Table of contents:
7 Christmas Contest Ideas
With end-of-the-year approaching, teams can flatten under fatigue and lose focus amongst the festivities... or managers can spark just the motivation their team needs to finish off strong and reach their targets. Christmas contests are one of the most reliable ways to lift energy, sharpen focus, reduce backlog, and push the final numbers before the year closes.
Below are 7 proven Christmas contest ideas built for sales and support teams to take hold with real-time dashboards, gamification, rewards, and notifications—all optimized to run seamlessly inside Plecto.
These contests are designed to engage your teams in a fun, festive way while keeping their focus on the KPIs that matter most. Whether it’s boosting sales, improving customer support metrics, or encouraging teamwork, each idea can be run easily through Plecto to track progress, celebrate achievements, and reward top performers before the year ends.
1. The "12 Days of Christmas" Performance Challenge
Ideal for: Either sales or support
Primary KPIs: Calls made, deals closed, tickets resolved, CSAT, meetings booked
How it works:
Run a 12-day mini contest leading up to Christmas. Each day highlights a specific KPI or mini goal. Teams earn points daily, with cumulative scoring determining the overall winner. Use Plecto notifications to celebrate daily achievements and keep momentum high. Here are some examples of what the 12 days leading up to Christmas micro-goals could be:
Day 1: Take 10 calls – Awarded Starter Star badge
Day 2: Resolve 10 tickets – Santa's Best Helper badge
Day 3: Fastest resolution time – Sleighing with Dasher badge
Etc.
Bonus Setup Tip:
Each employee who completes the daily challenge is awarded a badge, a celebratory on-screen notification, and coins. Any employee who completes all 12 challenges could receive 1000 bonus coins, unlock a secret prize in the Reward Store, or get a free spin using the Spin the Wheel notification!
Why it works:
- Breaking goals down into short bursts, encouraging consistency, but in an achievable way
- Everyone can win, not only top performers
- Encourages daily momentum during the busiest period
- Badges and dashboard streaks keep motivation visible
Rewards: Gift card, finish early on the final days before Christmas or in January, or a holiday food hamper
2. The Santa Sprint
Ideal for: Sales teams with a focus on high-volume calls or meetings.
Primary KPIs: Number of calls, meetings booked, deals closed.
How it works:
Set a short-term contest for the last two or three weeks of December. Track who can close the most deals or achieve the highest number of meetings scheduled. Use Plecto dashboards to display a live leaderboard contest that updates in real time.
Why it works:
- Time-limited aspect creates urgency
- Live leaderboards foster friendly competition and accountability
- Visual progress keeps the energy up, even during a hectic season.
Rewards: Gift cards, extra time off, or festive company perks like a holiday lunch or bonus points redeemable for prizes.
3. Festive KPI Challenge
Ideal for: Both sales and support teams, particularly when measuring individual and team performance across multiple metrics.
Primary KPIs: Customer satisfaction, response time, sales targets, upsells.
How it works:
Choose key KPIs for the team and display them on a shared Plecto dashboard. Track individual or team performance in a gamified way, awarding points for hitting daily or weekly targets. Celebrate milestones with festive notifications and badges.
Why it works:
- Teams get instant visual feedback on progress
- Creates excitement and reinforces the connection between effort and results
- Gamification taps into intrinsic motivation
- Encourages consistent performance.
Rewards: Branded merchandise, virtual achievement badges, or a “Christmas Champion” trophy displayed in the office or virtual space.
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4. Holiday Team Quest
Ideal for: Cross-functional teams or departments looking to improve collaboration. Aka both sales and support.
Primary KPIs: Combined performance metrics, collaborative projects completed, and cross-team support.
How it works:
Set a collective goal for the team, such as total revenue, support tickets resolved, or upsells achieved. Track the team’s progress on a Plecto dashboard and use gamified notifications to celebrate milestones.
Why it works:
- Promotes teamwork and a sense of shared purpose
- Teams feel accountable to each other
- Festive notifications reinforce social recognition and morale
Rewards: Team outings, group experiences, or donations made in the team’s name to a charity during the season.
5. The Elf Hunt Leaderboard
Ideal for: Sales teams aiming for a last-minute performance boost.
