If you want to give a toast to all your awesome employees this Thanksgiving, consider throwing an office celebration to show your appreciation. Because Thanksgiving is as much about the festivities as giving thanks, we think the big day should be filled with everything from acts of generosity to games and delicious catering. With that said, here are 25 ways to celebrate Thanksgiving at your office.
1. Have a potluck
No office Thanksgiving party is complete without food. Make sure everyone signs up for what they plan to bring so the meal is complete. If you don’t want your employees to worry about cooking after a long day of work, no problem. Skip to number 9.
2. Skip turkey
Everyone is in a turkey trance around Thanksgiving, so allow your potluck to take a different route—have a Mexican, Chinese, Italian, or vegetarian meal.
3. Celebrate with a tailgate party
Get ready for Thanksgiving with a tailgate party. Ask employees to bring snacks and wear their favorite team’s jerseys.
4. Bring Thanksgiving leftovers
Encourage employees to bring their Thanksgiving leftovers to the office, as we all know the office is a great place to unload anything edible.
5. Hold a cooking contest
Create some friendly competition with a Thanksgiving office cooking contest. Award prizes for different categories, like best pie or side dish. Or, do something different, like a chili cook-off.
6. Celebrate the peanuts way
In the spirit of A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving, celebrate the holiday with toast, jelly beans, popcorn, and pretzels. Encourage employees to dress up as their favorite Peanuts character.
7. Share recipes
Ask employees to bring recipe cards with whatever Thanksgiving dish they bring to the office. People will enjoy sharing recipes and learning how to make something new.
8. Swap pies
Pumpkin, sweet potato, or pecan—Thanksgiving is all about pies. Ask employees to bring their favorite one to swap. Turn it into a raffle so everyone gets a pie to take home.
9. Have a Thanksgiving lunch catered
Management can simply have lunch catered for everyone. Make sure to let employees vote on what they want to eat. You can find Thanksgiving favorites and other delicious holiday catering packages for your office at ezCater.
10. Donate food
Thanksgiving is all about helping others. Ask employees to bring in nonperishable food items to donate to a food pantry, and set up a departmental competition.
11. Participate in another charitable drive
Collect clothing, items for pets, or money to give to a charity of choice. Each department can choose a separate organization, just as long as everyone gets in the giving spirit.
12. Join a volunteer project
Take time out of the workday to participate in a volunteer project, and let employees choose a worthy cause. This is a great team-building exercise.
13. Decorate a thankfulness wall
Set up a decorative wall with craft paper and encourage employees to write down what they’re thankful for.
14. Say “thanks”
Management should use this time to thank their employees for their hard work and dedication throughout the year. Try to make your notes as personal as possible.
15. Thank customers and supporters
Say thanks to anyone who has contributed to the company’s success, such as customers and vendors.
16. Exchange handwritten notes
These days, most people communicate through text messaging, email, and Facebook. So, encourage employees to write at least one handwritten thank-you note to a coworker.
17. Take a walk
Thanksgiving tends to revolve around sitting, so celebrate the holiday by taking a big group walk or hike.
18. Decorate the office
No celebration is complete without decorations. Create a festive Thanksgiving environment at the office with pumpkins, fall leaves, turkeys, and cornucopias.
19. Host a Thanksgiving parade
Have your own office Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, where each department creates a float. Then vote on the best one and give out prizes.
20. Share Thanksgiving mishaps
An exploding turkey or burnt stuffing—just about everyone has had some kind of Thanksgiving mishap. Share these stories with coworkers and give everyone a good laugh.
21. Play “two truths and a lie”
Give this popular icebreaker a Thanksgiving spin. Employees share three holiday-themed statements about themselves, and everyone has to guess which two are true and which one is untrue.
22. Go bowling with pumpkins
Games complete any office Thanksgiving party. Set up a bowling game with a pumpkin and ten water bottles, and unleash the fun.
23. Have a raffle
Gather gift cards and other prizes, and hand out raffle tickets. Everyone loves to win something!
24. Set up a photo booth
Set up a photo booth at the office with Thanksgiving props, like turkey masks, fall-colored feather boas, and pumpkin hats. Encourage staff to post photos on Instagram with the company’s hashtag.
25. Host a cocktail hour
It’s 5 p.m. somewhere. If it’s appropriate for your office, host a Thanksgiving cocktail party with seasonal concoctions, like cider or pumpkin spice martinis.
By celebrating Thanksgiving at work, you can bring the whole office family together. Whether you share a delicious meal or give back through a donation drive, your office Thanksgiving is sure to be a hit.
