Deck the desks with boughs of holly la la la la laaa, la la la laa… Christmas is approaching and it’s time to start feeling festive and thinking about office Christmas decorations.

Get Mariah Carey on the speakers, grab yourself a mug of hot chocolate and start thinking about how to bring that Christmas vibe to your office. A lot of workplaces have a ‘Deck the Desk’ competition as a way of celebrating the run-up to Christmas. So, whether you want to get fully involved with the Christmas spirit or if you’re just looking for a unique way to add some cheer to your desktop, take a look at our most Christmassy ways to decorate your desk and your office this holiday season!

How to Decorate Your Office Desk This Christmas

1. White Christmas

Dreaming of a white Christmas? In the UK we have to be super lucky to get snow at Christmas time, so why not bring the outside, inside! Decorate your desk with white paper, icicles and silver baubles to create the quintessential snowscape. You can chill out and slide, sledge or ski right into the Christmas spirit!

This is a super easy idea, that doesn’t have to take up too much time. Just cut out some white paper snowflakes, link together some white paper chains and you might as well be inside a snowglobe!

2. Themed Christmas

If you’re not feeling the regular Christmas decorations, how about giving your desk a theme? For example, how about Narnia, Harry Potter or perhaps even Star Wars? Take one of your favourite films, books or TV Series and Christmas it up! You don’t even have to buy expensive collectable items or decorations, you can make your own out of paper or even print some images from the internet to get your desk looking creative!

3. Candy Cane Lane

What’s red, white and sweet all over? Your future desk! By using only red and white decorations, you can stick within a candy cane theme. You could use red and white striped wrapping paper to cover the walls and hang coloured baubles and tinsel to add some extra sparkle. Oh and to really make this one a winner, you should have a little jar of peppermint sweets for anyone that happens to come and visit.

4. Santa’s Workshop

We’re sure you’re working hard, like a little elf this holiday season, so why not let your desk reflect your work ethic?! You can decorate your desk with reindeer (don’t forget Rudolf), plenty of presents and lots of elves. You can even add your work colleagues faces onto the little elves on your desks, so they can help you with your work! Make sure you add a little sign at the top saying ‘Santa’s Workshop’ to really set the whole thing off.

5. Chandelier Snowflakes

Perhaps you don’t have a desk, or you would rather not have lots of decorations cluttering up your workspace – that’s okay! It doesn’t make you a Grinch! How about hanging some baubles, tinsel or falling snowflakes from the ceiling or on the walls to create your little Christmas cavern. This can be super easy and look really effective with just a few simple items, and you won’t have to sacrifice your workspace.

If you want to go all out, a new trend is to hang your Christmas tree upside-down, so not only will you be saving space, but you’ll also be the hippest colleague in the office!

6. Gingerbread House

Do you make a gingerbread house every year for Christmas? Or perhaps you have a love of baking? Why not make yourself a little gingerbread office? Now, we’re not suggesting you have to slave away in the kitchen making the whole thing yourself; you buy a gingerbread house kit, or you can get the same effect with cardboard, coloured paper and some nice decorations.

If you want to incorporate an edible element, why not put a little jar of ginger snaps on your desk as a little present to your colleagues (or to yourself every morning!! Ho ho ho). Top this off with a log fire screensaver on your computer and you’ve got yourself a cosy little home.

7. Bah Humbug!

Do you feel like Christmas is a load of old humbugs?! Maybe you’re just fed up about how it seems to come earlier and earlier every year. If so, how about decorating your desk into something completely unrelated to Christmas? Think Tiki themes or a Space style; the office cube is your oyster! If you want to go straight up Grinch, how about doing just that, make your desk part of the cave in Mount Crumpit, the Grinch’s hideaway!

8. That’s a Wrap

Easy, simple and always a good prank? Wrap your (or someone elses’) desk in Christmas themed wrapping paper. It will be like coming to work at a giant pile of presents every day; and who doesn’t like presents? Not only will it automatically put a smile on your face, but it’s a very easy and cost-effective way of getting in the Christmas spirit.

After all, you only need some fancy paper, a pair of scissors and some tape – and voilà! But be warned, if you do decide to play this as a trick on your favourite work colleague, you’ll be put on Santa’s naughty list for sure!

9. You Can Make it Work!

Do you work for a tech company that creates the latest video games? Or perhaps a publishing business that prints the latest books? Whatever it is, you can incorporate your work culture into your Christmas decorations!

Hang computer circuit boards from the walls or stack up books into a tall Christmas tree shape to decorate! It can be a really easy way to celebrate your company, while still keeping in with the festive holiday feeling. 

10. Eco-Friendly Christmas

A lot of people think it is difficult to be eco-conscious at Christmas time because of the amount of waste that is produced, so how about a recycled Christmas theme? Make paper snowflakes from old fliers and newspapers or stack old cans together to make the perfect DIY Christmas tree. This way you are using things that would have otherwise been thrown away and upcycling them into something festive, then, of course, you can recycle it all once you are done! This is a great way of being eco-conscious this Christmas and saving money on expensive Christmas office decorations.

