Christmas Retro

A festive retrospective that borrows the spirit of A Christmas Carol. Christmas Past reflects on what could have gone differently, Christmas Present on what's working and the people worth thanking, and Christmas Future on what the team wants ahead — with a lighthearted Foodie column to share favorite treats. A warm, seasonal way to close out the year together.

Christmas Past

Reflect on things you think could have been different

Roman

The release freeze was announced too late to plan around

Maria

We shipped the reports feature before anyone asked for it

Christmas Present

Reflect on the things that are working great and appreciation for colleagues

Anna

Deploys are boring now and nobody dreads Fridays

Daria

Thanks to Ana for covering on-call through the outage

Christmas Future

Reflect on things you want to have in the future

Maria

A staging environment that matches production

Kirill

One protected day a week with no meetings

Christmas Foodie

Share your favorite christmas food

Daria

Roast potatoes, non-negotiable

Roman

My grandmother's ginger cookies

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What is the Christmas retrospective?

The Christmas retrospective is a festive, end-of-year format perfect for the final sprint before the holidays. Inspired by Dickens' A Christmas Carol, it guides the team through the ghosts of past, present, and future, turning a year-in-review into a warm, reflective ritual. Run it in December to celebrate the year's journey, take stock of where things stand, and look ahead, all with a little holiday cheer.

Christmas Past
Christmas Present
Christmas Future
Christmas Foodie

Christmas Past

Look back over the year or sprint. Celebrate achievements, remember lessons learned, and honor how far the team has come.

Christmas Present

Take an honest snapshot of where the team stands right now, what feels good and what still needs attention.

Christmas Future

Dream about the year ahead. Set hopes, goals, and intentions for what the team wants to build and become.

Christmas Foodie

A light-hearted column for festive favorites and team treats, keeping the mood warm and the energy high.

Benefits of this retrospective

Perfect ritual for the last sprint of the year
Turns a year-in-review into an engaging story
Balances reflection with celebration
Builds team warmth and connection
The fun column boosts participation and morale

How to run the Christmas retrospective

Create a board in QRetro using the Christmas retrospective template.
Invite the team and set a festive, relaxed tone.
Give everyone time to add cards to each column silently.
Walk through past, present, and future together.
Vote on the goals that matter most for the new year.
Capture action items and end with the Foodie column for fun.

Similar templates

Other formats teams pair with this one — open any of them as a board in one click.

Retrospective Template: Good, Bad, Learned, and Learning

A learning-focused format that adds a forward-looking twist to the classic review. The team reflects on what went well and what didn't, then looks at what it wanted to learn this sprint — and whether it did — before naming what it wants to learn next. The emphasis on continuous learning makes it a great fit for teams investing in their own growth.

Halloween Retrospective Template - Spooky Sprint!

A spooky, themed retrospective that walks the team through the full retro flow in costume. Halloween Treats set the scene, Ghost Stories gather the data, Trick or Treat generates insights and Pick a Door decides what to do, before the Spook of the Sprint closes things out. The playful theme makes a structured retrospective feel like a celebration.

Plus Delta Template

One of the simplest and fastest retrospective formats there is. The plus column collects everything going well that should be repeated, while the delta column gathers what the team wants to change or improve. Its minimal structure makes it perfect for quick check-ins and teams that want to retrospect often without overhead.

Energy Levels

A check-in format that focuses on the team's energy rather than its tasks. Participants place themselves between fully charged, medium power and low battery, then reflect on what drained or fueled the sprint's energy. Tracking it over time helps spot burnout early and keep the team's pace sustainable.

Weather Forecast Retrospective

A vivid metaphor that describes the sprint as a weather forecast. Stormy stands for the turbulent issues, rainy for the troublesome challenges, cloudy for the things that turned out rosy and sunny for what felt bright and successful. The imagery makes it easy to express how the sprint felt and to spot patterns across several retrospectives.

ESVP (Explorers, Shoppers, Vacationers, Prisoners)

An opening activity that gauges how people feel about being in the retrospective itself. Anonymously, everyone places themselves as an explorer eager for new ideas, a shopper open to one useful takeaway, a vacationer glad for a break or a prisoner who'd rather be elsewhere. The result helps the facilitator read the room and adjust the session to the team's real mood.

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