As the holiday season draws near, party planning both at home and at work commences. From grab bags to secret Santa, the possibilities are endless. Whether your company is planning its first-ever party or looking to spruce up its usual festivities, the following ideas can help put your party over the top. Here are a few fun ways to throw a festive office party this holiday season.
Go big or go home!
It may seem tacky to go overboard on decorations, but when it comes to holiday décor, the sky’s the limit. It’s entirely possible to double the number of decorations in your company’s workspace without creating an eyesore. The key to decorating festively without creating a garbled mess is to stick to a theme. Having a plan set for an overall composition helps to create unity throughout the workspace. The idea of set themes also adds an element of suspense to your annual decorating as your coworkers anticipate the grand reveal.
Setting a unified theme may seem overwhelming, but you can keep the idea quite simple. For instance, your theme could be titled “Santa’s workshop.” In this theme, each employee can be tasked with decorating their cubicle or office around their favorite childhood toy. At the head of the office, you can place a rented Santa throne chair for photo opportunities during your party. The following year, your theme could be “Winter Wonderland” with fake snow, icicles hanging from the ceiling, and coworkers decorating around their favorite winter activities.
Make it your own
One of the best ways to set your party apart is making it unique to your company. Start your planning by creating custom envelopes from Mines Press with a festive version of your company’s logo. Once you’ve sent the invitations out, you can create flyers to post around the office building announcing the theme or activities to look forward to. Creating excitement about the event boosts company morale and creates anticipation.
Continue the holiday fun by setting up a photo booth at your event. It’s easy to create fun backdrops, props, and signs for your employees to use as they document the festivities. Include hints of your theme in these offerings, like snowflakes for Winter Wonderland or elf hats for Santa’s workshop. These small additions add an extra element of fun and document the occasion for years to come.
Have fun with it!
A little healthy competition is always fun, especially in the workplace. Competition in an office setting leads to innovation and fresh perspectives. Take your holiday decorating and turn it into a contest with a company-based reward. Multiple awards can be given from “most creative” to “most on-theme” with incentives like extra personal days or extended lunch breaks. You can take this idea and apply it to groups within the office, pinning accounting against sales or HR versus customer service. If you’re part of a larger corporation, competition can be set amongst branches, divisions, or subgroups. The possibilities for festive, incentive-based contests are endless.
For the less-competitive groups, there are countless festive activities to consider. During your celebration, add in trivia games, vintage board games, or a traditional grab bag. Grab bags are a fun way to do a gift exchange without having to tailor the gift to an individual’s interests. Each employee can bring in a gift under a preselected dollar amount and exchange them during the party. Exchanging gifts within the office forges relationships amongst co-workers which can last long after the holiday season.
Whatever you choose to do for your company’s next holiday party, be sure to incorporate both appreciation and fun for your employees. By adding in some of these unique ideas, your next event is sure to be the talk of the office!
