and what you’ll accomplish in 2018.
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What traditions does your law office have for the holiday season? Share the celebrations you’ve got planned in the comments!
