According to researchers, stress levels run high among employees when holidays are just around the corner. It may seem like a bit too much to add a holiday team building activity on top of it all, but why not leverage having everyone together. Teams have the chance to celebrate together at the end of the year and strengthen their connections for the coming year.

Here are some hot activities for team building you can organize this year at the office.

Idea #1: Charity goals
There is no moment like the holidays for people to be grateful for their fulfilling year and want to give something back. Charity goals represent a great idea for team building during the holidays, because everybody will feel inspired being able to help those who are less fortunate. Various activities include raising money for a cause, building bikes for children, cooking meals at a food bank, wrapping gifts for a children’s home, and the list goes on.

Idea #2: A building game
A good opportunity for teams to prove how well they can work together is a building game. Set the goal, provide everyone with the needed supplies, and start the timer. For this idea, it is best to break the team into smaller groups, as this will promote a light air of competitiveness and while strengthening bonds between those who are in the same group. Holiday team building can be a lot of fun, and this is exactly what you want your employees to experience at your corporate party.

Idea #3: A scavenger hunt
Nothing makes people working in an office all day long feel more refreshed than an intellectual challenge. Organize a scavenger hunt at the office. Break the team into small groups of three or four people, then supply them with a set of clues for finding certain items spread around the office. The items they collect can be donated to a cause that supports your corporate strategic partnership.

Idea #4: A cooking contest
A great idea for a holiday team building event is to invite everybody to a cooking contest. Since cooking contest shows are all the rage on TV, why not give your employees the chance to feel like competitive chefs? The main challenge for the organizer is, of course, finding a venue with the right kind of facilities. Even without being Gordon Ramsay, you can still pull it off with this idea!

Idea #5: Everyone is Santa!
Teams work best when members know each other well, and what better way to put this knowledge to a small test than putting everyone in Santa’s shoes. Set some guidelines – such as a certain dollar value – and let each team member use their own creativity for meaningful holiday ideas. Everyone receives a name and buys a gift for another member of the team, but the secret Santa's are not revealed until the holiday party.

Holiday team building contributes to strengthening teams in any company and is the perfect way to relieve stress and help your team work together more effectively.

Author's Bio: 

Colette Johnston is a Corporate Specialist in Professional Development focusing on soft skills related to effective leadership, presentation skills, and executive presence. For more than 15 years Colette has used experiential learning to help F500 organizations and the people who lead them to build skills around communication, problem solving, conflict resolution, trust and personality discovery.

Since a one-size-fits-all mindset does not fit in today’s dynamic business environment, Colette works with business leaders to develop individualized solutions through her consultative approach. Her years of knowledge and experience benefit a variety of different organizations from small business to Fortune 50 companies.

In addition to soft skills training, Colette brings Corporate Social Responsibility to her business partnerships with charity team building, inspiring positive change in the workplace and in communities.