You found our list of fun ideas for Friendsgiving at work.
Friendsgiving at work is a celebration where colleagues share a Thanksgiving-style meal together at their place of employment. For example, this event might include a potluck lunch, a recipe swap, or a decor competition. The purpose of these events is to foster camaraderie and gratitude among coworkers. These events are also known as “Friendsgiving activities” and “office Friendsgiving ideas”.
These feasts are types of work social events and are similar to Thanksgiving games, Thanksgiving team building ideas, virtual fall activities, and corporate dinners.
This list includes:
- Friendsgiving games
- Friendsgiving activities
- office Friendsgiving ideas
- virtual Friendsgiving ideas
Let’s get to it!
List of Friendsgiving at work ideas
From potluck lunches to thankful bingos, here is our list of the best ideas and activities for Friendsgiving at work.
1. Potluck Lunch
A potluck lunch at work presents a great opportunity to bond with colleagues during a Friendsgiving celebration. Each teammate contributes a dish, resulting in a selection of tasty options for the whole team to enjoy. The activity allows coworkers to demonstrate their culinary abilities and exchange beloved recipes in a relaxed environment. Potluck lunches encourage discussions, nurture connections, and establish enduring memories in the workplace, enhancing team unity and cultivating community through shared homemade meals.
Learn more about team lunches.
2. Recipe Swap
At work, colleagues can join a Recipe Swap to share their favorite dishes during a festive Friendsgiving. This activity promotes teamwork, camaraderie, and a sense of community through exchanging recipes and sharing the anecdotes behind them. Sharing meal ideas is a great way to spark conversation and give insights into coworkers’ backgrounds while broadening employees’ horizons.
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3. Decor Competition
Consider adding a decor competition to liven up your office Friendsgiving. Teams or individuals can showcase their creativity by decorating an assigned area with a festive theme using streamers, lights, centerpieces, and other decorations. Or, you could do a placemat or centerpiece decor contest. This competition encourages interaction at the event, fostering teamwork and camaraderie among coworkers. The contest allows employees to show their artistic skills in a fun, hands-on setting.
Read about Christmas decorating contests.
4. Gratitude Meditations
Integrating gratitude meditations into your Friendsgiving event can deepen the experience. Simply set aside a quiet moment for participants to reflect on what they are thankful for, focusing particularly on the past year’s professional and personal milestones. Seasoned meditators can guide the practice, or you could play a pre-recorded session. Participants often leave feeling more connected and appreciative of their coworkers and the collective support within the workplace.
This exercise also makes one of the easiest virtual Friendsgiving ideas.
Check out more gratitude activity ideas.
5. Charity Drive
A charity drive during a Friendsgiving at work promotes camaraderie and teamwork. This simple act of serve makes one of the most meaningful Friendsgiving activities.
This volunteer aspect demonstrates the company’s dedication to social responsibility, instilling employee pride. You can ask attendees to bring at least one shelf-stable food item or a minimum donation to the feast. You could also do a clothing drive for gently used shoes and clothes. Including charitable activities in Friendsgiving gatherings spreads goodwill and helps build stronger connections between coworkers outside their usual tasks.
Read more charity team building ideas.
6. Thanksgiving Quiz
A Thanksgiving Quiz can engage colleagues during a company Friendsgiving celebration. These fun trivia games test team members’ knowledge of traditions, history, and fun facts. The quiz promotes teamwork and camaraderie, bringing joy and laughter to the workplace and helping to break the ice and get conversations flowing. Participants bond over friendly competition, creating lasting memories with coworkers.
Here are more trivia games for adults.
7. Pie Chart Predictions
Friendsgiving is not complete without pie. Pie Chart Predictions is a guessing game that challenges Friendsgiving guests on how well they know or can read their fellow partygoers. In each round, two contestants will approach a whiteboard or draw their predictions on paper. The emcee will give the players a holiday-related topic like “travels for Thanksgiving,” “already has their tree up,” or “loves canned cranberry sauce.” Players must draw a pie chart representing how they think the rest of the group will answer. Then, the emcee will poll the crowd, and the player who got the closer percentage will win points for their team. This exercise is one of the most creative Friendsgiving games.
8. Crafting Station
At your office Thanksgiving, you can set up a crafting station where colleagues can create festive decorations, personalized place cards, or gratitude journals. Be sure to provide colorful papers, markers, stickers, and other fun accessories. This engaging activity offers a playful break from work and promotes teamwork as coworkers collaborate on craft projects. The crafting also allows employees to express their creativity, adding a personal touch to the Friendsgiving celebration and brightening up the workplace with handmade décor.
9. Thankful Bingo
Thankful Bingo is a fun game for Friendsgiving at work that promotes gratitude and camaraderie among colleagues. First, hand out blank Bingo boards to your guests. Participants will fill the squares with things for which they are thankful. Then, throughout the meal, folks will mingle with other players and mark off a square when they find another diner who is grateful for the same thing. The game encourages teammates to talk, find common ground, share gratitude, and spread positivity.
