Make This Holiday Season Extra Special For Your Team!
Choose a topic to explore Santa’s state-of-the-art command center and learn how you can make this holiday one to remember for your employees.
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Holiday Recognition: What to do and what to definitely avoid.
25 ideas to drive recognition and engagement during the holidays.
Give your employees the gift of choice this holiday season.
Discover whether your culture is on the naughty or nice list.
Learn how holiday campaigns can reduce turnover.
Celebration Toolkit
Recognition Drivers
Holiday ROI
Naughty or Nice Quiz
Holiday Do's and Don'ts
Gift Output
Santa's Playlist
Get Your Holiday Program Today!
See a Holiday Celebration in Action!
See If Your Workplace's Culture is on the Naughty or Nice List
Answer 10 quick questions to discover whether your culture lands on the “Nice List”, is teetering “On the Fence”, or needs a little holiday magic on the “Naughty List”.
TAKE THE QUIZ
Tis the season for sleigh bells — and self‑reflection.
Rarely/Never
Monthly
Weekly
Daily
How often does genuine public recognition happen within your company?
No Party Plans
Less than $20
$20 to $49
Over $50
What is your year-end party and holiday gifting budget per employee?
No
Ad-Hoc
Yes, Manual Checklist
Yes, Automated
Do managers have a formal reminder prompting them to recognize team milestones? (e.g., Service, Birthdays, Holidays)
When employees go “above & beyond,” how quickly is that celebrated?
End-of-year Only
Within a Month
Within a Week
Same Day
Do your recognition moments reflect diverse holidays? (e.g., Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Lunar New Year)
Sometimes
Always
Rarely
Never
Almost Never
Quarterly
How often does Senior Leadership publicly recognize individuals or teams?
Not at All
Occasionally
Often
Every Message
Does your company tie recognition to core values?
Do employees have the ability to choose a reward or gift that is special to them?
What percentage of your recognition is peer-to-peer? (including likes, comments and nominations)
Less than 25%
25-49%
50-75%
Over 75%
Over 20%
16-20%
10-15%
Below 10%
What was your turnover rate among high performers this year?
Uh oh — Santa heard some grumbling.
It's not too late to turn things around. Celebrate your people and start building a culture of appreciation with our holiday recognition program.
Use this 5-step playbook to align recognition with your company values and strengthen your culture.
Download the Playbook
Explore Our Holiday Gifting Program
Sparkling sleigh bells of success!
End the year strong with a holiday program your employees will love.
So-so stocking —plenty of room for cheer.
Bring more structure and sparkle with a holiday recognition program
Open the drawers for 25 ways to spark joy, gratitude and engagement this holiday season!
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Appreciation Advent Emails Send a daily email shoutout to one employee, highlighting their accomplishments.
The Big Thank You End the season with a heartfelt, company-wide thank you message from leadership.
Year-End Appreciation Bash Throw a celebration with food, music, and informal shoutouts. Include a recognition moment where leaders thank the group.
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Treats for Teams Send a coffee, snack, or treat box to remote and in-office teams as a surprise recognition moment.
Return Home
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Ornament of the Day Each day, feature an employee’s name on a virtual or physical ornament along with a quick note about why they’re being recognized.
20
Holiday Values Countdown Each day, highlight one of your core values and recognize an employee who lived it out this year with a short story or example.
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Year-End Award Show Host a fun ceremony with lighthearted awards. Make it fun by celebrating fun peer-nominated superlatives like ‘Best Teammate.’
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Gratitude Garland Provide festive paper strips where employees can write thank-you messages to coworkers. Link them together to create a garland that grows throughout the season.
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Recognition Scavenger Hunt Hide physical “holiday tokens” throughout your workplace with each one linking to a recognition action or message from leadership.
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Cheers with Cheers Encourage employees to use your recognition platform (like Inspirus Connects!) to send shoutouts or points-based recognition.
15
Team Shoutout Carousel Use your internal newsletter or Slack to spotlight a new team each day, celebrating what they’ve achieved this year.
14
Winter Wellness Day Recognize your team by encouraging rest and self-care with a bonus wellness day or extended break.
13
Holiday Kudos Bingo For a fun activity, create a bingo card filled with recognition actions (like “send a thank-you” or “shout out a teammate”) and reward completed rows.
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Joy Jar Invite employees to submit what brings them joy at work; read a few submissions out loud each day.
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Surprise and Delight Gift Drop Randomly select employees each day to receive a small gift card, treat or token of appreciation to spread holiday cheer.
10
Manager’s Holiday Message Ask managers to record a short video or write a personal holiday message recognizing their team's accomplishments.
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End-of-Year Highlights Reel Create a short video or slideshow featuring team wins, standout moments and shoutouts from across the company.
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Recognition Tree Set up a tree where each ornament is a note of appreciation from one employee to another.
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“You Made My Year” Wall Give employees the chance to write a short note recognizing someone who had a positive impact on their year and post them anonymously in a common space or online.
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Recognition Raffle Each time someone gives a kudos or shoutout during the week, their name goes into a raffle. End the week with a prize drawing and a few fun callouts.
