7 Super-Simple DIYs To Upgrade Your Office Christmas Party

On 15 December, people all over the country will be donning their daftest, most wonderful woollies – all for Save the Children. Make sure your Christmas Jumper Day is one that the whole office will remember with these fun and festive ideas…

1. Build a photo booth area for people to show off their ugliest jumpers.

You’ll need:

Wrapping paper

Blu-tac or tape

Coloured felt and card

Lollipop sticks or wooden sticks

A camera or camera phone

A tripod

Additional accessories: e.g. elf hats, Santa beards, novelty glasses

Instructions:

Create a Christmas-y backdrop by covering a large door or area of a wall in wrapping paper. Use blu-tac or tape to attach the paper to the surface.

Create a variety of props out of coloured card and/or felt. For example, create lips and hearts out of red felt, Santa beards out of white felt, and Christmas-related words out of coloured paper. Attach these props to sticks using tape.

Attach camera to tripod and face it towards the backdrop. Scatter props and accessories on a table nearby.

2. Challenge the office to pin the nose on Rudolph.

You’ll need:

A pinboard or whiteboard

If using a pinboard – black, brown, and red card, scissors, and some pins

If using a whiteboard – a black whiteboard marker, red card, scissors, and some blue-tac

A red marker

A blindfold

Instructions:

Cut out Rudolph’s eyes, mouth, and antlers from the black and brown card. Or draw them on a whiteboard. (Make them big and leave plenty of room for his nose to be placed.)

Outline the spot where the nose should be on the whiteboard using a red marker.

Trace around a mug onto the red card and cut it out to make your first nose.

Using this as a template, cut out plenty more – enough for everyone.

Let each person write their name on a nose, taking a good look at Rudolph’s face.

Then blindfold them, spin them around, and let ‘em loose!

Pin Rudolph's nose on the pinboard, or use blue-tac on a whiteboard. The closer you are to the right spot, the better you score!

Make a simple leaderboard by ranking the best and worst noses next to Rudolph.

3. Serve up some incredibly cute Christmas jumper biscuits*.

*Bonus points if you sell them at a Save the Children bake sale!

Makes about 25

You’ll need:

250g softened butter

140g caster sugar

1 egg yolk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

300g plain flour

Jumper shaped cutter

Coloured icing for decoration

Instructions:

In a large bowl, mix the butter and caster sugar together, then add the egg yolk and vanilla extract.

Sieve the plain flour into the bowl with the rest of the ingredients and mix together until completely combined.

Preheat the oven to 180°C.

Roll out the dough to your desired thickness and cut into jumper shapes.

Bake in the oven at 180°C for around 15–20 minutes, or until golden brown.

Leave to cool and decorate with as much colourful, festive icing as possible!

4. Make a dazzling Christmas jumper garland out of gift bags or wrapping paper.

You’ll need:

Small sheet of thick paper or card

Christmas gift bags or wrapping paper

Long thread

Tape or glue

Instructions:

Draw a jumper on thick paper or card and cut it out. This will serve as a stencil.

Use this stencil to draw multiple jumpers on the gift bags or wrapping paper. Cut each of these out.

Sandwich the thread between two jumpers using tape or glue. Do this along the length of the thread.

5. Put on the ugly Christmas jumper competition to end all ugly Christmas jumper competitions.

Create awards categories for your jumper-wearers to spur on some extra creativity and enthusiasm. Try Cosiest Jumper, Best Team Christmas Jumpers, Best DIY Jumper, and Best Clearly-Last-Minute DIY Jumper... The office can vote on who should win each category, and then you can award these blinged-out, edible DIY medals!

You’ll need:

Ribbon, or even tinsel

A glue gun

Large chocolate coins

Sequins, rhinestones, and glitter to decorate

Instructions:

Cut your ribbon to length – around 50cm should do it.

Fold in half and stick together with a blob of hot glue.

Add another blob of hot glue to the end of your ribbon, place your chocolate coin on top and press firmly.

Bedazzle to your heart’s content.

6. Create festive placeholders out of candy canes in just a few seconds.

For this craft, simply glue together three candy canes and pop a piece of paper in each to create placeholders. You can use these to label snacks and drinks or as table name holders.

7. Whip up a Ho Ho Hot Chocolate station.

You’ll need:

Black card

Chalk

Scissors

Large glass jars

String

A blackboard

Fancy handwriting

Spoons and mugs or paper cups

Hot chocolate ingredients, plus toppings: e.g. marshmallows, cinnamon, sprinkles, chocolate chips, wafers, coconut, and whipped cream (yum!)

Instructions:

On the black card, write up labels for each of your toppings in chalk. Cut them out with scissors.

Piece a small hole in each label, insert the string and wrap around the rim of the glass jars. Tie in a neat bow.

Write up your festive hot chocolate station blackboard sign.

Decant your toppings and ingredients into the jars.

Step back and wait for the hordes to arrive!

Photography by Lauren Zaser, Sarah Stone, and Dana Vogel.

Give a little back this festive season by holding a Christmas party on Save the Children’s Christmas Jumper Day on 15 December. Get together with friends, family, and colleagues – and make the world better with a sweater.

Sign up for your FREE fundraising pack at ChristmasJumperDay.org/register