You can also check out online team building Bingo.
10. Friendsgiving Scavenger Hunt
You can organize a Friendsgiving scavenger hunt to add a fun, interactive element to your workplace celebration.First, compile a list of holiday-themed items for teams to find around the office, including autumn leaves, mini pumpkins, or a picture with the oldest computer in the building. You can also include open-ended prompts like “something you’re thankful for,” “something that always makes you smile,” and “something that you treat yourself to on tough days” as a way to help players get to know each other better.
Learn more about office scavenger hunts.
11. Surprise Dessert Swap
Imagine bringing a surprise sweet treat to the office and swapping it with a colleague’s creation! The Surprise Dessert Swap adds an element of mystery and delight to your Friendsgiving. Simply encourage team members to bring a dessert into the office. Then, team members will swap items with a few randomly assigned participants. You could also run the swap Secret Santa style, assign pairs beforehand, and ask each participant to recommend their favorite dessert flavor so that their partner can pick out the perfect sweet treat.
12. Cultural Showcase
Hosting a Cultural Showcase at a Friendsgiving event at work is an excellent way to embrace diversity and explore various traditions. Employees can showcase their heritage through food, music, dance, or art displays, promoting unity and understanding among colleagues. This activity helps build personal connections and enhances relationships outside the office, fostering inclusivity and appreciation for diverse backgrounds in the workplace.
Here are more culture-building activities.
13. Colleague Appreciation Wall
An Appreciation Wall for Colleagues is a creative method to show gratitude to coworkers during Friendsgiving at work. Workers can write uplifting notes or words of support on sticky notes and stick them on the wall for all attendees to view, promoting unity and boosting morale. Recognizing colleagues’ efforts improves teamwork and cooperation while honoring their strengths and achievements inspires them to work towards shared objectives. Activities like this help cultivate a culture of gratitude and admiration, resulting in higher employee involvement and satisfaction.
Check out more gratitude wall ideas.
14. Random Unexpected Acts of Kindness
During your Friendsgiving at work, you can encourage Random Unexpected Acts of Kindness to embody the spirit of the season truly. Simply challenge colleagues to engage in small, spontaneous acts of kindness throughout the day. Examples could include complimenting a teammate’s work, sharing a book, or offering to help with a task. These gestures can significantly uplift the workplace atmosphere and set the mood for your Friendsgiving feast. You can kick off your meal by sharing stories of kindness.
15. Cozy Coffee Break
Taking a cozy coffee break during Friendsgiving at work is the perfect way to unwind and bond. First, set up a station with various coffees, teas, and hot chocolates. Then, encourage employees to bring their favorite mug and be ready to talk about it. You can further set the ambiance with soft music and warm lighting, creating a relaxed environment. This break is about savoring good coffee and catching up and sharing stories, making the workplace feel more like a community.
16. Timed Seat Swaps
Introducing timed seat swaps is a fun way to keep the Friendsgiving atmosphere lively at work. Every ten to fifteen minutes, have participants stand up and switch seats. This switch encourages interaction between all attendees, ensuring that coworkers can mingle and not just stick to familiar colleagues or talk to one seatmate for the entire meal. The exercise is a simple yet effective way to foster new connections and make the event more inclusive and engaging for the entire team.
17. Takeout Treats Potluck
A Takeout Treats Potluck is one of the best office Friendsgiving ideas. For a distinctive Friendsgiving potluck at work, you can consider organizing a Takeout Treats Potluck where each individual brings a unique takeout dish. Including takeout options adds an element of unpredictability and exploration, enabling coworkers to sample new cuisines without any pressure to spend time perfecting a recipe. Not to mention, this approach is safer since restaurants must adhere to high food quality standards. This modern twist on a classic event fosters unity and creates a relaxed atmosphere for making connections over shared meals.
18. Gift Exchange
Introducing a gift exchange during Friendsgiving at work can bolster camaraderie and add festive fun. Encourage guests to bring a small, wrapped gift, perhaps with a creative twist relevant to your workplace or an inside joke. Then, exchange gifts Secret Santa or White Elephant style, or pass the presents around the table until the music stops, a la “hot potato.” This touch sparks joy and fosters stronger bonds as colleagues share laughs and unwrap surprises together.
Learn more about office gift exchanges.
19. Placemat Decoration Challenge
To add excitement to your work Friendsgiving party, consider hosting a Placemat Decoration Challenge. Encourage your coworkers to display their artistic skills by decorating placemats with festive designs or inspiring quotes. This activity will add a personal touch to your gathering and help coworkers get to know each other.
Final Thoughts
Celebrating Friendsgiving at work can boost team spirit and create lasting memories among coworkers. Employees can enjoy the holiday spirit right at the office by adding festive activities. Each event helps strengthen relationships and gives everyone a chance to contribute. Whether it’s a casual lunch or a fun game session, the most important thing is getting everyone involved in the fun.
Next, check out our posts on holiday team building ideas, Secret Santa games, and Christmas contest ideas.
