Office Christmas Party Ideas
By Marvin
No Comments
Print
Email
Bookmark
It’s that time of the year again when Christmas carols fill the air and gifts are given to friends and family. People celebrate Christmas everywhere, in their homes, schools, and even offices. Having an office Christmas party is a great way to be with colleagues and enjoy the company of each other.
There are many things to consider when having an office Christmas party, like the invitations, food, games and activities. All of these things must be planned perfectly, so that the party will go smoothly and guests will not be bored. The following office Christmas party ideas will surely make the party a memorable one for you and your officemates.
Office Christmas Party Invitations
You can send out party invitations through the e-mail network that your company uses. Christmas party invitations are usually colorful, so you need to design your invitations creatively. Photo-editing programs can help you design beautiful invitations with all the bangs and whistles. If you don’t know how to use such programs, ask someone to help you out. When you’re done, simply save the invitations in your computer and send them out via e-mail.
Christmas party invitations through e-mail are cool, but traditional Christmas cards may capture the mood of the season better. Purchase Christmas cards and write the details of the invitation inside each card. Give them to your colleagues personally, so they’ll be more encouraged to attend the party.
Another thing you can do is make Christmas party invitations on your computer and print them. Write the details on each card, then send them to officemates. Don’t forget to include details such as the venue, the time, the party theme if there’s one, and activities to look forward to.
Office Christmas Party Decorations
Decorations for your office Christmas party depend largely on the venue you choose. If you’re going to hold the party at a hotel, then your only job is to give suggestions to the hotel staff on what decorations to put up. Get some company banners and give them to the hotel staff, so they can add them to the decorations.
You have more opportunities to be creative if you’re going to hold the party in the office or in a home of a colleague; for instance, you can decorate the walls of your office with red and green ribbons. You may also post paper cutouts of snowmen and Santa Claus on the walls. Don’t forget to place a large Christmas tree in one corner of the room where guests can place their gifts. You can hang pictures of your officemates on the Christmas tree for everyone to see.
It’s best to hold the party at night so you can turn on the Christmas lights around the venue. Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you’re not sure about how to wire the lights yourself. In addition, play Christmas songs throughout the whole party to set the mood.
Games and Activities for Your Christmas Party
All the games and activities in your Christmas party should be fun. As much as possible, limit thinking games because guests may get bored with them. Activities should require participants to move their bodies to maintain the high energy of the party. Here are some games and activities that can keep the party fun and exciting:
Musical chairs: This classic party game is perfect for office Christmas parties because it’s easy to play and very fun. Arrange several chairs in a circle and ask for participants. The number of chairs should be one less than the number of participants. One of your officemates should be in charge of the music. Participants should dance around the chairs while the music is on.
When the music is shut off, the participants sit down on the chairs in front of them. Since there’s not enough chairs for everybody, one participant will always be left standing when the music stops. That person leaves the game, and the game continues as chairs are removed one by one. The one who is left sitting on the last chair is the winner and gets the prize.
Santa hat game: Get some Santa hats and tell everyone to put them on. The objective of this game is NOT to be the last person wearing a Santa hat. First, tell the participants that no one is allowed to take off their hats until you do. Then, continue having conversations with people in the party until you notice people forgetting that they’re even playing the game. Take off your hat and watch others as they also take off their hats. The last participant to take off his Santa hat is the loser and the group tells him to do a task.
Charades: Fill a bowl with strips of paper with words related to the Christmas season; for example, Santa Claus, Rudolph, White Christmas, and snowman. Divide participants into two or three teams. Each team picks a person who will act out the words on the strips of paper. The other people in the team try to guess the word by interpreting the pantomime of the person who’s acting out the word. Set a time limit to how long teams can guess a word. Scores are given to teams who guess the words within the time limit. The team who scores the highest wins the game. (Learn how to play charades)
Pin the beard: Before the game, draw a figure of Santa Claus on a large sheet of paper without the beard on. Ask someone to draw the figure if you can’t draw it yourself. Use a separate sheet of paper to draw Santa’s beard, then put a strip of adhesive tape at the back of the beard. Fix the poster of Santa Claus on a wall and tell participants to line up. Blindfold the person in the front of the line and give him Santa’s beard. The person then tries to pin the beard on the right spot without seeing the poster. The person who pins the beard closest to the right spot wins the game.
Noah’s Ark: Here’s a fun game that will leave your officemates laughing their hearts out. Write pairs of animals on strips of paper; for instance, two strips with the word “monkey” or “chicken” written. Put the strips of paper in a bowl. Divide participants into two teams, then make everyone pick a strip from the bowl. When the game starts, the participants act out the animals written on their strips of paper. No human language is allowed as each one tries to find their match in the opposite team. The game ends when everyone has found their match.
Check out this video for a very entertaining and fun musical chair game.
Foods for Your Office Christmas Party
Christmas is a time to celebrate the pleasures of living, like eating, so serve the tastiest foods in your party. If you’re having a large Christmas party in a hotel, it’s probably better to order catering services. You can cook the menu yourself with the help of others if you’re only planning to have a small office Christmas party. Whatever your choice is, the following foods will surely satisfy your guests:
Start with some drinks: The first thing you should serve your guests are drinks that can be accompanied by snacks. Serve lemonade, soft drinks, tea, or coffee. You may also serve alcoholic beverages such as beer, champagne, wine or scotch (Why don’t you serve this 8 luscious cocktails for your Christmas party). Kids at the party should be served juices, milk, or chocolate milk. Snacks could include potato chips, tortillas, or biscuits.
Serve soups and appetizers: Play some games and do some activities before serving soups and appetizers. Make at least two types of soup to serve to your guests. Appetizers could include cheese puffs, chicken drumsticks, stuffed mushrooms, oysters, and shrimps.
 Beer for drinks |
 Delicious hot soup |
 150 |
Start the main course: The main course should be tasty and satisfying. It’s advisable to serve both vegetarian and non-vegetarian dishes, because some of your colleagues might be vegetarians or following a vegetarian diet. Dishes such as lamb and potato skillet, grilled chicken caesar salad, cold sandwiches, and baked beans are excellent choices for the main course. Always go for the tastiest meals for the main course, so guests will find the event memorable. You may serve champagne or wine along with the main course.
Dish out the desserts: Serve your desserts after the guests have eaten the main course. It’s recommended that you serve at least two types of desserts to make sure that everyone eats. Desserts could include cinnamon truffles, apple pie, chocolate mousse, and trifle pudding. Cakes and ice creams are also great desserts for Christmas parties.
Coffee: If you’re having the party at night, you could end the dinner with a cup of coffee. This way, guests will have a chance to talk to each other peacefully, with their bellies full.
Enjoy your office Christmas party because you’ll not see many of your colleagues for a long time during the vacation. Try to have as much fun as other guests, even if you are the host of the party. You and your colleagues will be closer friends if you can make your office Christmas party memorable.
Leave a Reply