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Gift of Time Let employees leave a little early or start late one day as a reward for great performance.
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Secret Snowflake Shoutouts Pair employees up anonymously to exchange kind words, kudos or holiday wishes throughout the week.
3
12 Days of Recognition Challenge Encourage managers to recognize a different team member each day for 12 days leading up to the holidays.
2
Personalized Holiday eCard Send each employee a branded holiday eCard with a heartfelt message tailored to their individual contributions.
1
Season of Thanks Board Create a virtual or in-office board where employees can share short messages of gratitude for teammates and leaders.
Jordan’s company had a thoughtful recognition strategy in place leading into the holidays. Leaders were prepared, managers were equipped and the experience felt personalized and genuine from start to finish.
The Holiday Recognition Plan
BrightPath Tech is a midsize software company with a hybrid workforce and a strong culture of employee appreciation. With around 500 employees, they’ve built their success on collaboration, innovation and a people-first approach. Recognition is a year-round priority — and during the holidays, they double down to ensure employees feel valued and connected.
Apex Systems Co. is a logistics company with over 700 employees, most of whom work on-site in frontline roles. While the company prides itself on operational excellence, recognition often falls to the bottom of the priority list, especially during busy end-of-year periods. Communication from leadership is sparse, and managers are rarely given direction or resources to recognize their teams.
The Power of Positive Recognition
The Consequences of Negative Recognition
Holiday Recognition: What to Do (and What to Definitely Avoid)
The Right Way: Meet Jordan at BrightPath Tech
What They Did to Recognize Employees
Managers received a holiday recognition guide with tips and templates for recognizing their team Each employee received a personalized, branded holiday eCard as a token of appreciation from the company Leadership sent a heartfelt holiday message to all employees, recognizing their contributions and dedication Employees were able to redeem a meaningful gift of their choice within a set budget Team meetings included time to reflect on the year’s achievements and express appreciation for the team’s hard work End-of-year awards recognized standout performers and team achievements A holiday party brought employees together to celebrate, connect, and close out the year on a high note
The Impact of Their Approach
Jordan felt proud to work at a company that truly walks the talk on recognition. Team morale was high, turnover risk was low and engagement scores spiked in the post-holiday pulse survey.
As you can see, the difference between a thoughtful recognition plan and a missed opportunity is huge for morale, retention and overall engagement.
Before you dive into planning your own holiday recognition efforts, use this quick checklist to make sure your approach lands on the ‘nice’ list.
The Wrong Way: Meet Travis at Apex Systems Co.
A single, generic holiday email was sent from the CEO with no personalization or specific acknowledgments No team-based or peer-to-peer recognition moments were encouraged or facilitated Frontline employees received no recognition, no communication, and were left completely out of the holiday messaging Managers weren’t given any guidance or reminders to recognize their direct reports No end-of-year awards were hosted to spotlight employee achievements No budget was allocated for holiday gifts, rewards, or small tokens of appreciation No time was set aside in team meetings or communication channels for appreciation or shoutouts A holiday party was canceled due to “timing conflicts” and never rescheduled
How They Chose to Recognize Their Employees
There wasn’t much of a plan. Aside from a last-minute holiday email, employees received little to no acknowledgment for their hard work during the year — and it showed.
Travis felt forgotten. Frontline teams grumbled about feeling invisible. Several high performers started updating their resumes by New Year’s. HR noted a major dip in morale and a spike in exit interviews.
Your Holiday Recognition Checklist Before the season gets too busy, make sure your holiday recognition plans check all the right boxes:
Equip managers with tips, templates, and reminders to help them deliver timely and meaningful recognition.
Send personalized, branded eCards to employees and managers to thank them for their contributions.
Host end-of-year awards to spotlight top performers and celebrate standout team achievements.
Provide inclusive recognition that reaches remote, hybrid and frontline employees.
Avoid last-minute scramble by planning recognition moments in advance.
Recognize dedication and team achievements by celebrating hard work, big wins and standout contributions in visible ways.
Include a thoughtful gift to each employee that aligns with your budget and their preferences.
Share a company-wide message from leadership that includes a heartfelt thank-you and happy holiday wishes from the executive team
Bring people together with a holiday party or team celebration.
Create a festive recognition activity, such as hanging notes of appreciation as ornaments on a holiday tree or building a wall of gratitude in the office.
Recognize managers for their leadership and support throughout the year with a personalized message and/or small token of appreciation.
Download the Holiday Recognition Checklist and make this holiday season one to remember!
Don’t land on the naughty list this year. Inspirus can help you create a holiday recognition experience your employees will appreciate (and remember for all the right reasons).
Spread Holiday Cheer with Inspirus
Give your employees the gift of choice this holiday season!
Empower your employees to select a gift that’s meaningful to them. With Inspirus’ new digital experience, an online catalog automatically curates a diverse gift selection based on the provided budget level.
Use the buttons below to see the most popular gift choices from different budget levels.
