The holiday season is the perfect time to pause, reflect, and appreciate the people who make our work meaningful. If you’re looking for a simple, heartfelt activity to boost connection and positivity within your team, try Appreciation Ornaments (download below). It’s a festive activity that blends creativity, gratitude, and connection.
Consider making it an annual tradition that everyone looks forward to giving and receiving!
Appreciation Ornaments spread peer-to-peer appreciation, which research shows for many people means a whole lot more to them than appreciation from their higher-ups.
What Are Appreciation Ornaments?
Appreciation Ornaments are beautiful paper ornaments you can cut out and hang that contain messages of gratitude. They become a beautiful visual display of appreciation during the holidays and a memorable keepsake employees can take home and show their family.
This activity works especially well for on-site teams, but Appreciation Ornaments can also be mailed to remote team members.
How to Quickly Spread Holiday Cheer
Step 1: Provide Ornaments
Send out the Appreciation Ornaments PDF to your team or leave a stack of them already cut out in a central area for people to grab. Provide markers, pens, and ribbon nearby so people can personalize their message.
Step 2: Write Messages of Appreciation
Invite team members to write a short message of appreciation for a colleague, the whole team, or someone who made their year brighter.
Step 3: Create a Display
Designate a tree, bulletin board, wall space, or even a hallway as your Appreciation Tree. Team members hang their ornaments throughout the week or during a holiday gathering.
Step 4: Take Them Home
At the end of the holiday season, employees take their ornaments home as a reminder of their contributions and the positive impact they made.
Why This Activity Works
It builds belonging. Seeing a wall full of appreciation creates a shared sense of warmth and connection.
It’s visual and festive. The colorful display brightens the workspace and adds a personal touch to holiday décor.
It strengthens workplace culture. Appreciation fuels stronger relationships, higher morale, and more engaged teams.
It leaves a lasting impact. People keep these ornaments long after the season ends because they serve as a reminder that they matter.
DOWNLOAD APPRECIATION ORNAMENTS PDF
Coaching Question:
What are other ways you can encourage peer-to-peer appreciation through the year?