Workplace Christmas English: Office Parties, Secret Santa and Holiday Emails

Office Christmas party English is a small set of phrases that most coursebooks skip, and your working students need all of it in the same three weeks. They reply to an invitation, take part in a Secret Santa, make small talk with colleagues they barely know, maybe give a toast, write greetings to clients and set an out-of-office reply.

This post follows Lucas, who started in Finance in September, through six dates in his December. For each one you get the phrases that work, the register to choose, the mistakes your students are most likely to make and one activity you can run in 15 minutes. Everything is for B1 to C1 Business English classes, and five of the six activities are ready to print in the free pack below.

In many countries the office party is a New Year party rather than a Christmas one. Wherever this post says Christmas party, the same English works for any end-of-year event.

Free · printable PDF · 7 pagesWorkplace Christmas English PackEverything you need to print for this post, one page per activity, in the same order.Page 4: two of the eight party role cards, each with a secret goal. Page What's on it 2 Three party invitations and three reply slips 3 Secret Santa in four steps and three gift situations 4 Eight party role cards, each with a secret goal 5 A too-casual client email to rewrite, one wish for three readers 6 An out-of-office reply to put in order, then write 7 Answers and model versions Download the free PDFUS Letter

Replying to the Party Invitation

Tuesday, December 1. Mr. Hoffmann's email arrives: the company party is on December 18, and he needs an answer by Friday. Lucas has three invitations this week, and each one needs a different reply.

The reply is short, but the whole team often sees it, so register matters more than students expect.

1of 6B1-B215 minFree printable · page 2 Who Is It For? Three invitations, three replies, and a partner who guesses the reader How it works Page 2 has three invitations: a team lunch in the team chat, the company party from the manager and a client's end-of-year reception. Students say yes to one, no to another and “not sure yet” to the third, each on its own slip, without writing which invitation it answers. Partners swap slips and tick A, B or C. If they can't tell, the register isn't clear enough yet. Why it works The guess makes register visible. A reply that could go to anybody gets rewritten until it can only go to one reader. Alone, students check each slip against the table at the bottom of the page. Free printable · page 2Page 2 has all three invitations (team chat, manager, client), three reply slips and the register table.Download the free PDFUS Letter

Secret Santa

Friday, December 4. The team draws names for Secret Santa. Lucas has never done one, and the suggested price limit looks high to him.

Many students have never taken part in a Secret Santa, so start by explaining it. Every person in the team draws one colleague's name in secret and buys a gift for that colleague only. The team agrees on a price limit, and the giver stays secret until the gifts are opened.

2of 6B1-C115 minFree printable · page 3 The Diplomatic Reply Three gift situations, three replies each: which one keeps everybody happy? How it works Page 3 starts with Secret Santa in four steps, for students who have never done one. Then three situations: a client's expensive chocolates, a Secret Santa mug with a joke nobody explains, and a price limit that feels too high. Groups tick the most diplomatic reply and agree on what is wrong with the other two. The answers are on page 7. Why it works Every wrong reply is a real one: honest, short and a little rude. Saying why it fails is where students learn the phrases that work. Free printable · page 3Page 3 also has Secret Santa in four steps, two more situations and phrases for suggesting a limit, thanking and saying no. The answers are on page 7.Download the free PDFUS Letter

For a full hour on gifts at work, The Office Gift Dilemma (B2-C1) starts from Secret Santa and client gifts, then teaches students to decline, question or suggest an alternative in diplomatic language. For B1-B2 groups, Is It OK to Regift? turns the same awkward gift into a discussion, with words for presents and the passive voice.

Small Talk at the Office Party

Friday, December 18. The party. Lucas knows his own team and almost nobody else in the room.

Small talk is the biggest part of office Christmas party English, and it has three jobs: start the conversation, keep it going, and leave it politely. Each has its own phrases.

Safe topics are the evening itself, holiday plans, food, films and how people came to their job. Topics to avoid are salaries, politics, a colleague who isn't there and, after a while, work itself. Talking only about work at the party is called shop talk, and moving away from it is a skill in itself.

