Work Christmas party ideas: 10 fun games and ideas your team will remember
Ten ideas and games to make your work Christmas party or team dinner fun and memorable. The star: a Tattoo Corner with a meme of every colleague. With nicknames, a step-by-step setup guide, a planning timeline and FAQs.
The work Christmas party has one problem: it looks a lot like last year’s. Same restaurant, tables split by department, the usual speech and, by eleven, half the table staring at their phones. And yet it’s one of the few moments in the year when the whole team sits down together without talking about work.
You don’t need a bigger budget to make it memorable. You need people to join in and laugh together. Here are ten fun ideas and games for a work party or team dinner, starting with the one that gets the most photos: a Tattoo Corner with a meme of every person on the team, made from their photo and a nickname. They work just as well for the Christmas party as for a summer lunch or to celebrate a good year.
What makes a work party memorable
- Everyone takes part. Nobody remembers the menu; everyone remembers what they did: wearing something, voting, playing, being in the photo.
- Humor that includes. Laughing with your colleagues, not at them. The jokes that work are the ones the person in the spotlight is proud to show off.
- Something to take home. A photo, an award or a small keepsake that’s still there the next day and gets people talking about the night again.
10 fun ideas and games for your work Christmas party
Pick just one or mix several. Six of them are games you can play at the table or between courses: the awards, the symbol tables, the quiz, the baby photos, Secret Santa and the music.
1. A Tattoo Corner with a meme of every colleague
Before the party, make a meme with a photo of each person on the team and a nickname that sums them up, and turn it into a temporary tattoo. On the night, set up a table with all the memes, water and a mirror: everyone finds their own, or the one of the colleague they’ve been given, and puts it on.
It works because every tattoo is a little story: “The Busy Bee”, “The Tesla”, “Chamomile Tea”… People look for each other, laugh at their nickname, take photos with whoever is next to them, and the corner ends up as the heart of the night. And since a temporary tattoo lasts several days, on Monday someone at the office is still wearing it. Further down we explain how to set it up step by step.
2. Funny awards for coworkers, with a tattoo as the prize
An awards night with joke categories and real ones: for whoever untangles any mess, for the one who always brings cake, for the king of the meeting that could have been an email. Have the whole team vote anonymously a few days before. And as the prize, instead of a certificate that ends up in a drawer, a tattoo with a medal and the name of the category that the winner puts on in front of everyone. If you want it in gold or silver, order with a bit more time: they take 72 hours to make.
3. Mixed tables with a symbol at the door
So the same people don’t always sit together, hand out a tattoo with a symbol at the door (a star, a reindeer, a lightning bolt…) and make each symbol a table or a team for the games later on. You mix departments without anyone feeling forced, and everyone is wearing something before the first course.
4. A photo booth with the company branding
A backdrop with the logo or the phrase of the year, a few props and someone with a steady hand for the photos. If you also hand out tattoos with the logo, they show up in every shot: it’s what brands do at trade shows and festivals with promotional tattoos.
5. The year-in-review quiz
Questions about what happened at the company this year: the strangest client, the phrase everyone keeps repeating, how many coffees the machine makes in a day. In teams (the ones from the symbols at the door) with a small prize for the winners. One person can put it together in an afternoon, and it’s good for half an hour of laughs.
6. Whose photo is this?
Everyone sends in a childhood photo or a fun fact nobody knows about them. During dinner they go up on the screen and people have to guess who they belong to. It’s the quickest way to get to know the colleagues you only ever see on video calls.
7. Secret Santa with a rule
The classic, with a twist: a low spending limit and the condition that the gift is handmade or personalized. That way wit wins, not budget: an inside joke, a mug with the office catchphrase or a dedicated playlist beat any generic present.
8. Music picked by the team
A shared playlist where everyone adds two songs before the party, and karaoke to finish. Guessing who picked each song is already a game.
9. The year in five minutes of photos
A look back at the year in photos and videos, with what went well and what went so-so. Even better if you finish with the photos from that night’s meme corner.
