You have 5 seconds to say the first thing that pops into your mind when you hear the word Christmas. Go!
So what was it? Let me guess. Was it family? Presents? Partying? Or maybe Jesus Christ? Whatever it was, for most of us, the thought of Christmas brings about feelings of joy, happiness, anticipation and yes, for some of us exhaustion (the cooking, the cleaning, the shopping, family visits...when does it end?!). Nevertheless, the season of Christmas often means the celebration of a treasured tradition with family, friends and loved ones.
But why end the tradition at home? Sharing the jolly feelings of Christmas with your employees at the workplace is a great way to keep the tradition alive and keep the workforce pumped and eager to face the new year with you. As so much of your employees’ time is spent in the office, allowing them to enjoy a few Christmas traditions of their own within the workplace will certainly boost their motivation, increase brand likeability and create a sense of belonging and camaraderie which will also help in building brand loyalty.
Does your company take part in any Christmas traditions? A Christmas toy drive for example? The sharing of Christmas bonuses? A Secret Santa maybe? Whether you already have a few Christmas traditions within the workplace, or you are looking to start new ones, here are some new traditions you can use to spice things up and keep the season exciting. Keep reading for some holiday-filled inspiration.
Annual Christmas Tree Lighting
Just like the annual tree lighting that happens in Rockefeller, New York, your business can have a tree lighting of its own. However, instead of a simple lighting on December 1st, why not try being a little more creative with it?
Put your plain Christmas tree out where the public can see it. As the days go by, add decorations to your tree so that people passing by see it getting prettier every day, until the actual, grand lighting on December 1st or any day of your choosing. The activity of decorating daily will build curiosity, anticipation and then joy among viewers when the tree is finally lit up with all its fancy deco. Employees will also have fun adding ornaments day by day as they too anticipate the end result.
Christmas Dip with Santa
This is a nice tradition for encouraging shoppers, while still having a bit of fun. Have one of your employees dressed as Santa Claus and set up a big and attractive box of wrapped and branded ‘Merry Christmas’ items (or whatever items you like) at your store’s exit. When someone buys something from your store, have Santa Claus encourage the shopper to take part in a Christmas dip. Customers will get to dip inside of the box and retrieve one of the wrapped Christmas items for themselves. This is a fun and engaging tradition that can also help to promote your company through branded paraphernalia.
Corporate Christmas Hampers for Customers and Employees
Reward your long-standing customers and dedicated, hard-working employees with a beautiful Christmas Hamper. This is the perfect time to show both customers and employees how well you know and appreciate them with a personalized (but professional) gift hamper that complements their interests. For example, if your chosen customer is a passionate baker, include a cookbook and relevant spices or seasonings in his or her hamper. If you have a dedicated employee who you know is coffee-crazy, get them a hamper with different flavours of grounded coffee, unique coffee mugs and useful items or trinkets with coffee quotes on them. The sky is the limit for how you would like to create your hamper, and the more personalized they are, the more your customers will appreciate you for it.
Fun Activities During the Office Christmas Party
Instead of the usual dinner, dancing and award ceremony that often takes place at the Christmas staff party, keep things interesting and engaging with fun games that all your employees will enjoy participating in. Depending on the game, you can even throw in small prizes for game-winners, in order to encourage everyone to join in. You can play games like ‘Name that Christmas Tune’ or Christmas Charades, play Limbo, or simply form a conga line and dance the night away.
There is no shortage to the number of ways you can celebrate the season. It’s all the more fun when customers and employees can anticipate and happily prepare for the coming and celebrating of loved activities with your brand each year. And if that’s not fodder for a jolly and merry Christmas, then I’m Ebenezer Scrooge! Merry Christmas Everyone! May your holidays be filled with warm and heartfelt traditions.