The end of the year is approaching us, but before it ends there’s one more thing that needs to be celebrated. I’ll give you a hint – ‘Wham!’ is playing in the distance. Yes, you’re correct, it’s that time of the year again – it’s Christmas time! Everything’s decorated and covered in shiny Christmas decorations on the streets. And if you’re lucky enough and live in one of those countries where it snows during this period of the year, it adds up to real magic that can only put a smile on your face.
Holiday and Christmas spirit should be celebrated with your co-workers and teammates, apart from your friends and family. But sometimes, organizing this kind of party is not so easy thing to do. There are many people whose needs and wishes should be pleased so that everyone can have a nice time. It’s a lot of pressure, no matter the size of the company. But with our little help, you can organize a Christmas office party that everyone can’t wait to attend. Here are some of the ideas:
Christmas Theme Party
This way you can make a fun office party by encouraging people to dress up and show off their outfits. You can organize an ugly Christmas sweater party and a competition. A great idea here is to create fun family Christmas shirts. By adding some prizes you will encourage them to be more creative which will make this party even more fun. Check out these guys for more party supply ideas.
Everyone should get themselves a sweater in shades of red and green and yellow featuring a reindeer, Santa or some other Christmas sign. If you can’t find a proper sweater and have some extra time, you could make your own. If some people don’t show up wearing an ugly Christmas sweater you can give them a spare one or a pair of reindeer ears so they don’t feel left out.
Games
You can try organizing a game that may or may not include your employees. Retro games that always seem like a good idea could be some of the classics such as Jumanji, Gator Golf, or Playstation. If your employees are more into games that involve them and their co-workers try organizing an Escape Room or Sherlock game.
Both games are located in a special venue and require you to use your brain and solve puzzles so you can come to the conclusion. These games are played in a small group of people so they could also be used as a way of team building – two at once.
‘Can you take a photo of me, please?’
Nowadays almost everyone has their Facebook or Instagram account. It’s a cool way of posting your photos online so you can remember the moment. But it’s even better if you can make and keep a real photo proof that will last even if the Internet stops being functional (which is not that likely, to be honest).
People stopped creating real-life photo albums and photographs but you could change that for a day by organizing a photobooth for Christmas party. Everyone will enjoy having their photos taken and having a good laugh while using some provided props. The best thing is that they’ll have something to carry with them after the party comes to an end.
Who said Food?
Everyone enjoys having a good meal. For a successful office Christmas party, you could organize catering or hire a food truck to provide your employees with some tasty food. If you’re not that into the idea of organizing and hosting dinners, you could take your employees to the restaurant where they could choose on their own what kind of delicious food they’ll have.
One more idea of how to organize a food office party and to encourage your co-workers to take part in it is by creating a dinner party where each employee could bring one of their favorite dishes. If your company is multicultural you could go one step further and suggest them to bring a dish that represents their culture and their roots.
Different Activities
It’s hard to make everyone happy and satisfied especially when it comes to organizing a party. It’s a lot of pressure. For a successful office party, you could turn your company and office rooms into a playground. Each room could be turned into something else than it’s usually. For example, one of the rooms could be a small cinema where you and your employees could organize a Christmas movie marathon party.
Get comfortable chairs and lazy bags, decorate your office and supply with movie snacks. If you live in countries where it’s not that cold during this period of a year, you could organize a movie party at some nice outdoor venues. Apart from an office cinema, you could turn your office kitchen into a cooking competition for the ones that enjoy making easy and fast Christmas cookie recipes. People are different and some of them enjoy doing nothing at parties while others like keeping their minds and hands busy.
Karaoke
Turn your office party into a music event. Karaoke is a fun way to make your employees feel relaxed and give them space and opportunity to embarrass themselves. Because, is it even a party if you don’t embarrass yourself just a little? Provide them with food and drinks before the party starts. Prepare a list of all the evergreens and one-hit wonders that will make everyone move their hips on the dance floor.
If by any chance some of the employees play an instrument this could be more fun. Provide them with their favorite instruments (even for the ones that don’t know how to play them) so that the whole group can improvise and form a band. Who knows, maybe they’ll become the next Backstreet Boys.
Other Fun Ideas
Some other activities that are social and engaging could be organizing a game of table tennis. Challenge your employees to a game while they’re having a laugh and eating their pizzas.
Another way to avoid the usual ‘sit down and eat’ parties is by taking your co-workers to bawl. If none of you is into sport and competition, you could organize a wine or beer tasting at some of the wineries and breweries that provide these kinds of activities. After a few drinks, you could take a treasure hunt through your city while keeping a track of different clues. This could be an opportunity for your employees to explore places in the city that they weren’t aware of.
Summary
Christmas is a time of reminding yourself to be grateful for the things and people you have in your life. The Christmas office party is a nice way to show your employees you care about them and their well being. These parties are a proper way to say to your employees ‘thank you’ without even saying it.
It’s a way to show them you appreciate them and you value their work and choosing to work with you. They deserve a cool and fun Christmas party. So make sure you avoid dull and traditional parties that everyone can predict.
Hopefully, some of the ideas suggested above will work out for you and your teammates. Enjoy your time together and Merry Christmas!
Article written by Alexis Walker.
