🎄✨ Holiday Cheer Retro
Gather around the virtual fireplace to celebrate wins, pause the grinchy habits, and keep the festive momentum alive in our agile journey.
Template Columns
🎁 Start the Celebration
Identify new joyful practices to kick off our next sprint.
Base column: Start🛑 Stop the Grinch
Spot habits that dampen the holiday spirit and agree to pause them.
Base column: Stop🎉 Continue the Cheer
Highlight festive habits that boost morale and keep them going.
Base column: ContinueAbout this template
A festive retrospective that celebrates wins, stops unproductive habits, and reinforces positive momentum in a holiday‑themed setting.
When to use this template
Use when the team wants a light‑hearted check‑in after a sprint that coincides with holiday periods or to boost morale.
How to facilitate
Welcome the team with a brief holiday ice‑breaker and explain the three columns: Start the Celebration, Stop the Grinch, Continue the Cheer
Give each participant 3–5 minutes in a shared digital board to add sticky notes to the appropriate column, focusing on concrete actions or behaviors
Group similar notes together, then have the team vote on the top two items in each column using emoji reactions
Discuss the voted items, agreeing on specific commitments for the next sprint: new practices to start, habits to stop, and cheers to continue
Close the retro by summarizing the agreed actions, assigning owners, and ending with a fun holiday cheer or virtual toast
Pro Tips
Use a festive background or themed stickers to keep energy high and encourage participation
Limit each sticky note to one sentence and a clear action verb to keep the board scannable
Assign a “cheer champion” to remind the team of the Continue the Cheer commitments during daily stand‑ups
FAQ
What if the team runs out of time to discuss all voted items?
Prioritize the top‑voted item in each column and capture the rest in a follow‑up list for later review.
How do we keep the holiday theme appropriate for all cultures?
Focus on universal concepts like celebration, gratitude, and positive habits rather than specific religious symbols, and allow participants to choose neutral emojis.
Can this retro be used outside the holiday season?
Yes, simply rename the columns to Start, Stop, Continue or swap the festive icons; the structure works any time you want a light‑hearted pulse check.
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At a glance
- Duration
45–60 min
- Team Size
4-12 people
- Columns
3 columns
- Base Format
Start, Stop, Continue
Tags
Ready to get started?
Use this template to run your next retrospective