An office Christmas party can be an awkward or boring experience in many cases, but some office parties are eagerly anticipated by employees. There may be a tremendous buzz about the event beforehand because of how fun previous years’ parties were or because of your own efforts to hype up the event. You understandably want everyone to have a great time at your party, and you can take several important steps to increase the odds that your holiday party will be a huge success.
Choose a Fun Theme
You may think that a Christmas party with a generic holiday theme would check this step off of your list, but remember that there are many variations of this theme that you can choose. For example, you may have a tacky Christmas sweater party, a holiday costume party with a costume contest, a holiday poker party with a 1920s holiday feel or something else. Your theme ideally will correspond with the entertainment that you select. All holiday parties should have some fun aspect, such as a DJ with a dance floor, a white elephant gift exchange, a poker night or something else.
Select a Venue
After you have chosen your theme idea as well as your entertainment, you need to find a venue that is suitable for the event. Some larger companies with huge event spaces on-site may be able to host the event inside the office to save money. Others may need to host the event in a restaurant, a major entertainment venue, a hotel ballroom or another similar location. These venues may be reserved well in advance for holiday parties, so you should reserve your venue well before Thanksgiving and possibly before Halloween in some cases. Ensure that your venue has enough space available for all of your employees as well as their significant others. You may also need additional space for the entertainment that you have selected, for buffet tables and more.
Focus on Decorations
A holiday party would not be a festive event without the right décor. There are some fairly inexpensive ways to decorate a venue for the holidays. You can place a Christmas wreath on the door, and you can bring in a fake Christmas tree. The venue may even let you borrow one of their trees for this purpose. Holiday candles or lanterns with fake snow and ornament balls on the dining tables, and holiday lights hung throughout the space can complete the look. For a more festive feel, incorporate holiday smells with spray scents, and ask your DJ to mix holiday tunes into the playlist.
Choose Seasonal Food and Drinks
The holidays are well-known for seasonal foods and drinks. For example, this is the time of year for ham and sweet potatoes, candy canes and other peppermint flavors, sugar cookies, eggnog, spiced cider or rum cider and more. From your appetizers to your desserts, you can choose a full range of seasonal foods and drinks that add to the festive spirit of your event. Remember that some venues require you to order off of their own list, but others allow you to cater food or to bring your own food into the venue. If this is a hot button for you, remember to ask about catering requirements or possibilities when selecting your venue.
Your holiday office party can be truly amazing, and you understandably want a great turnout. Because this time of year can be busy for many people, it is wise to give your employees a save-the-date notice at least a month in advance. You can send out formal invitations approximately two to three weeks in advance. In these communications about the event, tease the highlights of the event so that your employees start to get excited about it. This may include a highlight of the food list, the type of entertainment or games available and more. Through these efforts, your holiday party may be one to remember.