Primary KPIs: Revenue generated, deals closed, and new client acquisitions.
How it works:
Hide virtual “elves” or bonus points across different KPIs on the Plecto dashboard. Employees can “catch” elves by achieving certain milestones. Update the leaderboard in real time and use celebratory notifications to highlight achievements.
Why it works:
- Adds a playful, interactive element to performance tracking
- Keeps motivation high, even for employees who may be behind on their targets.
Rewards: Surprise gifts, holiday treats, or exclusive recognition during a team call or holiday party.
6. The Giving Tree Challenge
Ideal for: Support teams focused on customer satisfaction and retention.
Primary KPIs: CSAT scores, response times, and tickets resolved.
How it works:
Visualize a “giving tree” on a Plecto dashboard. Every time a team member reaches a milestone, a new ornament appears on the tree. Set thresholds for individual and team achievements to unlock prizes or charitable donations.
Why it works:
- Combines visual recognition with festive holiday spirit.
- Provides a clear connection between performance and positive impact
- Increases intrinsic motivation.
Rewards: Charitable contributions in the winner’s name, holiday gift baskets, or recognition during a festive meeting.
7. Secret Santa Points Swap
Ideal for: Teams that want a mix of competition and holiday fun.
Primary KPIs: Sales, customer support metrics, or other personalized performance goals.
How it works: Employees earn points for hitting KPIs, which they can “swap” for mystery prizes hidden behind a Secret Santa-style system. Use Plecto dashboards to track points and notify winners when they unlock prizes.
Why it works:
- Keeps the gamification element alive while adding surprise and excitement
- Employees are incentivized to hit their KPIs to see what prize they can unlock.
Rewards: Mystery gifts, extra perks, or festive team celebrations.
Ready to Create Christmas Joy and Rock EOY Targets? 🎄
Running Christmas contests is more than just fun—it’s a strategic way to keep your teams motivated, recognize achievements, and drive performance in a season when distractions are high and the weight of the year's hard work wears on many. With Plecto, managers can easily track KPIs, run gamified contests, celebrate wins, and create a positive, engaging environment that carries momentum into the new year.
Ready to energize your teams this holiday season? Try Plecto today and turn your year-end push into a celebration of performance and engagement. Sign up for a free demo today.
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free Plecto trial today.
Q&As
How does the "12 Days of Christmas" challenge help maintain consistent performance?
This contest is designed to combat year-end fatigue by breaking larger monthly targets into small, achievable "micro-goals" over a 12-day period. Each day focuses on a different KPI—such as making 10 calls or resolving 10 tickets. By rewarding daily progress with festive digital badges (like "Santa's Best Helper") and celebratory notifications, the contest keeps momentum high and ensures that every team member, not just top performers, feels successful and motivated throughout the busy holiday season.
Why is the "Holiday Team Quest" effective for improving cross-departmental collaboration?
Unlike individual-focused leaderboards, the Holiday Team Quest sets a collective goal for the entire department, such as reaching a total revenue target or resolving a certain number of support tickets. This format encourages team members to support one another and hold each other accountable to a shared purpose. When a milestone is reached, the entire team is celebrated through festive notifications, reinforcing a positive company culture and boosting overall morale during the high-pressure end-of-year push.
How can managers use Plecto’s "Reward Store" to enhance a "Secret Santa Points Swap" contest?
The "Secret Santa Points Swap" adds a layer of mystery and excitement to performance tracking. As employees hit their KPIs, they earn virtual coins that they can "swap" for mystery prizes. Using Plecto's Reward Store, managers can display a variety of real-world rewards—like gift cards, movie tickets, or holiday hampers—hidden behind a Secret Santa theme. This incentivizes employees to stay productive right up until the holidays so they can see which mystery gift they are able to unlock and redeem with their hard-earned coins.
MADELEINE BOURKE
Content Manager
Plecto content management specialist writes about branding, SEO, conversion optimization, and many more marketing musings. With 5+ years of experience developing content for sales and support teams, Maddy has an astute approach to conveying performance tips, success stories, and complex SaaS concepts into easy-to-implement toolkits for improving employee performance.
