Make your employer brand feel festive by leaning into authenticity, inclusion and small, thoughtful touches: spotlight real people, support giving and keep messaging tied to your values and EVP. Avoid clichés or over-salesy copy - back your EVP up with clear accessibility and inclusion guidelines, then measure what moves the needle in January hiring.
Every festive touch should be part of your year-round EVP, so what feels joyful in December still rings true in the middle of a blazing hot June.
’Tis the season for snow-dusted careers pages, Santa-hat emojis and…the dreaded eye-rolls. If you want December to feel magical without tipping into cringe, here are some tips to make your employer brand feel warm, human and unmistakably “you”.
1. Tie everything to your EVP, not to tinsel
A festive brand moment still has to sound and feel like your organisation. Revisit your EVP pillars and decide which ones naturally pair with year-end stories: purpose, impact, flexibility, recognition. Authenticity here pays off because a credible employer brand is what can truly drive consideration from candidates.
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Cheery copy idea:
“Keeping the lights on for millions this Christmas takes teamwork. Here’s how our engineers make winter safe and bright.”
Speaking of keeping the lights on, here's how in 2024, National Grid supported a local Christmas festival as part of their year-round Visual Impact Provision scheme.
Download our 2025 Christmas quiz and support Coalition of Kindness Christmas campaign
2. Tell real, seasonal and non-seasonal employee stories
Short videos or carousels featuring your own people - whether they’re working through winter’s busiest times, volunteering or celebrating together - consistently resonate better than using generic stock images. Candidates research you extensively, so real proof points matter: most job seekers read employer reviews and brand signals before applying.
3. Make it inclusive by design
December isn’t just about Christmas. Sense-check language, imagery and calendars so everyone feels seen and included. Provide guidance to managers on time-off requests for religious festivals, prayer or dietary needs and carefully consider social posts that don’t exclude non-celebrators. Acas lays out clear, practical steps employers should take.
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Consider using "festive period" or "end of year" where appropriate
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Avoid assumptions about alcohol, late nights or specific traditions
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Offer quiet alternatives to big boozy parties
4. Spotlight on community and impact
If you support a food bank, run a toy collection or match a charity's donations, show the work and the outcomes. People trust their own employer more than any other institution, so genuine acts by your team will go way further and get shared more.
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5. Optimise your careers journey for festive traffic
December can be a reflection month for candidates, with interest often building throughout and into January. Use the lull to tidy and refine your shop window:
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Refresh job copy and highlight the flexibility on offer as well as benefits and growth opportunities
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Add seasonal FAQs about expected hiring timelines
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Ensure mobile performance is strong and application forms are kept short - only ask for essential information at the early stages.
Already using Jobtrain as your recruitment platform? In your careers site CMS, create a festive hero image, add a giving-back section and look at using a 2 stage application process to reduce friction across the festive season.
6. Refresh your review presence
Candidates check Google and Glassdoor reviews and ratings before even thinking about applying. Make sure all comments have been acknowledged with warmth, publish up-to-date benefits and add December photos of real teams doing real things. It’s basic hygiene that can lift conversions.
Download our 2025 Christmas quiz and support Coalition of Kindness Christmas campaign
7. Plan social content around UK engagement patterns
Posting when your audience is scrolling helps seasonal content cut through. UK data shows weekday engagement patterns, with Thursday late afternoons often performing well as people wind down. Schedule thoughtfully, then layer in stories/reels for behind-the-scenes activities.
Content plan (example)
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Monday: “How we support carers over Christmas” (carousel)
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Tuesday: “Meet the team keeping services running on Boxing Day” (short video)
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Thursday: Q&A with early-career colleagues (late-afternoon slot)
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Friday: Charity partner spotlight + donation match (late-afternoon slot)
8. Measure what matters in January
Track December view-through to January action. Define a festive KPI bundle:
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Careers traffic to application rate
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Brand search volume YoY
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Review-site click-outs
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Social saves and shares
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Referral programme activations
Festive content ideas
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12 days of impact: one micro-story per day showing people, projects or perks that help colleagues and customers through winter.
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“Light a little brighter” series: pair a colleague’s story with a simple act of kindness or sustainability tip.
- Thank-you wall: User-generated content (UGC) shout-outs from managers and peers, moderated and fed to your careers page.
Governance guardrails for December content
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One voice: all festive assets pass a quick EVP and inclusion check
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One calendar: map owned channels, posting times and responsible owners
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One feedback loop: weekly pulse on engagement, comments and candidate questions
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One tidy-up: take seasonal assets down by mid-January, leave the goodwill stories up
Treat Christmas as a moment in a continuing story: start something good in December, then prove it lives on with policies, partnerships and quarterly updates.
Interested in some Christmas fun and donating to charity at the same time?
Download our 2025 Christmas Quiz - for every download we will donate a selection box to the Coalition of Kindness Christmas collection.