Holiday team events that aren't another dinner
The holiday event people remember is often the one that lets them breathe. December is a crunch, and nearly half of Canadians call it their most stressful month. A live sound bath gathers the whole team, in the office or over Zoom, and sends everyone into the holidays calmer. Keep the tea or cocktail hour afterwards, and make the calm the centre.
Pause + Expand · Updated September 2026
December is a crunch
Year-end deadlines, then a season that often centres on family, which is lovely and also one of the things that stresses us out most at this time of year. Nearly half of Canadians name December as their most stressful month.
So there is a real need, right when the calendar is fullest, to actually de-stress.
Source: Yorkville University and TELUS Health, holiday stress survey, 2024
Gather to get ready for the holidays
A December session is about gathering, and getting ready for the season ahead. The team comes together one last time before the break, slows down together, and leaves a little lighter than it arrived.
Most holiday ideas add one more thing to the busiest month of the year. This one takes something away.
A sound bath instead of drinks after work
Something we are starting to see: teams picking a sound bath over drinks after work. The session is the focus of the gathering, not the dance floor. Afterwards, a tea, or a cocktail hour if that is your tradition.
It also works for more of your people. In 2023, 54% of Canadian adults had not had a drink in the previous week. An event that does not revolve around the bar leaves nobody standing at the edge of the room.
Source: Statistics Canada, Alcohol consumption in Canada, 2023
One December moment for a team across the country
Over Zoom, a holiday session brings a team spread from Halifax to Vancouver together at the same moment, which almost nothing else in December does. Everyone listens on their own headphones, cameras off, wherever they are.
For small teams: an oracle card workshop
For teams of up to fifteen, Jennifer leads a workshop on oracle cards: what they are, how to use them to reflect, and a card for each person to take into the new year. Teams book it as something different to do together, and a gentle way to close the year.
Book early, and keep it in the workday
We are in Toronto through December, and December dates go first. In your office it starts at $1,000, with travel anywhere in the Greater Toronto Area included. Over Zoom it starts at $500, whatever the size of the team.
Late afternoon works well, with the tea or cocktail hour straight after. The one slot we avoid is right after a big lunch.
Also asked
- Can a sound bath replace the holiday party?
- It can, or it can sit alongside it: the sound bath first, then tea or a cocktail hour.
- Is it inclusive of people who don't celebrate Christmas?
- Yes. There is no religious content, and nobody is asked to share anything or be cheerful on cue.
- Can we do it over Zoom for a remote team?
- Yes. The whole team hears it live at the same moment, wherever they are, and it starts at $500.
- When should we book for December?
- As early as you can. December dates are the first to go.