$50
$75
$100
$150
$200
$250+
eGiftCards
Amazon eGiftCards
Merchandise
Appliances Automotive Baby Beauty Bed, Bath and Home Electronics Fitness & Outdoors Jewelry & Fashion Luggage & Travel Outdoor Living Tools Toys & Games Watches & More!
Prepaid Card
Holiday cheer starts here! A $50 budget gives employees access to 2,500+ gifts along with a classic gift card.
Immersion Blender
200 Lumen Headlamp
Crockpot
Cooler Tote Bag
Step up the cheer with a $75 budget! Choose from top-brand gifts your team will love plus their favorite gift cards.
Video Doorbell
Solo Ear Buds
Air Fryer
Steam Mop
A $100 budget is the sweet spot. Give premium gifts and popular gift cards your team will be excited to unwrap.
Fire Tablet
Air Pod 4
Oakley Sun Glasses
Ladies Watch
A $150 budget opens the door to high-end gifts that show your team they’re valued, along with beloved gift cards.
Juice Maker
4K Television
Rolling Tool Chest
Fossil Bag
$200 brings the wow factor. Options from high-quality gifts and top gift cards that make your team feel seen and valued.
Firepit with Stand
French Oven
Michael Kors Bag
Power Washer
The top of the nice list! $250+ unlocks unforgettable gifts and premium gift cards that go beyond expectations.
DLSR Video Camera
Sterling Silver Bracelet
Espresso Machine
Pizza Oven
Measure the Real ROI of Spreading Holiday Cheer
Uncover the full business impact of employee recognition.
Recognition isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a business strategy that drives real results and spreads joy across your workforce. It fuels stronger retention, higher engagement, better performance and fewer absences. It’s a gift that gives back to your people and your business, especially during the holiday season.
Recognition increases employee engagement, productivity, and performance by 14%. (Deloitte) 80% of employees say they’d work harder if they felt more appreciated. (Zippia)
Click this map marker and use the calculator to compare your current investment with the impact a more strategic recognition approach could deliver.
Santa’s not the only one tracking impact this season. Recognition can boost employee engagement and deliver real business results.
Visit Santa’s stops to uncover hidden HR costs and discover where recognition delivers the biggest ROI.
Overall Recognition ROI
See how recognition can help you hold onto top talent and avoid costly turnover.
Losing top talent comes at a high cost, but recognition can make all the difference. Holiday recognition reinforces value and appreciation, reminding employees their hard work hasn’t gone unnoticed as the year comes to a close.
Nearly 50% of U.S. workers plan to look for a new role in 2025. (Gallup) The average cost to replace an employee is 6–9 months of their salary. (SHRM)
Click this map marker and use the turnover calculator to estimate what turnover is costing you — and how much you could save with a stronger recognition strategy.
Employee Retention ROI
Discover how appreciation fuels engagement, performance, & lasting connection.
Employees are more likely to stay engaged when their contributions are seen and appreciated. Consistent, thoughtful recognition during the holidays deepens connection, reinforces purpose and strengthens employees’ sense of belonging when it matters most.
Employees who feel recognized are 4x more likely to be engaged. (Gallup) High-engagement teams show 21% greater profitability. (Gallup)
Click this map marker and use the employee engagement ROI calculator to see how improving employee engagement and productivity with recognition can impact your bottom line.
Employee Engagement ROI
Discover how recognition helps reduce burnout and absenteeism during a stressful season.
When employees don’t feel seen, they stop showing up. Literally. Holiday recognition shows employees they matter and keeps morale high, helping reduce burnout-related absences.
Unplanned absenteeism costs U.S. companies $225.8 billion each year — that’s $1,685 per employee. (CDC) Nearly half of overtime is used to cover shifts when team members are out. (SHRM)
Click this map marker and use the absenteeism ROI calculator to estimate your absenteeism losses and uncover how recognition could help cut them down.
Employee Absenteeism ROI
You’ve followed Santa’s route and seen how recognition impacts everything from retention to productivity. Now it’s time to wrap up your journey with some merry next steps and start building a recognition program that delivers real joy (and real ROI).
Click this map marker to choose your next stop!
What’s Next on Your Recognition Journey?
Start Celebrating
Send a Holiday eCard
Recognize employees in a way they’ll remember with a festive, branded eCard and a budget-friendly gift from top brands.
Launch the Calculator
Take the first step toward a meaningful recognition program with our Recognition Budget Calculator.
Build Your Budget
Read the Playbook
Download our Employee Recognition Playbook. It’s a 5-step guide to help you build (or rebuild) a high-impact program that delivers results.
Get the Framework
Take the Quiz
Curious how your recognition efforts stack up? Take our short quiz to uncover where your program stands.
Recognition Maturity Quiz
Click on the gift tags for resources to wrap up the year with appreciation and joy.
Deck the Halls with Recognition
Printable Holiday Cards
Digital Screen Savers for meeting rooms & TV
Printable Posters
Visual Décor Kit
Budget Planning Worksheet
Recognition Holiday Bingo
Holiday Party Checklist
Party Planning Kit
Gift Guide
Executive Year-End Thank You
Holiday Employee Recognition Messaging
Holiday Toolkit
Recognition Timeline Calendar
Messaging Guide
