Looking for fresh ways to celebrate the holidays with your marketing team? Here are five ideas creative and strategic marketers will look forward to and enjoy.

1. Volunteer time. Find an opportunity for members of your team to do something meaningful for the community. Serve lunch at a homeless shelter. Decorate a tree and donate it to a local charity. Sing holiday songs at a hospital or senior center. Getting people to work together, focused on doing something beneficial, is a great way to build a team. Go out for coffee or a glass of wine after volunteering to share stories about the experience.
2. Host a pot luck. Ask people to share their favorite holiday dish. It’s a good way for co-workers to learn about each other’s customs and traditions. Hold the event at lunch or another time that’s convenient for everyone, including people with family responsibilities.
3. Plan a scavenger hunt. Group people who don’t normally work together on teams. Provide each team with a series of clues that will help them find holiday-themed landmarks in your community such as unique store windows, a town tree or notable holiday displays. Ask people to tag smartphone photos to prove they found each landmark. End the scavenger hunt at a favorite bar or coffee shop. Offer prizes for things like making it through the hunt the fastest and taking the most interesting photos. Working together to win a scavenger hunt breaks down barriers and gets people working together.
4. Host a group event. Spend an afternoon or evening doing something really different from what your team ordinarily does. An improvisation class removes inhibitions and encourages creative thinking. See a play, or go bowling or ice skating. Not sure what to do? Involve your team. Let them come up with ideas and evaluate them. This will ensure your event will appeal to everyone.
5. Play games. Short of budget for a holiday activity? Ask each member of your team to bring their favorite “old-fashioned” game to a party. Plan a round robin tournament around games like Clue, Operation, charades and Candyland. Offer simple prizes for things like highest number of wins and losses and most gracious winner. An afternoon of “silly” time will go a long way toward building comradery without spending much money.

Need marketing support during the holidays and beyond? Contact Carpenter Group to find out how we can help with your branding, digital marketing, social media, content, advertising and other needs.