Around this time of a year the weather starts filling with holiday joy, and you can sense that the New Year is just around the corner. With the festive spirit in the air, office parties are starting to knock on the door, bringing cheer to each workplace. PAYSTRAX is no exception; our highly anticipated annual Christmas party was truly unforgettable this year as colleagues gathered to celebrate the season in style. Check out our activities and maybe get inspired for your next year’s party!
Christmas Tree Decoration
Having a Christmas tree around is the greatest reminder of the upcoming holidays and the happy New Year. Since both events are full of joy, extending the tradition of having a Christmas tree in the office is crucial! At PAYSTRAX, that is how we kick off our Christmas party – by decorating a tree.
This year, we opted for a real tree, filling the room with a fresh evergreen smell. We gathered everyone to contribute, and together, toy by toy, decorated the tree. It’s a small but meaningful tradition that unites colleagues and invites the Christmas spirit.
By choosing a natural tree this year, we took the responsibility of having a living plant. We carefully selected service providers and chose an option to have a live tree in a vase that can be replanted in the forest after the holiday. Various service providers offer the option to deliver the tree on your chosen date and take it back after Christmas. It’s important to celebrate the holidays thoughtfully, making mindful choices and avoiding unnecessary excess.
Virtual Teambuilding at PAYSTRAX
There is no secret that international brands often have established offices in different countries, and coordinating celebrations for significant events can be a challenge. At PAYSTRAX, we’ve established a tradition of hosting Christmas parties across various offices, but we start at the same time.
The main reason for doing this is that it allows us all to have a virtual team-building experience. Last year, we had a Christmas-themed quiz, and this year we decided to solve a huge bank robbery, with all of us becoming investigators. During an online game, we were divided into different groups—some of us were physically together, while others were connected from different offices. Even though we were physically distant, every one of us actively participated in the game and, through collaborative teamwork, successfully cracked a challenging case.
Such games help in creating a sense of unity among separate offices, fostering connections with your colleagues and sharing a holiday spirit. For PAYSTRAX, it has become a valuable tool that enriches our Christmas party.
Secret Santa Game
Everybody loves presents, especially when they are carefully picked personally. This year, to foster more engagement among colleagues, we introduced the Secret Santa game a few weeks before our office party.
The party planning committee randomly paired all employees and notified each person about their assigned colleague three weeks before the event. The delegated task was to choose and purchase a gift under 10 euros for the assigned colleague, wrap it in festive paper, and include a name tag indicating the recipient. Imagine the challenge of selecting a perfect present under this price tag! Our entire team collectively agreed that this was an incredibly fun task that sparked creative thinking.
As an amusing afterthought, some of us are still trying to figure out whose thoughtful present was so thoroughly picked and wrapped, mirroring all their wishes…
Festive dinner together
Seasonal gatherings among family at the mutual dinner table are an all-time tradition, but this tradition can extend to workplaces as well. Bringing everyone into a non-formal setting helps develop more honest connections and allows you to see your colleagues in a different light. That’s why, after the Christmas activities in the office, PAYSTRAX has a tradition of inviting the entire office, along with their spouses, to a restaurant dinner.
Since the PAYSTRAX team is from four different locations—Vilnius, Klaipeda, Brighton, and Reykjavik—we had separate dinner parties in each town. However, while each dinner had its own moments, we all agreed that they were all the best. A festive mood, delicious food, your better half, and work colleagues—it’s an easy recipe for a valuable experience that concludes Christmas party.
Charity tradition
Another beautiful Christmas tradition is to remember that giving brings the same joy as receiving. Many companies actively participate in charitable initiatives before Christmas, which is great. If they have the means, contributing to such efforts it should be encouraged.
Consider making it a heartwarming tradition, alongside all the office party activities, to donate to a designated charity. Contribute, collaborate, or help those in need—during this beautiful period, there is nothing more heartening than spreading goodness.
Here at PAYSTRAX, instead of sending Christmas cards to our customers and partners, we contribute to a charity organization. It doesn’t matter how much you do, but when you do it as a team, the impact spreads fiercely.
