Guide to Better Office Holiday Parties

Let’s face it – the obligatory office holiday party is often a colossal bore. If last year you vowed not to endure another lackluster office holiday party, it’s time to step up and steer your company to throwing a great holiday party that your coworkers will remember.

Whether you have an unlimited or a tight budget, fun can be had. Use these suggestions as a guide to a better holiday party this season.

1. Make it participatory.
   Cast around for a fun activity that everyone can enjoy. Really get into the holiday spirit with a caroling party. If your staff is large, break into groups. You’ll want to find a suitable neighborhood and make sure at least one member of the group (with a decent voice) can act as lead singer. Print out lyrics — and go the extra mile to bind them in a festive folder. Finish the evening at a restaurant or staff member’s home where you can provide food and beverages.
   Or, as it’s winter, how about hosting the party at an ice skating rink? Look into whether the facility has a room you can rent where everyone can gather afterwards for hot cider, cocoa, and other treats.
   Pro-Tip: Make sure the rink has the “walkers” for the newbies.
2. Wrap it around a cultural event. 
   The holiday season is flush with musical events, theatre performances, new movie releases, and other cultural offerings. Treat staff members and their significant other to a performance to get everyone into the spirit of the season.
   Pro-Tip: Plan to include a pre- or post-performance gathering that allows time for building good cheer.
3. Get buy in. 
   Before you get too far into your party planning, run a few ideas (vetted with the boss) by your coworkers. Use surveymonkey or your internal messaging platform to gauge interest in two or three ideas. This way, you avoid foisting your own idea on others and risking low turnout.
   Pro-Tip: Invite additional suggestions in case someone has an even better idea than the ones you came up with. This may require sending out a second survey, so allow yourself ample time to make arrangement.
4.  Don’t step on the holidays.
   Research when the holidays are for all religions so you don’t inadvertently plan your party on one of them and potentially exclude some coworkers — a major Grinch move!
5. Generate enthusiasm for the party in advance. 
   Hide party-themed messages around the office and provide cheesy prizes for those who find them — along with an announcement of each winner. Or, get creative with a virtual holiday advent calendar that culminates on the big day.
   Pro-Tip: Name names under each window of your advent calendar so people will want to open it and see who’s being good-naturedly ribbed that day. For example: “In order to attend, Suzie will need to find a fill in for her Mary at the live creche pop-up.”
6. Have fun with the dress code. 
   Add in some creative flair by inviting people to come as their favorite holiday movie character. Recruit the boss’s spouse or significant other to be the impartial judge.
   Pro-Tip: Offer an appealing prize for best costume to incentivize participation.
7. Mix up the usual teams.
   For any activity, find a way to reconfigure groups of coworkers so they don’t gravitate toward their usual groupings. You can do this in several ways — going around the room and counting off, putting stickers on nametags, and so on. Instigating competitions between teams with a trivia quiz, charades — even a gingerbread house decoration contest — will help them to bond.
8. Include a “Secret Santa” gift exchange. 
   In advance of the party, ask everyone draw a name “out of a hat” — or basket, box, bowl, etc. — containing names of all the company employees. This will be the person for whom they are a Secret Santa. Each Santa is then responsible for bringing a wrapped present labeled with their giftee’s name. Place a maximum dollar amount on how much each person can spend on their gift. Ideally, the gifts will be placed under a tree, with a few “elves” assigned to pass them out.
   Pro-Tip: Provide a list of possible gift ideas for those who are truly stumped.
9. Have a moratorium on shop talk. 
   Make this a clear requisite for event-goers. To drive home the directive, add a jar in a prominent place where offenders must deposit a $10 bill (or an I.O.U.).
   Pro-Tip: You can also add in some humor by handing out plastic whistles to select people who can blow them when hear any infractions.

Later, after the cookie crumbs have been swept up and the decorations stored, pat yourself on the back. You will have helped create memories for your coworkers to savor. Now you can sit back and sip your eggnog. Better still, you can shelve any thoughts of what to plan for next year’s holiday party for many more months.

Written by Vicky Oliver.
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