Christmas Message to Employees: What to Say, and When to Film It
A Christmas message to employees works when it sounds like one person talking to the people they work with. Most don't, because they're written by committee in the last week of term and read like a press release with tinsel on it. The best ones are short, specific about the year that's just happened, and honest about the year ahead. Whether it goes out as an email, a card or a short film matters less than whether it sounds true.
What to put in it
Keep it to three things. Thank people for something specific, because "thank you for all your hard work" could be sent by any company to anyone. Name one or two moments from the year that the whole team will recognise, good or difficult. Then say something plain about what's coming, without a slide's worth of targets.
Leave out the year's numbers unless they genuinely mean something to everyone reading. Nobody wants to be told the revenue figure in a Christmas message. They want to know that somebody noticed what they did.
Christmas message examples
These are starting points. Each one works because it's specific, so swap in your own year.
A short thank-you "This year we moved office, took on eleven new people and still got the Henderson project out a week early. None of that happens without you. Have a proper rest, and thank you."
After a hard year "It hasn't been an easy twelve months, and I know some of you have carried more than your share. I want to say that clearly rather than pretend otherwise. Thank you for sticking with it and with each other. Next year starts in a better place because of what you did this one."
For a growing team "A year ago there were nine of us. Now there are twenty-six, and half of you have never known the old kitchen. Whether you've been here ten years or ten weeks, thank you for making this a place people want to join."
From a founder "When I started this company I hoped it would be somewhere I'd want to work. This year, more than any other, it was. That's down to you. Merry Christmas, and see you in January."
When a Christmas video beats an email
An email gets read once, if it's opened at all. A short Christmas video for employees gets watched, shared in the team chat and remembered, because people see a face and hear a voice. It's especially worth it when the team is spread across sites or working from home, and the Christmas party is the only time everyone is in one room.
There are three common versions. The simplest is a leader speaking straight to camera for under a minute, which works if they talk rather than read. Then there's the team film, a few people from across the business saying what the year meant to them, cut together with footage from the year. The third is a film made for the Christmas party itself, played on the screen before the speeches.
We made one of those for ASK Partners, a film for its Christmas party celebrating the firm passing two billion pounds in lending. It worked because it was about the people who got the firm there, not the number.
How a Christmas video for staff gets made
Start early. Christmas filming needs booking by mid-November, because December diaries fill up and the edit needs time before the party date. A leader's message can be filmed in an hour in your own office. A team film usually takes a day, with short interviews and some footage of people at work.
Write a few bullet points rather than a script. People who read a Christmas message from an autocue sound like they're reading a Christmas message from an autocue. Talk it through first, then film it as a conversation, which is how we film almost everything (our page on never being on camera explains why).
Keep it short. Under a minute for a message, two to three minutes for a team film. Deliver it with subtitles, because a lot of people will watch it on their phone in a quiet office or on the train home.
Phone or crew?
A leader recording a heartfelt minute on their phone is better than a polished film that says nothing. If it's a simple thank-you, do that. A crew earns its place when the film is for the whole company or a party screen, when several people are in it, or when it needs to look as good as everything else you put out. The corporate video production and event video production pages cover how those days run.
FAQ
What should a CEO say in a Christmas message to employees?
Thank people for something specific, mention one or two moments from the year everyone will recognise, and say something honest about the year ahead. Keep it short and in their own words.
How long should a Christmas video message to staff be?
Under a minute for a message from a leader, and two to three minutes for a film featuring the team.
When should you film a Christmas message for employees?
Book it by mid-November. A leader's message can be filmed in an hour, but a team film needs a filming day and time to edit before the party or the last week of term.
Should a company Christmas video be scripted?
Use a few bullet points rather than a script. People sound far more natural talking through what they want to say than reading it.
Bring us the problem. We'll make the film.
A thirty minute conversation with the team. No obligation.