Christmas Wish Icebreaker
Bring some festive cheer to your remote team meetings with this delightful Christmas-themed icebreaker activity. Perfect for holiday season meetings, year-end retrospectives, or simply adding warmth to your virtual gatherings, the Christmas Wish template combines collaborative decoration with meaningful sharing.
What Is the Christmas Wish Icebreaker?
The Christmas Wish is a dual-purpose icebreaker that engages teams in both a creative decorating activity and reflective sharing exercise. Team members first collaborate to decorate a virtual Christmas tree using digital ornaments, then share personal "wishes" for the coming year. This activity creates a relaxed atmosphere while generating meaningful insights that can set the tone for your meeting.
The metaphor is simple but effective:
- The Tree: Represents the team's shared space and collaborative spirit
- Ornaments: Allow for personalization and creativity
- Wishes: Capture aspirations, goals, or needs for the future
Benefits & When to Use
- Energize your team: Start meetings with positive energy during the holiday season
- Foster connection: Create moments of lighthearted collaboration for remote teams
- Surface insights: Uncover team needs and aspirations in a non-threatening way
- Transition smoothly: Warm up participants before diving into deeper discussions
This icebreaker is particularly valuable for:
- Year-end retrospectives
- Final team meetings before holiday breaks
- Kickoff sessions for the new year
- Any meeting needing a morale boost during the winter months
How to Run a Christmas Wish Session
Set the stage (1 minute)
- Share the purpose of the icebreaker and frame the activity with a specific focus for the wishes (e.g., "What's your wish for the team in the coming year?")
Decorate together (3-5 minutes)
- Instruct team members to drag ornaments from the decoration box onto the tree
- Encourage creativity and collaboration as they place baubles, stars, and ribbons
- Let them know they can also add their own images by copying and pasting
Create wishes (3-4 minutes)
- Ask each participant to write their "Christmas wish" on a sticky note
- Place these wishes near the tree
- Consider using private mode for writing if you want simultaneous, uninfluenced contributions
Share and discuss (5-10 minutes)
- Have each person briefly share their wish with the group
- Invite reactions and comments using Metro Retro's reaction tools
- Note any patterns or common themes that emerge
Transition to the main meeting (1 minute)
- Acknowledge the activity and link any relevant insights to your meeting agenda
- Consider using the confetti feature to celebrate before moving on
Tips for a Successful Session
- Frame wishes appropriately: Guide the content of wishes based on your meeting goals – professional development wishes, team improvement wishes, or product wishes
- Keep it inclusive: Remember that not everyone celebrates Christmas; emphasize the wishing aspect rather than religious elements
- Prepare examples: Share sample wishes to help get participants started (e.g., "More pair programming opportunities," "Better cross-team communication")
- Capture insights: Take note of wishes that reveal team needs or concerns for follow-up
- Scale appropriately: For larger groups (10+), consider using breakout rooms for sharing or have participants react to wishes they resonate with rather than discussing each one
With the Christmas Wish icebreaker, you'll create a festive atmosphere while gathering meaningful input that can inform your team's goals and priorities for the coming year.