10. A keepsake that lasts until Monday
The party ends, but what everyone takes home can last a bit longer. A temporary tattoo lasts 3 to 7 days depending on where it is and how much it rubs (we explain it in how long temporary tattoos last), so Monday’s chat by the coffee machine is already sorted. Anyone who wants it off sooner can remove it in a minute with oil or rubbing alcohol.
How to set up the meme Tattoo Corner
One person can organize it in a couple of afternoons. Here are the steps, from the photo to the table.
How to make a temporary tattoo from a colleague’s meme
- 1
Ask permission and get a photo
Tell each person about the idea and ask for a front-facing photo in good light. Anyone who doesn’t want to take part doesn’t: the humor only works if nobody feels pressured.
- 2
Choose the nickname
One per person, easy to recognize and one the person actually finds funny. A little further down there’s a list for inspiration.
- 3
Make the meme
With Canva, PowerPoint or any meme app: the nickname at the top in thick black letters, the photo in the middle and, underneath in brackets, the line that explains it. Keep the text big, because on skin it has to be readable from a meter away.
- 4
Save it in good quality
As PNG, JPG or PDF; ideally at 300 dpi at the final size. If the photo has a background you don’t need to remove it: the editor on our website does it for you.
- 5
Upload it and choose finish and size
In the editor you crop, remove the background and see how it looks on skin. For photos, choose color + white: it has a layer of white underneath, so the face shows its true colors on any skin tone. For size, between 5 and 8 cm per side, so the face is recognizable.
- 6
Order with time to spare
We make them in 24 hours and you’ll see the delivery date when you place your order. Even so, in December it’s worth ordering two or three weeks ahead.
One sheet with every meme, or each one on its own
There are two ways to order them, depending on the size of the team and what you want to spend:
- All on one sheet. Place the memes, with the photos already cut out, on a 27 × 20 cm document and upload it on the temporary tattoo sheet page. About twelve 6 × 6 cm memes fit on one sheet, and you cut them out afterwards with scissors. It’s the cheapest option if everyone is only going to wear their own.
- Each meme on its own. Upload each meme as a separate design in temporary tattoos with your photos and choose how many copies you want of each: they arrive cut out one by one. It’s the option to go for if you want the whole team to be able to wear the boss’s meme, or the one of the colleague who’s retiring.
The Tattoo Corner table
All you need is a table somewhere people walk past, ideally next to the photo booth or the bar. You’ll need:
- The memes cut out and sorted into trays or envelopes with each person’s name.
- A spray bottle or a glass of water and a few sponges.
- A mirror, napkins and a bin for the paper.
- A sign with the instructions.
- A bottle of body oil or rubbing alcohol and some cotton pads, for anyone who wants to take it off before heading home.
If it’s the first time for many people, our guide on how to apply a temporary tattoo explains it in more detail.
Nicknames for coworkers
The nickname is half the fun. It should be recognizable at first glance, it shouldn’t hurt, and the person should want to show it off. These are some of the ones that work best, in two tones.
Affectionate nicknames
| Nickname | For the one who… |
|---|---|
| The Busy Bee | Works so hard it’s become a meme |
| The Octopus | Finds a job for eight arms a piece of cake |
| The Lion (or Lioness) | Keeps the pack in line |
| The Hawk | Misses nothing, not even a typo |
| The Roadrunner | You ask, and it’s already done |
| MacGyver | Fixes your problem with a paper clip and a sticky note |
| The Encyclopedia | Answers faster than Google |
| The GPS | If the plan gets lost, recalculates and carries on |
| The Power Bank | Recharges the team when it’s down to 1% |
| The Parachute | When everything falls apart, lands the team safely |
| The Tesla | Self-driving |
| Brand New, Under Warranty | Always works, never breaks down |
| Ray of Sunshine | Brightens your day even before you’ve said hello |
| Friday | Walks in and the whole office cheers up |
Cheeky nicknames (only if there’s trust)
| Nickname | For the one who… |
|---|---|
| Winter Sun | Comes in late and leaves early |
| Sunrise | Is always out bright and early |
| Chamomile Tea | Does nothing, but everyone likes them |
| Nemo | Everyone is always looking for them |
| The Fridge Magnet | Is always in the kitchen |
| Low Battery | Is down to 2% by lunchtime |
| Festival Toilet | Is always occupied |
| Double Espresso | Is always in a rush, coffee in hand |
| Alexa | Only does something if you ask |
| Knows everything and, if not, makes it up | |
| The Grapevine | Hears everything before anyone else |
| Spoiler | Can’t keep a secret |
Keep the humor positive: four rules
- Everyone approves their own meme, the photo and the nickname. If someone doesn’t want to take part, they don’t, and nobody asks why.
