7 Timeless Office Christmas Party Ideas
The Holidays are upon us again; it is that time of the year when snowflakes engulf the streets; Christmas wreaths hang on doors; baubles dangle on fir trees; lovers gather under mistletoes; and merry tunes fill the atmosphere. Undoubtedly, Andy Williams was not wrong to sing that it is the most wonderful time of the year. It’s about time you started planning events to celebrate the festive season in your workplace, as it helps to improve employee job satisfaction. Thus, we have compiled a list of office Christmas party ideas, so all you have to do is execute them. But first, you should know how to plan a successful office Christmas party.
How to host a successful Holiday party
Christmas comes once every year, so if you’re hosting an office Christmas party, you want it to have a monumental impact on your workforce. One of the ways to ensure this year’s Christmas celebration goes down in your company’s history is to plan effectively, regardless of the nature of the event (small or large). With a committee of employees, you can plan and execute the following items of must-haves on your office Christmas party to-do list:
1. Set an inclusive date(s)
Depending on the number of events you intend to host before your company goes on recess, you can disperse s survey or set up polls for employees to agree on the dates for the events. Based on their responses, you can pick the most convenient date for event(s) and then embed the date(s) in their calendar so that they come prepared.
2. Plan your budget
You need a professional who can plan your event budgets error-free and comprehensively. You can lay out all your expenditure (gits, decorations, venue, food) in order of significance and allocate resources to them.
3. Determine the nature of the Party
Define the nature of the party; if your office Christmas party will be in-person, hybrid, or virtual, and if it will be embedded during or after work hours. Another thing to explore is the mood of the party. You have to decide if it would be semi-formal, like end-of-the-year corporate parties, casual, or themed. We recommend themed parties for a more immersive and engaging experience.
4. Venue & logistics
Depending on the type of event and your objectives, you can explore various locations—the office or a local venue. If you’re using external venues, ensure you book ahead of time, considering the location, logistics, accommodation (if it’s far away), maximum occupancy, and essential facilities.
5. Catering & entertainment
We advise that you choose meals and entertainment based on your event type and budget. Some events and activities are entertaining in themselves. In that case, you don’t need to hire a disc jockey (DJ), if you need to amplify the entertainment with some good tunes. It will surprise you that you have coworkers that are musically talented and party animals. Also, some events, like the Christmas gala, may require an array of dishes to be served. Other events like sip & paint will be better accompanied by wine and finger food. You decide what works best for your event.
7 Corporate Christmas Event Ideas
Now that you know how to host your office Christmas party, you should be looking to execute all the plans you’ve put down on paper. Here are 7 timeless office Christmas party ideas:
1. Outdoor Outing
With long hours spent in the office, it’s necessary to inhale some fresh air. Getting outside the office to hang out at the park, waterfall, or museum is therapeutic and engaging. Activities ranging from karaoke, games, contests, and sporting activities can be integrated into your outing to inject more fun.
2. Christmas-themed escape room
Escape rooms are fun; you know it only makes sense if it involves a group. You don’t have to spend a lot to do an escape room activity in a fancy location. This is a corporate Christmas event you can plan on a budget. You’re fostering inter-team relationships by selecting representatives from every team to form part of the players for the game. You can create clues that align with the festive season, and participants can embark on a journey to solving those clues until they complete the challenge. You can select a few rooms in the office and tweak the lighting to give the desired effect you want to achieve (if you want to appear eerie or well-lit). If your office is remote, try doing a virtual holiday escape quest to bring your team together!
3. Christmas sip & paint
This is one corporate Christmas event that allows employees to channel their inner DaVinci in a group painting exercise. To make painting more fun, add a glass of red wine. The sip and paint activity can be performed within the office; you only need painting materials and an art-inclined employee to lead the session.
4. Community Christmas carols
Having a Christmas carol event for your internal stakeholders is incredible. Nut what’s even more remarkable is inviting members of your community who have nobody to celebrate with them—the needy. Sometimes giving to the needy doesn’t have to be physical goods like money or gifts. It can also be devoting time, affection, and service. Hosting Christmas carols for charities or shelterless people is a way of giving back to the community, reinforcing Christmas’s purpose.
5. Team decorations
Your teams spend the entire year working together to generate results for the company. Now, they can work in teams to decorate the office and bond. Again, you don’t need to spend elaborately on Christmas decorations. Thousands of Christmas DIY decoration videos teach how to create decorations from scratch. To make this activity more fun, you can develop sub-themes for decoration and make teams decorate each other’s departments.
6. Christmas costume party
You can never go wrong with a costume party, as long as everyone dresses according to the theme. The idea is to dress according to the Christmas theme colors or accessories like Christmas hats. If an employee can dress as Santa and distribute Christmas gifts or cards to fellow employees, that’s cool. But if you want to go beyond this generic idea, you can introduce a contest between two groups of employees. One could be ‘Team Elf’ and the other ‘Team Santa;’ and then, you can create award categories like best-dressed group, amongst other challenges,
7. Christmas ice-sakting
Employees can go skating in nearby ice-skating centers. If your office is in a cold climate, you should consider taking your team out on an ice-skating adventure. There are so many fun and funny memories that could emerge from this activity. Not to mention, it’s good exercise for cardiovascular health. It’s a good idea for your teams to end the year with a sporting activity that doubles as a recreational activity. It was reported that ice skating helps to burn 200 calories per hour, .according to Havard Medical School. So get those boots strapped and go skating!
Conclusion
We should sign out on a celebratory note as we’re counting down to the end of the year. Teammates need to celebrate each other for another year of working with each other as they look forward to the following year. Before your company goes on recess, ensure that you engage your teams in one of the above office Christmas party ideas. Happy Holidays!
About the Author / Sara Emezi
