A game wheel for the holiday party

It was that lull after the catered lunch, when everyone was just sort of standing around their desks. The decorations were up, but the energy had settled into a polite hum. I’d brought this silly digital wheel app up on the big screen, just in case.

The first spin broke the ice

I asked for a volunteer, any volunteer. Sarah from accounting, who’s usually pretty quiet, shrugged and said she’d give it a go. The wheel was filled with these little holiday-themed dares and games. She gave it a tap on the tablet.It landed on ‘Perform a 30-second air guitar solo to a classic rock anthem of your choice.’ The room went quiet for a second, then she just went for it, miming a wild solo to imaginary ‘Sweet Child O’ Mine.’ The laughter started then, real and surprised. It wasn’t at her, it was with her. The whole mood in the room just lifted.

Watching people lean in

After that, hands went up. It wasn’t about winning anything. It was the shared suspense of watching the spinner slow down, not knowing what was coming. Mark from IT got ‘Tell a terrible holiday joke.’ He delivered the cheesiest punchline with a completely straight face.Someone else had to lead a one-minute conga line. For a minute, we were just a chain of people shuffling between cubicles, laughing at the absurdity. You could see people relaxing, the usual work hierarchies melting away for a bit. It became less about the game and more about the collective sigh of letting go.

What was on the wheel

The items weren’t complicated. They were just little nudges toward play. A reason to be silly together for thirty seconds without it feeling forced.

The quiet magic of a simple list

It’s funny how a basic list of prompts can create a space for people to be themselves. You don’t need a script, just a gentle framework for fun to happen.