11. Post Office

Everyone likes to receive Christmas cards, but perhaps you get too many and never know what to do with them? Like a really cute Christmas office addition, how about setting up your own little Christmas post office? You can decorate by recycling old Christmas cards or hang up the ones you receive this year as you get them.

You can also make bunting or a fun collage. If you want to go a step further, you could even create a little Christmas post box, so you can be the post collector of the office and distribute everyone’s Christmas cards and presents around the office that comes from your colleagues!

12. Lights, Camera, Action!

Bring a little brightness to your office desk by making it a twinkling array of fairy lights or fake candles. This can be simple and very effective and it will definitely bring a little classy Christmas cheer to your office. You can try lights of every colour in a Christmas rainbow extravaganza, or stick to just one or two colours to make your desk filled with simple but effective holiday cheer. Just make sure you think about whether your lights need to have a mains plug socket or batteries to light up your work life!

13. Get Everyone Involved!

Christmas is so magical as a child, so why not get your kids, nieces, nephews or younger siblings help make Christmas decorations for your office. Remember that toilet paper tube Santa’s that everyone made in a nursery? Or how about some drawings of Santa or the elves and hang them up around your office. Or even get some childhood retro games to decorate your desk. Christmas isn’t just for the kids, but it can help to bring your childhood back to you!

14. Celebrate Your Own Way?!

Perhaps you don’t celebrate Christmas, or perhaps you celebrate it differently to your other colleagues. Maybe Hanukkah is your December festive celebration, or Bodhi Day is the one you are counting down the days to. That’s great! Why not celebrate your own culture or religion by bringing it into the workplace? Not only can you show your colleagues the way that you celebrate the holidays, but you can also celebrate the diversity of your company.

15. Christmas Countdown Calendar

The countdown to Christmas has begun! And what better way of keeping track of the days, than of making your desk a countdown clock or advent calendar for the upcoming holiday?! This is a really easy way of getting into the festive holiday spirit and of decking your desk so that you and your colleagues can get the countdown going! If you think this is too simple, you can always add this to another theme to give your desk a bit more depth. 

16. Pick a Poinsettia 

Maybe you’re fed up with all of those paper or plastic decorations and want something a little more refreshing. How about looking into getting some real plants to give your desk that festive feeling? Poinsettias, a miniature Christmas tree or even a Christmas Cactus can give a lovely vibe to your desktop. Mistletoe is another Christmas tradition, but you don’t want to be caught under it – otherwise, it might be an HR nightmare. The best part about having plants as Christmas decorations? They don’t just have to be part of your desk arrangement temporarily, they last all year round!

17. Christmas Wreath

Just like you deck your front door with a wreath, why not deck your desk the same way? This is a really simple and easy way of giving your desk the Christmas feeling without overwhelming your workspace. You can go as big or small as you want and there are no limitations on materials… Do you want to make a huge wreath from green baubles or perhaps multiple small tinsel and paper wreaths in a collage? Why not! The only limit is your imagination.

18. Balloon Bonanza

Something that has become popular over the last couple of years is using balloons in Christmas decorations. They are a simple way of creating a Christmas tree, baubles or even lights without actually buying the real things. You can always choose a colour theme to make your balloons look like snowballs, or even get the clear plastic ones and put sparkles and tinsel inside or make little snowglobes! This is a super-easy way of creating colourful decorations without spending lots of money, just make sure your balloons don’t pop!

19. A Pose a Day

Perhaps you have some little toy dinosaurs lying around or collectable action figures? Why not incorporate them into an ‘Elf on the Shelf’ type arrangement and get them to put up a Christmas tree or wrap a present? Get them to move a little more every day and you can even give them little Santa hats to keep them within the theme. This makes your morning a little more interactive while you reposition them and will give your colleagues a good laugh.

20. On The First Day of Christmas, my True Love Gave to me…

Perhaps you want to celebrate a traditional Christmas song, by celebrating the 12 drummers drumming all the way back to the partridge in a pear tree. You can use all of the groups from the song as a theme for your desk decoration. From hand made fabric or paper decorations to colourful Christmas printouts, this can be a really simple but effective way of turning your desk into a Christmas carol cove. Of course, this doesn’t have to be simply the 12 Days of Christmas, if you’re feeling a bit of We Three Kings or even Bublé’s Holly Jolly Christmas, feel free to celebrate your favourite by decorating your desk to match.

Also, read the article about unique ideas for your office Christmas party.


So now you’ve got some inspiration for your office desks! But what about a Christmas party? Find out the most unique office Christmas party ideas here. Or maybe you need a comedian or a caroller? Take a look at our website for some more inspiration and look at our suppliers’ catalogue to find someone in your area that will be perfect for your corporate Christmas party!


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