The Office Christmas Do You'll Remember

Friends enjoying a festive drink on Tilly the narrowboat in Apsley, Hertfordshire

Most office Christmas dos follow the same well-worn format: a restaurant booking, a Secret Santa, maybe a taxi home at the end of it. None of that is wrong exactly, but it's the same shape every year, and it rarely gives colleagues much to actually talk about come January. A day on the Grand Union Canal is a genuinely different way to do it — not instead of the usual festivities, but as the one part of the season people actually remember.

A Different Kind of Christmas Do

This isn't a well-trodden path yet — a December day on Tilly as a work Christmas do is still a fairly new idea rather than something dozens of offices have already discovered. That's part of the appeal, honestly. While most teams are filing into the same handful of local restaurants and bars, a team that spends its Christmas do steering a narrowboat through the Hertfordshire countryside has done something nobody else in the office park did that year.

It works well as a genuine alternative to the standard meal-and-drinks format, or as something extra alongside it — a daytime outing before the evening's festivities properly begin, rather than a replacement for them. Either way, it gives a team something to actually do together, rather than another few hours of the same conversations around a table.

There's also a practical reason winter suits this kind of day particularly well. December is naturally quieter on the water than the summer months — fewer boats, less lock traffic, and none of the queuing that can build up on a busy weekend — so a group has the canal much more to themselves. It's the same quieter-season advantage covered in our Team Building Days on the Canal post, just with a Christmas theme layered on top rather than a plain corporate day out.

What December on the Water Is Actually Like

The honest answer is: as long as it isn't raining, the canal is lovely at this time of year — and in winter it takes on an even more relaxed, romantic feel than it has in summer. Quieter towpaths, bare trees along the water, and none of the peak-season traffic through the locks. It's a genuinely different atmosphere from a busy summer's day, and one that suits a slower, more sociable pace.

The boat itself is set up for it. There's a proper heating system on board, and extra blankets are provided for anyone who wants one, so the cold isn't a reason to rule out a December hire — it's simply part of what makes it feel cosy rather than something to brace against. Layering up is still sensible, as it would be for any outdoor winter activity, but nobody needs to worry about spending the day shivering on deck.

A skippered hire is worth considering for a Christmas group in particular, since it means nobody has to focus on the steering and locks if the day is really about everyone relaxing together, though a confident group is just as welcome to take the tiller themselves. Shorter winter daylight is worth factoring into the plan too — a December booking naturally suits a slightly earlier start than a summer one, simply to make the most of the daylight hours available.

Bring the Festive Touches

The boat already comes decorated for the season, so there's a proper Christmas atmosphere waiting on board from the moment the group steps on. On top of that, customers are always welcome to bring their own festive food and drink along for the day — mulled wine, mince pies, a proper spread, whatever suits the occasion. It turns the hire into something closer to a floating Christmas gathering than a straightforward boat trip, with the actual cruising as the backdrop to it rather than the whole point.

Planning an Office Christmas Do

A hire suits groups up to ten, which covers most teams and small departments comfortably, at one flat price regardless of how many come along — see our post on how many people can hire a canal boat for the full detail on group size and pricing. For a team that's already tried a day out earlier in the year, our Team Building Days on the Canal post covers what a corporate hire generally looks like — the same applies here, just with a festive twist and shorter winter daylight to plan around.

Worth booking earlier rather than later if a date's in mind: December weekends and evenings get taken quickly once the Christmas season properly kicks in, so it's not a hire to leave until the last couple of weeks before Christmas. If the team would rather turn the day into an actual gift than an expense claim, our Gift Cards also make a genuinely useful option for a Secret Santa or a thank-you from management.

It's also worth thinking about who's organising the day, since a work Christmas do usually falls to one person to sort out. A canal boat hire is refreshingly simple on that front — there's no venue to compare, no menu to choose between, and no seating plan to worry about. One booking covers the whole group for the day, decorations already in place, leaving the organiser free to actually enjoy it alongside everyone else rather than spending the afternoon checking on logistics.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is a canal boat day actually a good office Christmas do, or just a novelty? Genuinely good — it gives a team something to actually do together rather than another meal out, and it stands out from the usual round of restaurant bookings.

Is it too cold on the water in December? No — there's a proper heating system on board and extra blankets provided, so the cold isn't a barrier. As long as it isn't raining, the canal has a genuinely relaxed, even romantic feel in winter.

Can we bring our own festive food and drink? Yes, always welcome — mulled wine, mince pies, whatever suits the occasion. The boat is already decorated for the season too.

Should we book a skipper for a Christmas group? Worth considering if the day is really about everyone relaxing together rather than focusing on steering, though a confident group is just as welcome to take the tiller themselves.

How many people can come, and does the price change? Up to ten, at one flat price whatever the group size — see our How Many People Can Hire a Canal Boat? post for more detail.

Final Thoughts

A restaurant table is easy to forget by February. A team steering a decorated narrowboat through a quiet winter canal, wrapped in blankets with mulled wine on board, tends to stick a bit longer than that. If the usual office Christmas do feels like it's on repeat, this is a genuinely different way to spend the day.

Ready to plan your office Christmas do? Check our current Hire Prices and book now.