- Nothing about looks, age, health, religion or private life. The nicknames that work are about how someone works or their quirks at the office.
- Management goes first. If the boss puts on the first meme, and the cheekiest one, everyone else relaxes.
- Photos stay with the team. Before posting a photo of a colleague’s face on social media, ask them.
Timeline for planning the work Christmas party
| When | What to do |
|---|---|
| 6 weeks before | Date, venue and budget. If it’s in December, the sooner the better: restaurants fill up. |
| 5 weeks before | Share the meme corner idea and ask for photos and permission. Open the voting for the awards. |
| 4 weeks before | Choose the nicknames and make the memes. Prepare the quiz and the playlist. |
| 3 weeks before | Order the tattoos: memes, awards, table symbols and logo. That leaves room for any changes. |
| The week of the party | Cut out the memes if they’re on a sheet, print the sign and get the trays, water and mirror ready. |
| On the day | Set up the corner next to the photo booth and let management go first. |
If your company celebrates often
If the company orders the tattoos and it won’t be the last time (the Christmas party, a summer lunch, a trade show, an anniversary), it’s worth opening a Yatatu Business account: you get your own discount code for your purchases, with no minimum order, and a personal account manager who helps you with your orders.
And if the party is at Christmas, in Christmas temporary tattoos you’ll find festive designs to complete the table: reindeer, snowflakes and phrases for anyone who’d rather not wear their own face on their arm.
Frequently asked questions about the work party
How do you make a work party fun?
Make sure everyone joins in with something and has a keepsake to take home. A Tattoo Corner with a meme of every colleague does both: everyone finds their own, puts it on and takes photos with the rest. Add awards voted by the team and a game between tables, and the night runs itself.
What games can you play at a work Christmas party?
The ones that work at a long table without much preparation: joke awards voted in advance, a quiz about the company’s year, guessing whose baby photo is whose, guessing who picked each song, and a Secret Santa with handmade gifts. Handing out a tattoo with a symbol at the door helps form the teams and mix departments.
Can you put a photo on a temporary tattoo?
Yes. Upload the photo or the finished meme as PNG, JPG or PDF; the editor crops it, removes the background and shows you how it looks on skin. For photos we recommend the color + white finish, which has a layer of white underneath so the face shows its true colors on any skin tone, and a size of at least 5 cm per side.
How long does a temporary tattoo last and how do you remove it?
Between 3 and 7 days, depending on where it is and how much it rubs: it lasts longer on the shoulder or forearm than on the hands. It survives the shower. To take it off sooner, a little body oil or baby oil is enough, or rubbing alcohol on a cotton pad.
Are they safe for the skin?
Yes. They’re printed with cosmetic-grade inks and are dermatologically tested.
Is there a minimum order?
No. You can order from a single tattoo, and each meme can be a different design within the same order.
How far in advance do I need to order?
We make them in 24 hours (gold and silver in 72) and you’ll see the exact delivery date when you place your order. For a work party, it’s best to order two or three weeks ahead.
Can they be made with the company logo?
Yes: with the logo, the event name or the phrase of the year, in color, white, gold or silver. It’s what many brands do at trade shows and festivals; you’ll find it in promotional tattoos for companies.
Make your next work party the one everyone remembers
At Yatatu we make custom temporary tattoos in Málaga, from a single one to thousands: with your photo, your memes or your company logo. Cosmetic-grade inks, dermatologically tested, made in 24 hours (you’ll see the delivery date when you order) and rated 4.9 out of 5 on Google.