6 Totally Fresh & Meaningful Thanksgiving Office & Remote Celebration Ideas

Ever heard of the expression "forced fun?" Tired of corny, impractical workplace activities?

With the purpose of these activities to build a strong bond and show appreciation towards one another, "fall-themed recipe sharing" just doesn't cut it anymore. And we've all been in themed Zoom meetings with less than five people. You want the team to walk away from this wowed and appreciated.

We all have different ways of engaging and having fun, so we've compiled (and tested) a list of impactful activities that most people would enjoy. So pick yours and show how special they are to you.

1. I Got Your Back With Gratitude

Not often do we get to appreciate one another with kind words. It's the easiest way to build a strong bond and make people feel valued at work. Every time we’ve done it as a team, we’ve seen even the toughest of us get teary eyes.

For in-person activity:

You will need 8.5 x 5.5 size paper cards, pens, sticky tape, and frames (optional).

Stick one card to each person's back with their name on the top, and give everyone a pen. Ask the team to walk around and write words of appreciation towards one another. To as many people as they would like. Once done, create a gratitude wall in the office and display them all for a day. Later you can even frame it and put it on each person's desk.

For remote activity:

Groupgreeting enables sending virtual thank you cards so easily! Once you register and buy the number of cards you need, all you need to do is upload your team members' email addresses, and every individual can choose which card they wish to sign. Everyone will get their cards at the scheduled time and have a beautiful virtual memory.

2. Prezzee, a gift you can’t mess up.

Can you think of a time when you received a deeply meaningful appreciation gift? How did it make you feel? And if you gave one, how did finding it make you feel? With all of us being so unique, getting a perfect gift can be a bit of a backbreaker.

For that reason, more employers are choosing the safe route with gift cards. Who doesn't like them, right?

On the other hand, sending someone an Amazon gift card or preloaded credit card seems like an easy option and something to check off the list. Prezzee reinvents the traditional gift card experience and inserts fun, magic, and a delightful surprise into digital gifting. Prezzee smart digital gift card enables creating a personalized gifting experience in less than 60 seconds.

The recipient will have an option to choose their perfect gift at any of the 240+ top brands on the Prezzee platform. Maybe, finally get an Apple Watch, a cool new gadget at Best Buy, decorate their home office, treat themselves with a weekend trip, Black Friday sale? Or maybe just a bigger turkey?

How it works:

Step 1: Sign up for Prezzee business account or download the Prezzee app for individual cards.

Step 2: Upload a file with your team's names and email addresses.

Step 3: Personalize your gift card with a logo or a design (or choose our Thanksgiving special edition Smart card), and add a thank you note.

Step 4: Send the cards.

Step 5: Ask your team to share photos of what they got!

3. Secret Angel

The secret angel game is a great way to spread kindness across the entire company. It's a week-long initiative of anonymous gifting, care, and kindness among all employees. This Gallup study finds that providing social support generates greater productivity in the long run.

How it works:

Step 1: Each person is selected to be someone's Secret Angel. This is the most important part: they have to keep it a secret.

Step 2: For the week or day, they have to perform random acts of kindness for that person. This can include making a cup of tea, complimenting them, buying them a small treat, or a gift card if they are remote. It's up to them!

Step 3: Ask the team to take photos, screenshots, or notes. You can share in your team's Slack channel or the company's Instagram page.

Make sure you set a small budget aside of $15-20 per employee.

4. Handwritten Note

Part of the whole gifting experience is the element of surprise. When was the last time you saw ink on paper? Unless you needed to send documents to USCIS. The effort and thoughtfulness make a difference here, and we are sure your team will appreciate it.

How it works:

Step 1: Create an account with Handwrytten, the cost per card is around $4, and they ship internationally.

Step 2: Type your message on their website or app and choose a design. Ideally, have each manager do this for their team, making sure they are personalized.

Step 3: They take care of the shipping, stamps, and writing the cards.

5. Tribute Video

Thank someone for the joy they bring to your life with a personalized video. Tribute makes it easy to make and easy to share. And only 60 seconds to start. No editing skills are required. Whether you want to do individual thank you videos or a group thank you video, it works both ways.

For a group video, we recommend sharing a 30 to 60 seconds video of what we are thankful for in these three aspects of life: Work, Family or Friends, Personal Wellbeing.

Some people are camera shy, and in that case, we recommend writing these down and uploading photos into a video.

For individual videos, similar to the "I Got Your Back" initiative, have people send thank you notes to as many of their colleagues. Make sure that you give people a nudge to record one for those who don't receive many.

Later you can turn this into a beautiful careers page video.

6. Family History

What better time than Thanksgiving to look into our family's roots or finding out your uncle really is a Nigerian prince?

As a way of giving gratitude to our ancestors, it's an opportunity to learn more about them. For something that matters as much, it's a great way to show your employees how much they mean to you. Surprise them by gifting them Ancestry.com, and schedule meetings within teams or groups to share the most interesting findings.

Celebrate your employees beyond holidays.

Don't save it for Employee Appreciation Day. Recognizing your employees should be a year-round practice, but the spirit of Thanksgiving makes it a particularly great time to show gratitude to your team members.

We send Prezzees for birthdays, anniversaries, welcoming new hires, holidays, for a job well done, and when they are sick, and they love it every single time. Sometimes they wait to combine them and get a fancier gift. And the best part is the option to receive back a “thank you for the gift” note. Make sure you have tissues handy!

If you'd like to learn more about how the platform works and get ready for the holidays, you can book a demo with our team and take Prezzee for a test drive with a free $25 Prezzee Smart eGift card.

Watch Our Explainer Video