3of 6B1-C120 minFree printable · page 4 The Party Mingle Eight role cards, eight secret goals, ten minutes of party How it works Cut out the cards on page 4, one for each student. Nobody shows their card. Students mingle for ten minutes. The new colleague needs three things in common, the old hand has to steer a conversation away from work, IT support must leave two conversations without saying “I have to go.” When you call time, the class guesses each other's secret goals. Why it works Every goal needs one of the three jobs of small talk, so students start, keep going and leave many times in ten minutes. The guessing round makes them listen as well as talk. Free printable · page 4Cards 5 and 6 of the eight on page 4. Card 8, the team lead, collects a moment from the year for the toast in activity 4.Download the free PDFUS Letter

For the full lesson behind the mingle, The Art of Small Talk (A2-B1) works through conversation starters, follow-up questions and polite endings, and makes a good review for a stronger group too. Networking (B1-B2) takes it into a professional setting: a podcast episode where two colleagues meet at an event, swap advice and agree to stay in touch.

Giving a Short Toast

Friday, December 18. Later the same evening. The team lead taps a glass and looks at Lucas: would he say a few words for the new people?

Few students will give a speech, but many get asked to “say a few words”. A toast needs four lines and about a minute. An example: Thank you all for being so patient with the new person. This year, we closed the books two days early. Next year, let's have this party in summer. Please raise your glasses to the finance team.

Holiday Cards and Emails

Monday, December 21. Before the break, Lucas writes to his clients. His first draft to Ms. Duarte sounds like a message to a friend.

The same wish changes with the reader. The Christmas email to clients is where students most often get the register wrong.

Merry Christmas, Happy holidays or Season's greetings? With colleagues you know celebrate, Merry Christmas is warm and fine. With clients and people you don't know well, Happy holidays or Season's greetings is the safer choice, because it fits whatever the reader celebrates. It's a choice of register, like Hi and Dear.

5of 6B1-C115 minFree printable · page 5 Too Casual for a Client One email to fix, then one wish for three readers How it works Students rewrite Lucas's email to the client in under 40 words and tick the checklist under it: no slang, one thank-you, one wish, a safe greeting. Then they write the same holiday wish three times: for a close colleague (the example), a client and the CEO. In pairs, one student reads a wish aloud and the partner says who it is for. Why it works Students change the same message three times, so they see exactly which words carry the register. The model versions are on page 7. Free printable · page 5Page 5 also has a checklist, the same wish for three readers, and warm, client-safe and formal phrases.Download the free PDFUS Letter

The lesson for this is Business Holiday Cards (B1-B2). It opens with two sample greetings for students to compare, then adjusts tone and word choice for clients, colleagues and executives.

The Out-of-Office Reply

Wednesday, December 23. Lucas's last day before the break. One client still wants new prices, and his inbox needs an out-of-office reply.

An out-of-office reply has four parts, in this order: a thank-you, the dates away, a contact for anything urgent, and when you'll reply. For work that has to wait, Let's pick this up in the first week of January moves it forward without any pressure.

6of 6B1-B215 minFree printable · page 6 Out of Office Put a reply in order, write your own, then move one job to January How it works Page 6 has the four lines of an out-of-office reply in the wrong order. Students number them. They complete a template with their own dates and a real colleague to contact. Last, a client asks for new prices before the break. Students reply in three sentences and move the job to January. Why it works The order is the lesson: once students see the four parts, every reply they write has them. The January email is the polite way to say not now. Free printable · page 6Page 6 also has a template to complete, the January email and phrases for dates and moving work. The order is on page 7.Download the free PDFUS Letter

The January email is a follow-up in the making, and Follow-up Email (B1-B2) is the lesson for it: when to follow up, how to structure the email and polite language that isn't pushy, with a clear call to action.

Full Lessons for December at Work

When one of these moments deserves a whole hour, these lessons cover it. The free lesson first, then in the order of Lucas's December.

Every lesson here except Phrasal Verbs for Work comes with a subscription. Compare the plans to see what each one includes.

For general English classes, 30 Christmas conversation questions for adults fill a whole last lesson, and our Christmas and New Year lesson plans by level put every seasonal lesson in one place. For Business English the rest of the year, try the Business English role play cards and the 30 work conversation questions.

Workplace Christmas English FAQ

Is "Merry Christmas" OK in a work email?

With colleagues you know celebrate, yes. With clients, Happy holidays or Season's greetings is safer, because it works for every reader.

How do I explain Secret Santa to students who have never done it?

Every person in the team draws one name in secret and buys a small gift for that colleague, within a price limit the team agrees on. The giver stays secret until the gifts are opened. Page 3 of the free pack shows it in four steps.

What if my students' company doesn't have a Christmas party?

Every phrase in this post works for any end-of-year or New Year event. Keep the language and change the name of the party.